Guidelight Expands Range Of Services For Individuals & Families

As the pace of life quickens for many in our community, individuals and families and some of the previous building block certainties in life seem to become less stable or predictable, it is not surprising that an increasing number of clients choose to seek our professional guidance for themselves and loved ones.

Guidelight expands range of services for Individuals & Families

Guidelight recently announced securing another talented psychologist, Roz, into our team and you can read more about Roz in our Guidelight Team section of our website.   In this brief article we would like to put into context four of the reasons we have identified, that everyday members of our community our increasingly seeking to utilise our services.

1. Some of us have allowed the intricacies of technology to become so complex in our life, that what was once a simple task, has become labyrinth like over engineered process. ( The tail is wagging the dog ).
2. Some of us have lost the ability or desire to regularly have face to face conversations ( As opposed to mislabelling a text message as the same as conversation )
3. Some of us have forgotten about how to focus on being content and happy with what I have accomplished now, rather than fighting to get that next step ahead.
4. Some of us have lost the ability to focus on peace of mind as an internal process, not automatically controlled by events that happen around us. ( Like watching less disaster and crisis drama by not turning on the TV for extended periods ).

Any or all of these factors can unsettle individuals and impact upon family dynamics in a draining sense of cumulative challenges. Two decades into our journey of providing confidential tools and strategies to help people think and feel at their best, we are delighted to be continually learning new ways to assist.

Calming Your Mind & Nurturing Your Body

A core part of our work for the past 20 years has been assisting individual clients with the tools of positive psychology and more recently including guidance for people on their nutritional well-being. The mind and body are self evidently connected. In a recent program, called “ Happy Body At Work “ delivered to people at work at Sydney University by physiotherapists, two thirds of participants had become much more aware of how physical things affected their mood. In our own Guidelight Psychology “ Creating Healthier Workplaces “ program we see significant growth in the self belief and ability of our clients to better cope with the stresses of their home life and workplace demands.

Check out our specialist website www.creatinghealthierworkplaces.com.au for more interesting background information on the power of these programs to positively transform a persons life and enhance business outcomes. A study by Medibank and KPMG estimated that across Australian workplaces, staff showing up to work feeling physically and/or mentally unwell cost our economy an estimated $34.1 billion per year.

Whether as a client on one of our workplace programs or as an individual seeing us privately, please remember that investing in tools to maintain your positive psychological and nutritional health is worth it – both for yourself and for your career.

Age Is Not A Barrier to Depression

So often we read about depression and in today's world it crosses all age groups.  I recently read this article about Samantha Little who has written a book 'Into the Fog'.  Samantha shares her story of depression and how at 17 years old was faced with this demon and not sure what to do. Age is no barrier to depression and we need to be aware of not only how we feel but also how others are feeling.  Your teenager may not just be going through the 'teen years' it could be much deeper than that.  As a parent you need to be supportive and encourage open conversations.

If you feel that you or your family or friends need help be supportive and encourage them to contact a psychologist where they can talk freely and in a confidential environment.

Read more of Samantha's story here...http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2015/07/14/4273240.htm

The Psychological Importance of "Letting Go"

Across the range of interesting clients we appreciate being able to work with, we regularly encounter hard working individuals who are seeking to change old patterns of behaviour that are keeping them in a rut. Aspects of their life can feel stunted, or not well grounded, leading to restrictions in the level of joy, excitement and zest for life currently being experienced by that person. One form of powerful breakthrough to help people move out of that rut in their life is to explore the concept and feel the emotional shift associated with choosing to “ Let Go” !

This can be a challenging step if the person mistakenly assumes that letting go is a sign of weakness or capitulation or failure. Nothing could be further from the truth ! Appropriately letting go requires wisdom, courage and trust in yourself.

If this concept of wisely “Letting Go” of past limiting patterns or personal setbacks seems important to you at this point in your life, then please enjoy taking some moments to reflect on the following selected themes :

“To Let Go” does not mean to stop caring. It just means accepting I cannot do it for someone else.

“To Let Go” is not to try to change or blame another, it is to make the most of myself.

“To Let Go” is not to be protective, it is to permit others to face reality.

“To Let Go” is not to adjust everything to my desires but to take each day as it comes and cherish myself in it.

“To Let Go” is to fear less and love more.

If you are finding it difficult to let go, call Guidelight 07 5527 0123 to arrange a confidential appointment with one of our caring counsellors.

Do you feel like you are underperforming in your Personal & Professional Life?

Across a 12 month calendar cycle we committed to the rigorous task of coding the number one reason a client stated as to why they had booked an initial consultation with our practice to seek assistance with some aspect of their work or home life ( or both ). The size of our sample base of clients was over 1,000 people drawn from all walks of life around the Gold Coast and Brisbane regions

27% of people identified that the number one reason they were not currently performing or feeling at their best was because of difficulties associated with Interpersonal Issues.  This meant that they were having some level of communication breakdown, conflict, disharmony or mistrust with at least some of the people they worked with.  The workplace issue could have been with colleagues, or customers or suppliers or all of them, but the common point is that problems with some aspect of work related relationships had negatively impacted the mental health and well being of our individual client.

A further 26% of clients that we assisted with an initial consultation over that 12 month period told us that their number one reason for them seeking an appointment was to deal with difficulties created by relationship issues with people in their home life, such as spouses, children, relatives and neighbours.

Combine these two categories and it is revealing to understand that more than half ( 53% ) the people who had the good sense to seek professional assistance to find solutions and regain peace of mind when they experienced a problem affecting their mental health, booked an appointment because of unresolved issues with other people.

Many of these issues were quickly fixed through skilling our clients to develop crisp, clear communication strategies and learning advanced positive psychology techniques to change the previously negative impact of the situation on themselves.

People wisely consult their lawyer for contracts advice and their accountants about tax advice, so it is appropriate more of us start to consult our psychologist about relationship and communication advice.

Call 07 5527 0123 to make an appointment for a confidential consultation.