Scented aromatherapy oils are beneficial to your health in a variety of ways. This is because of the natural qualities in the essential oils that are not mixed with anything synthetic, such as air fresheners and perfumes. Aromatherapy has been used for thousands of years to promote emotional and physical well being. The scents of the essential oils mix with the natural chemicals that are in the brain, and that is how the oils work.

The essential oils tend to be rather potent, and therefore they must be diluted before they are used. Professionals have been trained on exactly how to use the oils, and to be safe, it is best to consult with one before utilizing this method. Each different type of essential oil has a variety of ailments that it is meant to take care of. Experts in this field have been trained on this aspect of aromatherapy also.

There are some people that should not use aromatherapy at all because of the strength of the oils. If you are pregnant, it is advisable not to use aromatherapy until the baby is born because some of the oils are not safe for the unborn baby. Some people are extremely sensitive to the essential oils and may be allergic to them. These people should not use aromatherapy either. If you are not sure if you may be sensitive to it, it is best to consult a professional as well as do a test to see how your body will react to the oils.

Though there has been some research done to study the actual effects of aromatherapy, it has not been concluded that the essential oils work without a doubt. It has been shown that it does improve the emotional and physical well being of many patients, but not enough to be positive. Through the studies that have been performed, not only did the patients’ stress level lower, but those with epilepsy were shown to have fewer seizures.

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Childcare Training – Childcare training directory, with free ebook on child psychology and online training course.

Counselling UK – Online directory of counselors and psychologists throughout the UK.

Counselors Online – Online counseling and therapy with expert therapists.

Couple Therapy Online – Advice for couples and families from expert therapists.

Edinburgh Garden School – Online gardening and horticulture courses from the gardening spacialists.

Employee Counselling –
Online Workplace Counselling.

Learning Curve – One of the Uk’s leading distance learning providers.

Horticulture Courses – Directory of horticulture and gardening courses.

Learning Curve – Online courses from Learning Curve, one of the UK’s leading distance learning providers.

Borders Online Counselling – Online counselling and therapy with expert counsellors.

School for Writers – a leading provider of online writingcourses.

Borders Relationships – online relationship therapy and sex therapy.

Virtual Ocean – Release messages and emotions into the digital ocean.

Borders Business Mentors – Online business advice, articles and mentoring.

Explore Gardening – Online directory of gardeners and garden designers, as well as gardening articles and courses.

What is Therapy – Information and advice about different types of therapy.

Your Course Finder – Online directory of courses, including online, distance learning, part-time and full-time courses.

Therapy – Treatment intended to cure or alleviate an illness or injury, whether physical or mental.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition

types of therapy

Family Therapy: This type of therapy is intended to address family problems and challenges, or to improve communication. Family therapy may be focused on addressing a single issue – for instance, the behaviour of one of the children or the breakdown of a family relationship – or it may aim to improve general communication levels and functioning within the family.

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Sex Therapy: In this form of therapy a specialised sex therapist works with a couple or individual to overcome sexual difficulties. Sex therapy may an important component of couple therapy, or may be pursued in isolation.

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Group Therapy: This form of therapy includes a group of clients, ranging from three to twelve or more, working together with a therapist or facilitator. Group therapy is considered to have a number of advantages over individual therapy in some situations, for example, participants may benefit from sharing their experiences with others who have had similar experiences, as in survivor groups. Other groups may be helpful in supporting participants to develop social skills in a safe context. However, groups have some disadvantages too – in particular, quieter participants may find it difficult to make themselves heard above louder, more extrovert participants.

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Psychotherapy: This is a form of individual therapy where the client works with an experienced professional therapist to explore personal issues or challenges.

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Couple Therapy: This offers an opportunity for couples to work on relationship difficulties and improve their level of communication. Therapists who work in this area have specialist training in relationship therapy and sometimes also in sex therapy.

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Play Therapy: This form of therapy is most often used with children. Play therapy uses play as a medium for exploring chidren’s experiences and feelings, harnessing creative, non-verbal approaches to achieve therapeutic goals.

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Online Therapy: With increasing access to the Internet, therapists have explored new ways of working with clients, using email, instant chat or skype. Online therapy is now well-estabished as an effective alternative to face-to-face therapy. Advantages include privacy and accessbility – a client can work with a therapist from wherever they are in the world. It is especially suited to clients who live in remote areas or find it difficult to get to the therapist’s office due to their work schedule, family commitments or a disabiity.

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Play therapy is based upon the fact that play is the child’s natural medium of self-expression. It is an opportunity which is given to the child to ‘play out’ his feelings and problems just as, in certain types of adult therapy, an individual ‘talks out’ his difficulties.

Virginia M Axline, Play Therapy

Play has been called ‘children’s work’ and indeed if you ever watch a child at play you will see that it is a very serious business indeed! The child may be totally absorbed in the world they have created, or in the task they are trying to complete. Although to us adults it may not seem very important, to the child, at that moment, it is everything.

Play therapy taps into the child’s natural interest in play to allow them to explore traumatic or difficult feelings and experiences in a safe, non-threatening way. It can also provide them with a means to resolve conflict and problems, and to learn new ways of understanding or addressing real life situations

In play therapy, the adult’s role is often primarily that of ‘facilitator’ – providing the materials and the opportunity for children to play at a level appropriate to their stage of development. Children can explore emotions and experiences through play that they do not have the vocabulary to discuss or the knowledge to understand in a meaningful way. Once we have provided the opportunity – say, for example, a sand tray – we might then need to show the child how to use the sand tray. Ideally, the therapist would do this by starting to ‘play’ in the sand pit him or herself, digging or piling the sand, and perhaps filling buckets or toy tractors with it. Once the child begins to follow the therapist’s example he or she can step back a little and allow the child to explore the sand in their own way.

There will be times, however, when the therapist feels that more adult direction is required – perhaps to move play on or direct or focus the child’s therapeutic work. There is quite a debate within the play therapy community at the moment about whether play therapy should be directive or nondirective.

Virginia Axline, a highly influential figure in the development of play therapy, suggested that effective play therapy could be either nondirective or directive, depending on the context and the child.

Play therapy may be directive in form – that is, the therapist may assume responsibility for guidance and interpretation, or it may be nondirective: the therapist may leave responsibility and direction to the child.

Virginia Axline, Play Therapy

Further information on Play Therapy:

UK

The UK Society for Play and Creative Arts Therapies

British Association of Play Therapists

United States

Association for Play Therapy

Australia

Play Therapy Australia

These organisations can also provide useful information on finding a play therapist who is suitably qualified in your area.

You can also find an international directory of Play Therapists at Play-therapists.com

Courses in Play Therapy

The professional bodies and organisations above can provide extensive advice on training as a play therapist in their particular country.

Online Courses include:

Play Therapy Skills – Learning Curve, UK

Play Therapy Skills in Counselling Practice – Borders Counselling

One of the arguments against online therapy has been that much of the richness and depth of face-to-face therapy is stripped away in online, text-based communication. There is no body language or tone of voice, no eye contact or indeed, any other direct non-verbal communication (the exception being video conferencing). Since studies have suggested that over 90% of our everyday communication is non-verbal, which means that online therapy offers a very different experience from that of face-to-face work, both for counsellor and client.

However, online therapists argue that while working with clients online may be very different from working face-to-face, this does not make it any less effective. They also argue that online therapy can reach many clients who would never seek help in a face-to-face setting, especially those concerned about issues of confidentiality and privacy, or who feel threatened by being in such close proximity with just one other person.

Online therapy is potentially far more secure, confidential, and private than traditional face-to-face therapy. Because of the unique qualities of the online relationship, therapeutic change can take place in a relatively anonymous context. This provides a level of security and confidentiality that cannot be matched in the real world.

There is also some evidence that clients participating in online therapy feel able to get to the point more quickly and do not spend early sessions talking about issues of little relevance to the reasons that brought them into therapy. The fact that they are at a distance from the therapist and cannot be seen seems to help them focus on core issues almost immediately. Therapists have reported that while in their face-to-face work a great deal of time may be spent on non-therapy issues, such as payment, rescheduling appointments, and record-keeping on paper forms, this happens to a much lesser extent in online therapy.

Online therapy may also be particularly important for clients who are socially shy, isolated or physically challenged. The Internet allows them to reach out for connectedness or support. People who find it difficult to form interpersonal relationships in the offline world may find it much easier in the online world, allowing them to access social support that has previously been unavailable to them, whether this is through therapy or less formal online relationships. At the same time, people who are comfortable with interpersonal relationships both online and offline can integrate both types of experience into a strong web of online and offline support. This is not only in the form of therapy, of course, people can also use the Internet to seek out support from other individuals or groups, to find information, to seek companionship, and to explore both positive and negative ways of acting out in relative safety.

Several unique advantages exist in online work. Many have been described in the literature already, such as access for the homebound, geographically isolated, or stigmatised client who will not or cannot access treatment locally. One of our case presentations illustrated vividly not only the possibility but also the advantage of Internet-based therapeutic support. A pilot in the military, exploring sexual orientation and afraid of the potential impact of “coming out” and jeopardising a military career, demonstrated how seeking help online was reassuring to the client in terms of confidentiality. The absence of geographic boundaries allowed the client to select a therapist who appeared to have the expertise and understanding needed in the client’s particular situation.

There are numerous examples of other particular types of clients who benefit from having access to mental health services via the Internet. Hearing disabled people, celebrities, business travellers, people who are shy and introverted, concerned about stigma, or socially phobic, also might find unique advantages to seeking therapeutic activities, self-help materials, and a diversity of mental health professionals, all easily accessible online.

Online clinical work is not only possible, but offers a unique “elasticity of communication” that includes several factors, such as flexibility of location and of time, varying levels of synchronicity, and flexibility to employ various online channels of contact. Online therapy has shattered three of the basic premises of therapeutic interaction, which is that it must always, by definition, be based on

CSG3, International Society for Mental Health Online.

Online Therapy Providers

UK – Borders Counselling

US & International – Counselors Online

Couple Therapy – Couple Therapy Online

In some cases the therapist may recommend individual counselling for one or more family members to address particular personal issues that cannot be addressed fully within the family therapy context without the focus of the sessions shifting from the family to individual issues.

The family therapist aims to understand everyone’s point of view, without taking sides. This is sometimes known as multidirectional partiality:

Towards the participants the therapist does not adopt a stance of impartial contemplation of all competing interests. We hold that ‘impartiality’ or ‘neutrality’ if it can actually be achieved is an undesirable goal, and its pursuit can be deadening. The therapist is multi-directionally partial, i.e., directing empathy, endorsement, listening to one person, then in turn to the person’s adversary.

Boszormenyi-Nagy and Ulrich, 1981

Multidirectional partiality is an attitude rather than a technique. It involves being receptive to multiple realities and accepting these as being equally valid and true at the same time. In practising multidirectional partiality, the therapist provides a space within which the story of each member of the family can be heard and recognised as valid.

In family therapy, therapists are often more active and directive than they might be in individual therapy. Studies reveal that they generally say more, ask more questions, initiate more interactions, and offer more suggestions than therapists working individually with clients. They may also intervene in some interactions between clients to change their direction, for example, rather than allowing an argument to take its course they may intervene to ask for comments on what is happening.

This active participation of the therapist can enable clients to free themselves from their usual patterns of interaction, allowing them to discover a fresh perspective and develop new approaches to communication with other family members.

The family as a group of individuals

Whilst being viewed as a single unit, the family must also be considered as a number of individuals, each existing within his or her own personal, social and cultural world. Individual members of a family may have widely differing views on the importance of the family, and their role within it. Where problems arise, they may be also disagree markedly on the cause of those problems, and may feel more or less committed to resolving them.

Find a Family Therapist

UK

The Association for Family Therapy offers advice on finding a therapist in your area. They can also offer advice on training as a therapist.

United States

The following organisations can offer advice on finding a family therapist or training as a therapist:

American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy

American Family Therapy Academy

Online

Borders Online Consultations

Couple therapy is the process of counseling the parties of a relationship in an effort to recognise and to better manage or reconcile troublesome differences and repeating patterns of distress.

Sarah Gibson

Couple therapy is a relatively new form of therapy, sometimes called couple counseling, relationship therapy or marriage counseling. Prior to the emergence of early marriage counseling in the 1960s, most couples experiencing relationship problems sought advice from close friends, clergy or family members. In tribal societies, the village elders were often sought out for advice on such matters. But in today’s world, couples and families are more socially isolated and the support mechanisms of the extended family and traditional village communities are rarely available to them.

Couple therapy considers the relationship to be ‘the client’ and so a continued relationship that is rewarding to all (the couple and the family if there are children) is often considered to be the goal of therapy. In contrast, individual therapy considers the person in the room to be the client, and so their desire (whether it be to continue or to end the relationship) is considered the goal.

The decision to enter into couple therapy involves a concerted effort on both individuals’ part to gain insight into the patterns, pitfalls, and areas of their relationship that they perceive as problematic or that in some way impede the development of a healthy satisfying relationship. Sometimes, a couple loses sight of the glue that initially held them together. At other times, they lack the skills to communicate effectively or to support each other at critical moments. Sometimes they may have difficulty adjusting to the developmental stages of the relationship or changing life roles. Couple therapy requires a sincere commitment by the couple to engage in direct conversation, explore new patterns of relating, and formulate a solid foundation for the future. If either member of the couple is unwilling to undertake this work, or pays lip service to the concept without real commitment to the process, therapy can become extremely challenging and unproductive.

The success of couple therapy is not always measured by the decision to stay together but by the growing ability of the two individuals to understand each other’s needs and respond respectfully.

No two people can have an intense, intimate relationship without discovering significant differences between the. This is normal. It’s how we deal with those differences that creates problems. Most of us see these differences as a threat to our ideal of a good relationship: continual harmony between two people who want the same things at the same time. When differences emerge most of us try to make our partners more like us.

Ronald Richardson, 1995.

Find a couple therapist

The following organisations can offer advice on finding a therapist on your area:

United States

American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy

UK

Relate

Online Therapy

One-off Consultation

Online Training in couple therapy

For experienced therapists only:

Learning Curve

Sex therapists are fully qualified therapists who have extra training in helping people who have problems with sex. Sometimes, sex therapy forms part of couple therapy that looks at wider issues within the relationship too.

Many people have a problem with sex at some point in their life. Some people deal with these problems themselves, but for others, sexual problems can cause a lot of distress and unhappiness.

Problems that might be addressed within sex therapy include:

In men

In women

If you have a sexual problem, it’s a good idea to see your GP or primary care physician before consulting a sex therapist so they can check for any physical causes.

Find a sex therapist

United States

American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists

UK

College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists

Online Sex Therapy

Sex Therapy Online

Psychotherapy is sometimes known as counseling. Athough traditionally there were a number of differences between psychotherapy and counseling – notably that psychotherapy tended to involve more indepth, longer-term work, whereas counseling tended to be shorter term and focused on one particuar issue – these differences have blurred in recent years.

Psychotherapy can help you to understand and accept your strengths and weaknesses. It can also identify what is making you feel upset, depressed or anxious.
Lucy Denbigh

h3>Types of psychotherapy

Psychotherapy may be carried out on an individual basis, as part of a group, or with a couple.
Types of psychotherapy include:

Find a psychotherapist

United States

To find a therapist in your state contact your local mental health agency or family doctor. Alternatively, call your state psychological association.

UK

British Association for Counsellors and Psychotherapists

UK Council for Psychotherapy

The Counselling Society

Group therapy is an intervention that uses peers to provide support and feedback. It offers the opportunity of confidential discussion on a variety of personal issues, with feedback from a therapist as well as other group members. It creates a setting for improving social relationships and community integration because it uses social interaction (relating to other people) as a method for solving personal problems. Groupwork is particularly effective for clients who are working on their relationship skills or otherwise wish to resolve problems in their relating or communication style. It can also be beneficial for clients who have been through a very difficult experience (or perhaps still live in a difficult situation) to spend some time in a group with others who share similar life experiences – the support group.

Why group therapy?

Unlike individual counselling, groupwork is a microcosm of the larger social world, so members can:

Group therapy also has the benefit of being less expensive than individual counselling (either for the individual or the organisation) and is often easier for clients to access since waiting lists can be shorter.

Advantages of group therapy include:

• the importance of a meaningful social context in which clients can address issues around relating to other people effectively,
• the therapeutic value of working within a group of people who have shared similar experiences or feelings,
• the value of addressing client issues within their everyday context;
• empowering clients and encouraging them to take a more active role in caring for their own wel-being (for instance, in some settings, notably healthcare, clients have traditionally taken the role of ‘patient’ – a passive recipient of services).
  

  From our perspective, groups are the treatment of choice, not a second-rate approach to helping people change. Groups are being designed for all kinds of settings today and for many different client groups. Most of these groups are not unstructured personal growth groups but are short-term groups for specific client populations. These groups are designed to remediate specific problems or to prevent problems. … Groups provide a sense of community which can be an antidote to the impersonal culture in which many mentee’s live.

  Corey & Corey, 1992.

  Some groups are problem-centred, others are much less focused. Groups may also encompass a wide range of structural and leadership styles. Some groups are intended to address the social isolation of clients, some are intended to help clients address or prevent problems, and yet others prepare people for new experiences or offer learning opportunities.

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