Parenting an Anxious Child One of the most common presenting symptoms I see in my clinic is children experiencing anxiety. Often I tell parents that in my experience working as a Psychologist for the last 15 years, It is the One diagnosis that I see as easiest and successful to treat in a short period of time. It brings great…
What is a healthy intimate relationship for me as a Teenager? KNOW HOWS If you have managed to get the conversation going and decide to go out on a date, how do you decide whether or not to get physical with the person you like? Lots of people want to engage with their sexuality and that’s okay, as long as…
RESEARCH-BASED APPROACH TO RELATIONSHIPS I am pleased to have officially completed my Gottman’s Level 1 and Level 2 Training in Couples Therapy. Everyone stumbles through relationships, marriage and parenting with little or no research on how to navigate this complex path. Sometimes its worthwhile doing the research! Thank you to world renowned Drs John and Julie Gottman who have devoted…
Narmatha Thillainathan At some point in your relationship as a couple, you will often find yourself struggling with anger and shock, despair and sadness. In my experience as a therapist, some are newlyweds, and can’t understand how they have plummeted from the heights of love and glory into a swamp of hopelessness and conflict. Others have been married for…
Narmatha Thillainathan When working with non-mainstream populations, effective service provision is often contingent on the practitioners’ level of cultural competence. Lack of cultural competence can have serious ramifications, in particular when practitioners work with unfamiliar religious traditions, such as Hinduism. This article provides a brief overview of Hinduism and the implications for work with Hindu clients. Who is a Hindu?…
Narmatha Thillainathan The term “boat people” has become ubiquitous in our everyday language and remains a contentious political issue that has divided the Australian community. The Department of Immigration advises that of the approximately 185,000 migrants accepted in Australia in 2008/2009, 13,000 were accepted on humanitarian grounds. In that year, 1033 people arrived by boats. This has increased to a…
Narmatha Thillainathan A Hindu considers Hinduism as not only a religion, but also a way of life. A Hindu strives to evolve from a materially focused human to a spiritual one, and considers God a silent partner and an inspirer. Therefore, to provide culturally and religiously sensitive treatment to Hindus, clinicians must understand the common practices of Hindu followers. In…
A great article exploring Self Compassion and our inner critic – by Dr Kristen Neff We know how much it hurts. “I’m an idiot!” “I’m disgusting.” “No one will ever love me.” So why do we do it? As soon as we ask ourselves this question, we often just pile on more self-criticism. “I’m so mean, even to myself.” “That’s…
A great article exploring self-compassion – By Dr Kristen Neff Having compassion for oneself is really no different than having compassion for others. Think about what the experience of compassion feels like. First, to have compassion for others you must notice that they are suffering. If you ignore that homeless person on the street, you can’t feel compassion for how…