What Is Postnatal Depression and How Can Counselling Help to Alleviate It ?

While the arrival of a baby is regarded as a joyful occasion, sometimes it can peculiarly trigger bouts of depression and gloominess in the mother. Although it is quite rare, one in every seven women can suffer from postnatal depression. The most common symptoms include feelings of guilt and anxiety, which are often accompanied by chronic insomnia and loss of appetite. Some mothers may even feel emotionally drained and inefficient.

Postnatal depression can set in at any time, even after the baby is days, weeks or months old. It is significantly distinct from antenatal depression or the “baby blues”, which affects about 10 percent of expectant mothers and occurs mainly because of hormonal changes taking place during pregnancy. In Australia, physicians and psychologists are of the opinion that one in every 16 new mothers suffer from postnatal depression. These women may feel unprepared to meet with the demands of their newly achieved motherhood, and the expectations of people around them. At times, even a feeling of lost identity can prevail and make the sufferer seem unconnected with the world. Some women even tend to withdraw themselves from their loved ones, including their spouse and child. This can further worsen the situation by souring the relationship between couples, and increase emotional tension amidst already tough circumstances.

Although no conspicuous influencing factor has been found so far, many experts believe that postnatal depression may result due to the hormonal changes which take place during pregnancy as well as childbirth. Moreover, the duties that are thrusted onto a woman when she enters motherhood can also be responsible. According to latest research and studies, it has been found that women going through unexpected pregnancies are more likely to suffer from postnatal depression.

If a woman is suffering from postnatal depression, there are several ways by which she can be treated effectively. The most popular treatment methods are support counselling and talking therapies. Both of them can be very helpful in cases of mild to severe postnatal depression. Such treatments usually make use of many different techniques for identifying and managing the associated negative thoughts, behaviours and feelings. This is done by allowing the patient to share her personal experiences that may help her to feel understood and supported.

Jade Couquax is a reputed French psychologist practising in Bondi Beach. She uses her expertise in the fields of counselling, mental health & women’s health for treating a wide range of psychological disorders. If you are suffering from postnatal depression, book an appointment with Jade today.

Counselling Helped Me to Chase Away Hopelessness

After starting my fourth year in high school, I often use to have a feeling of something being amiss. But it was not until several weeks that I became quite cognizant of what was actually going on. I started becoming extremely fatigued during the day, and shunned away from society as often as possible. It was so hard to control the expression that my lachrymose face revealed in front of people.

Although I really missed my amazing friends and the school during vacations, I could not fathom the reason why all of this faded away when I went back. I told my parents about the unusual mental problems I had been experiencing and they tried desperately to help. But all their efforts were simply in vain. Even my friends were perplexed and saddened by the strange behaviour I was exhibiting.

It was not that I disliked my studies or hated my students or teachers. Neither could I comprehend nor explain to others what the actual problem was. I was lost and desperately trying to get rid of the feeling of hopelessness gripping onto me day by day. When the first term began to slip away from my hand and my teachers called in my parents to report about my poor performance in the class tests, I decided to help myself by seeking the help of a counsellor.

One of my aunts told me about Jade Couquax, a French psychologist in Bondi who was renowned for her exceptional counselling skills. I wasted no time and immediately booked an appointment with her. During my first visit, she contracted me for 5 sessions. But soon after we started to discuss about my persistent psychological problems, she realised that my treatment would require more follow-ups. There was something very relaxing in the way she interrogated me, and I did not feel any kind of intimidation while confronting and answering her questions.

As time passed by, I started feeling more and more confident about myself. The conversations I had with Jade helped me to relax and have better thoughts. My condition kept improving significantly and I was able to concentrate on my studies better. I no longer felt the need to run away from people and my parents and friends were more than happy with my positive change. I still remember my last session with Jade, how she made me feel like she would always be there to help me. She said her doors would remain open for me, if my demons tried to come back ever again.

Guest Author: I, Katherine Saavedra, 18, am presently studying in the fifth year of high school. I love reading books, listening to music, playing guitar and watching movies.

Facts About Depression In Women

The rate of depression in women is more than men. When women feel depressed they generally use friends, food and love to self-medicate. To know more about depression in women, have a look at this slideshare. 

Psychologist - counselling in bondi from Counselling Bondi

Low Self-Esteem and Counselling

Self-esteem may be defined as the way a person feels and thinks about himself or herself, which can be positive or negative, or even a combination of both. It plays an important role in deciding the way one lives their life, the choices they make and the perspective with which they view others. In today’s world, people have become used to comparing themselves with others. This gives rise to insecurities, feelings of negativity about oneself, dissatisfaction and depression.

There are a number of symptoms which can indicate low self-esteem in an individual. Some of the most common ones are as follows:

• feeling unworthy
• not being able to recognise one’s own abilities and competency
• feeling deprived of love
• contemplating over negative thoughts and fear
• feeling impractical about goals
• getting pulled into devastating relations
• fearing change
• holding distorted views about oneself as well as others

The esteem in every individual initiates right from birth and develops slowly over time. Strong bonds and positive experiences nourish it, whereas troubled relations and bad experiences obstruct its development. When children feel that they are understood and valued and their worries can be chased away, they start to realise their own value and regard the world as a safe place. In time, they become capable enough to recognise stressful situations and negative relations and use their instincts for protecting themselves. They learn to handle tough times without getting damaged and be careful so as to avoid encountering too many problems in life. Negative experiences, on the other hand, can significantly decrease self-esteem in those people who are not strong enough to hold themselves up against difficulties. They may even become fearful or unrealistic about risks and goals, which may further hamper their self-image. However, providing them with some external source of strength such as counselling can help them greatly to change for the better.

Consulting a counsellor who is supportive can help a person with low self-esteem to take a tough look at himself or herself, and feel strong enough to alter things that give rise to negative thoughts and feelings. There are several ways by which counselling can improve low self-esteem. Transactional analysis and cognitive behavioural therapy can help to check negative self-beliefs, pessimistic assumptions and faulty thoughts, especially those things that can make the patient feel trapped all the time.

Jade Couquaux is a renowned French psychologist practising in Bondi. Book an appointment with her today to get rid of problems associated with low self-esteem.

Counseling What is it and What are its Various Therapy Formats

Counseling What is it and What are its Various Therapy Formats from counsellingbondi

Counselling Bondi offers women & couple counseling in Bondi. Here the psychologist in Bondi does relationship counseling, counselling for depressed women & more.

Causes of Work-Related Depression in Women

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Women offer suffer from work-related depression. It has become a growing problem all over the world. It affects not only the health & well-being of the working women but even the productivity of the organisations. It is after all the second most common compensated injury/illness in Bondi Junction, NSW after musculoskeletal disorders. 

A woman may experience work-related depression die to many reasons. It is said that work-related depression in woman generally arises when there is too much of workload and pressure with deadlines as well as overtime, unsupportive work environment, bullying & harassment, lack of job security or job satisfaction, redundancies, problems with office colleagues, personal problems or too much of responsibility beyond the job level. 

Many people think that it is actually the heap of unfinished work that causes depression in women at work. But that's not the main reason. A lot of studies have been conducted on this and it has been found out that heavy workload has no such effect on employees who get depressed. It is basically the work environment & feeling of being ill-treated by the boss or management, which has the greatest impact on the mood of the employees. 

However, one thing needs to be kept in mind that what one woman may consider as stressful and depressive, another may view that same thing as challenging. So, whether a woman actually suffers from work-related depression depends on the nature of the job, the psychological make-up of the woman and such other factors. 

Given below are  some internal as well as external causes of work-related depression in a woman. Have a look at them: 

Internal causes :

• wrong-fit role 
• mismatch between personal values and company values 
• working parent guilt 
• interpersonal discomfort 
• work/life imbalance 
• extrovert/introvert stress 
• financial struggles 
• feeling trapped 

External causes :

• unreasonable demands from the management 
• unclear guidance at workplace 
• bullying behaviours faced at work-related
• poor project practices
• low engagement or low morale at work 
• poor working conditions 

Are you a woman who is facing work-related depression? Try talking to your boss or human resources manager at your workplace. If you want, you can also take the help of your doctor or a psychologist in Bondi to deal with your depression. 

When to Seek Psychological Counselling?

Maintaining a proper and sound mental health is as important as caring for physical fitness of the body. For having a healthy mind, a person must be free from anxiety, depression, excessive stress, addictions and various other psychological issues. But it is not always easy to keep oneself away from these problems, especially in the modern times when our lives are filled with busy schedules and hecticness. Therefore, it is important to understand when to seek psychological counselling. 

Some of the conditions that require mental health counselling are as follows:

Suicidal Thoughts and Tendencies :

Individuals contemplating on suicide or harming themselves must be administered with professional psychological counselling. Their safety should be secured properly and steps should be taken to determine if they are a potential danger to the safety of others. After a suicidal individual receives the first evaluation, appointment must be set for a session in future.

Signs of Depression :

Talking therapy can help to curb down the symptoms of acute depression such as feelings of despair and hopelessness, loss of interest in favourite activities, anxiety, weight loss or gain, and changed sleeping habits. Physicians can administer screening for the signs of depression and also refer the patient to some reputed psychologist or therapist.

Dramatic Mood Fluctuations :

Irregular mood fluctuations during puberty, menopause, pregnancy, etc. can also be an indication that the person requires counselling. Sometimes the cause can be due to hormonal imbalances, which must be confirmed with a physician. Duration, times and frequency of the mood swings must be noted down carefully so as to report the counsellor about them later on.

Substance Abuse :

People with addiction problems also require psychological counselling. In most cases, it plays an important role throughout the rehabilitation process. After doctors detect medical stabilisation, therapeutic counselling for improving mental health can be essential to overcome the addiction.

Post-Traumatic Stress :
Individuals recovering from the after-effects of traumatic events can significantly benefit from talking therapy sessions. Many people often find it difficult to manage post-traumatic stress without the help of a mental health therapist after incidents like car accidents, abuse, loss of someone dear, sexual assault, etc. Talking to a counsellor about the emotional difficulties can make it easier for them to cope up with the situation more effectively.

If you are experiencing any of the above mentioned psychological problems, you can book an appointment with the French psychologist Jade Couquaux. She is a renowned counsellor who works with individuals as well as couples in Bondi Junction.