Articles
Identifying Behaviours in Problems of Addiction
Having worked in the field of mental health as a professional counsellor for the last 10 years I have had to deal with the concept of “addiction” more often than not. The last 4 years I have also worked on a daily basis at an inpatient alcohol and drug rehabilitation clinic. What I came to understand was that some of the core behaviours of an addiction problem really seem to be universal to almost all of the behaviours we might categorize under the word addiction. Whether we are talking about obsessive and compulsive behaviours such as eating disorders, compulsive gambling, alcohol and drug abuse/dependency, sexual compulsivity, or any other phenomenon where the word “addiction” comes to mind, we see a certain number of behaviour and thought patterns which look almost exactly the same in each of the abovementioned behaviours.
Why do a school readiness test?
A psychological assessment of a young child’s readiness takes into consideration as many factors as possible that could impact on the child’s formative years and initial experiences of school. It is followed by a detailed background record, pre-school reports, parent interviews, and other collateral evidence which might assist the psychologist to get a full profile of the child.
School readiness matters – in all grades and phases
We as parents are obligated to know that children’s developmental needs are different for each child and that children mature differently. Each child is an individual with specific talents and in some cases deficits. Your children are mostly writing exams at this time of the year. The report will be a good indicator of where support and guidance is needed. But we also need to remember that academia is but one part of the child’s growing up. Blaming the school for the child not progressing would be too simplistic, as we know, that school is but one factor that determines academic success.
Anorexia Nervosa en vermydende/beperkende voedseliname versteuring (avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder)
Hierdie artikel is deel van ‘n reeks artikels wat fokus op die verskillende eetversteurings waaraan individue ly. Die eerste artikel genaamd ‘7 miete en feite: Wanneer ‘n eetversteuring jou insluk…’ was ‘n inleiding tot eetversteurings en het verskillende kwessies soos mietes en feite aangespreek. Die tweede artikel het gefokus op twee unieke eetversteuring wat nie alombekend is nie, maar wat individue wel aan ly: Pica eetversteuring en herkou eetversteuring.
Hierdie artikel sal Anorexia Nervosa en vermydende/beperkte voedselinname eetversteuring beskryf.
Pica en Ruminasie(herkou) – eetversteurings
Die term PICA kom van die Latynse woord ‘magpie’ af. Magpie is ‘n Europese voël (amper soos ‘n kraai), wat bekend is vir sy onoordeelkundige eetlus van eienaardige voorwerpe, die voël eet omtrent enigeiets. Vandag word die term Pica gebruik om individue met `n kompulsiewe behoefte om te eet, te kou, of te lek, aan nie-voedselitems soos byvoorbeeld grond, kryt of verf, ens te beskryf en te diagnoseer.
What is attachment?
Attachment forms during the first couple of years of a child’s life. A parent or caregiver’s emotional availability for the child from the day of birth is extremely important. Attachment forms when a caregiver is sensitive to needs of the child and reacts to these needs appropriately. The first four years of a toddlers life is viewed as the fundamental time when attachment forms. The manner in how the parent or caregiver communicates with the child on both a verbal and non-verbal manner has a significant impact on how the child will view the world. The type of attachment that your child will develop, will affect the attachment (whether secure of insecure) your child will have, not only with you, but also with their peers and others they will meet on their journey in this world. Parents or caregivers are the main players in a child’s life and will often determine whether a child develops a secure or an insecure attachment.
Post-Partum Depression (Part 1)
Most people expect the arrival of a new baby as a happy event, a blessing and in most cases that is true. But as a new mom having a baby comes with some fears and this can cause some anxiety that moms either deny or they don’t talk about. Moms might go through a short period of anxiety and tearfulness which is known as “the baby blues”. These feelings usually go away within about two weeks. If however moms develop a more intense and deeper depression, this is known as post-partum depression.
7 mites en feite: Wanneer ‘n eetversteuring jou insluk…
Eet is belangrik, voedsel hou ons tog aan die lewe. Maar wanneer ‘n individu ‘n versteuring in hulle eetgewoontes ontwikkel kan dit so 'n groot impak hê dat die res van hul funksionering negatief beinvloed sal word. Vir 'n individu wat met 'n eetversteuring worstel, is dit dikwels 'n baie moeilike, eensame pad na herstel.
Positive behavior: The difference between rewarding and bribing your child
I honestly think using rewards to change or enhance behaviors in children is an excellent and positive tool. We often fall into the habit of focusing only on the misbehavior of our children, and then punishing them for that; either by taking away privileges, spanking, yelling, threatening and the problem here is that this negative focus on the child, very seldom has a long term effect in changing the behavior.
Sibling Rivalry by Anri van den Berg
Between 18 months and 2 years old, for example, a child has a deep seated need to do things for him or herself, and if an older brother or sister, who wants to be a good helper and who wants to do everything for the younger one then comes and interferes, that could cause a lot of frustration-on both sides.
And so we can go through all the different stages of life and have a number of situations that could cause rivalry.