tov Blog
Fathers – Experience and Reflection (A Message To Fathers)
What has the past 12 months been like for you since last Fathers day? I was reflecting on this question myself over the past week as a Son and as a Father. – What has taken place in these 12 months? – How have I Fathered my children – My relationship with my Dad – My…
Shedding Some Light On Marriage Counselling
A marriage doesn’t necessarily have to be on the rocks for a couple to seek the help of a professional marriage counsellor. These highly skilled trained listeners can help couples face their unresolved issues in a friendly, confidential and non-threatening environment. The bible points out the importance of receiving wise counsel. Proverbs 11:14 “Where there is no guidance,…
12 Steps To Making Marriages Go The Distance
Psychologist Harriet Lerner Ph.D. provides her professional advice in an article outlining 12 basic steps that we can take to help our marriages to go the distance. From The Huffington Post. 12 Simple Steps For A Sustainable Marriage 1. Respect Differences. We all view reality through different filters depending on our culture, gender, birth order,…
Reasons Why Our Kids and Teens Rebel
According to The Independent UK, Justin Bieber is a prime example of too much too soon. The young celebrity had several run-ins with the law. One of those was for ‘drag-racing’ in a Lamborghini and another time for throwing eggs at a neighbour’s house and according to the Daily News, the star, who now admits…
Manage Anger To Keep Your Job
We’ve all had days where everything goes wrong, your boss is furious at you over something that’s out of your control, a project goes terribly wrong, you’re being taken for granted, aren’t valued in the workplace or you’re just on work overload without enough hours in the day to finish it all. Your heart pounds,…
The Power Of Choice Over Social Influence
Television, Radio, The internet and Social Media has a huge influence on people’s lives as a whole. According to Mark Stibbe’s observances, people’s reactions to the same kind of news can differ greatly from one nation to the next in keeping with their social mindset. How do two English speaking nations think very differently? Mark…
Mental Health & The Overuse and Misuse of Technology
Our Hi-Tech society can order food online, book a hotel, locate pizza delivery drivers and we can buy goods from any location in the world where there’s an internet connection available. Scanning QR codes to view information about a business and their products & services is becoming increasingly popular. Although there are some really great…
Social Media Trend & Technology Addiction
Information Technology has allowed modern day families to become more connected than ever before. We have become hi-tech households that carry smart phones everywhere we go. We use social networks to communicate and can instantly share our snap shots with one another. Technology has made communication faster, cheaper, readily available and has also increased the…
Avoiding Burnout – A High Achievers Sickness
According to Sherrie Bourg Carter’s article in Psychology Today, high achievers are more prone to burnout because of their, “I can do everything” personalities. She states the reason , “Because high-achievers are often so passionate about what they do, they tend to ignore the fact that they’re working exceptionally long hours, taking on exceedingly heavy…
The Differences Between Fear, Anxiety & Phobias
Although anxiety, fear and phobias can seem alike, they are distinctly unique as explained in an excerpt from an article titled, ‘Anxiety and Fear’, by Psychologist Tim Clinton. Fear While most people experience fear as a negative emotion, fear has a positive component. If you find that you have turned down a one way street…
STEP PARENTING – Establishing The Right Foundation
According to Relationships Australia, step families are different and complex. They say that it can take some time before strong family relationships will form, as it is highly unlikely that the children and the step parent will instantly love each other. Being in a blended family can be rewarding if the parties involved are committed…
WESTERN SOCIETY – Losing The Battle Against Stress
Dr Archibald D. Hart, believes that in this age of advancement in medicine and neuroscience, we are losing the battle against stress. Modern society has advanced rapidly and we now cram more and more tasks into our daily routines. But is it for the better? HOW THE TIMES HAVE CHANGED “…Gone is the leisurely, slow paced way of…
HURRY SICKNESS – The Adrenaline & Stress Connection
No doubt that we live extremely busy lives in modern times. As we hurrying about, working, multitasking, facing tough challenges, meeting deadlines and living up to family expectations and commitments, our lives can become quite hectic and stressful. Dr Archibald D. Hart, author of ‘The Hidden Link Between Adrenaline and Stress,’ cleverly explains how managing…
Avoiding the Risk of Developing type 2 Diabetes
Diabetes doesn’t just always affect the overweight, sedentary and unhealthy eaters. Among famous celebrities with type 2 Diabetes are Tom Hanks and Halle Berry. According to medical experts eating healthy and doing regular exercise are key elements for the prevention of developing that may lead cognitive impairment later on in life. What is Diabetes? According…
Explaining Causes, Relief & Treatment Of Addiction
In a compelling read by Dr Tim Clinton, he explains what addiction is, the effects on a person, what causes addiction and what relief is and how it can come about for various types of addictions. Addictions The new century presents many challenges. In a time of impatience and selfishness, a person’s wants and desires…
A Window into Widowhood and Loss (Part 2 of 2)
As a Christian, firstly I turned to Christ and secondly to a counsellor. Let’s look at the issue of counselling first. My husband and I had some counselling in the first few months after his diagnosis. This was mainly focused on our communication skills, as he had shut down and for the first time in…
A Window Into Widowhood and Loss (Part 1 of 2)
A story about losing a life partner and father of my children, to cancer. When you make the decision to get married at the age of 29, you are taking the first step on the journey of the rest of your life. You are in love, you are happy beyond measure. You have a wonderful…
Leadership and Vision
Leaders follow their visions to achieve what they believe is possible. Even with if it hasn’t been done before. Faith holds the vision together and plays a big part in the process, accompanied with courage, hard work and perseverance to make it all happen. Supporting your vision Being a leader not just about being in charge or being…
VISION – Dare to Dream For Your Life
On the 28th of August 1963, Dr Martin Luther King Jr, presented his vision to America and the world as he delivered one of the most famous, inspiring speeches by a Politian in the history of American politics known as, ‘I have a dream‘. In an excerpt below from, ‘How To Get Vision for Your…
Drug Abuse and Mental Illness
When we think of drug abuse, we tend to think; Ice, Meth, and Heroin. However drug abuse incorporates much more than that: alcohol, prescription medication, caffeine & tobacco. It is a sobering revelation that Australia places a very high place in drug use within the world – quite alarming considering our population is not that big…
How do you raise that strong willed child without losing the plot?
Some kids are a breeze to raise while others are not so easy. Its true that happy and secure children flourish in their development and that no two children are alike. The key is to equip yourself with some insight and understanding of the tactics they use in order to get their own way. What makes them…
Biblical Counselling According to David Powlison
In an interview on Psychology Today with Christian Psychologist, David Powlison, Dr Ryan Howes asks him questions about Christian Psychology…. How does your technique or theory differ from mainstream psychotherapy? There are hundreds of variants in mainstream psychotherapy. Since cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is so well known, I’ll offer a broad strokes comparison with the…
Mark McMinn talks about Integrating Christianity & Psychotherapy
In an interview with Ryan Howes Ph.D. Mark McMinn a Professor of Psychology at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon and leading Christian psychologist answers a few questions on Psychology Today about how he integrates faith with psychotherapy. What is the role of religion or spirituality in your clinical practice? I have two responses to…
Seeking Comfort for Strength and Affirmation
Comfort mainly does two things – It strengthens and affirms us! (I call this Positive Comfort) Every human faces hardship in one way or another and often when we get beyond our level of coping, we need to find COMFORT! When we receive that comfort we replenish and evaluate ourselves and strengthen our ability to…
