Depression is a common mental disorder. Globally, it is estimated that 5% of adults suffer from the disorder. It is characterized by:

• Feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness, or hopelessness

• Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters

• Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, such as sex, hobbies, or sports

• Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or sleeping too much

• Tiredness and lack of energy, so even small tasks take extra effort

• Reduced appetite and weight loss or increased cravings for food and weight gain

• Anxiety, agitation, or restlessness

• Slowed thinking, speaking or body movements

• Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or self-blame

• Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions, and remembering things

• Frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide

• Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches

A feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.

• Persistent worrying or anxiety about several areas that are out of proportion to the impact of the events

• Overthinking plans and solutions to all possible worst-case outcomes

• Perceiving situations and events as threatening, even when they aren't

• Difficulty handling uncertainty

• Indecisiveness and fear of making the wrong decision

• Inability to set aside or let go of a worry

• Inability to relax, feeling restless, and feeling keyed up or on edge

• Difficulty concentrating, or the feeling that your mind "goes blank"

Anger management is a therapeutic approach designed to help people respond to anger with appropriate behavior. The explosive verbal and behavioral outbursts are out of proportion to the situation, with no thought to consequences, and can include:

 

• Temper tantrums.

• Tirades.

• Heated arguments.

• Shouting.

• Slapping, shoving, or pushing.

• Physical fights.

• Property damage.

• Threatening or assaulting people or animals.

We define domestic abuse as an incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening, degrading and violent behavior, including sexual violence, in the majority of cases by a partner or ex-partner, but also by a family member or care giver.

• Attempts to control you and your behavior

• Humiliating you

• Insulting or belittling you

• Putting down your interests, career, and/or relationships

• Manipulating you through emotional blackmail or guilt-tripping you

• Blaming you for their issues

• Accusing you of cheating or not loving them

• Outbursts, especially when you don’t do what they want

• Isolating you from loved ones

Any conflicts that occur within a family--between husbands and wives, parents, and children, between siblings, or with extended families (grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.)

• Money. Money is a big one

• Family Business

• In-Law Related Conflict

• Conflict Over Family Events

• Sibling Conflict Over Care of Elderly Parent

• Stepparent-Stepchild Conflict

• Divorced Parents Conflict Over Care & Discipline of Children

The main difference between PTSD and the experience of trauma is important to note. A traumatic event is time-based, while PTSD is a longer-term condition where one continues to have flashbacks and re-experiencing the traumatic event.

• Acute trauma results from a single incident.

• Chronic trauma is repeated and prolonged such as domestic violence or abuse.

• Complex trauma is exposure to varied and multiple traumatic events, often of an invasive, interpersonal nature.

Potentially traumatic events can include:

• Psychological, physical, or sexual abuse.

• Community or school violence.

• Witnessing or experiencing domestic violence.

• National disasters or terrorism.

• Commercial sexual exploitation.

• Sudden or violent loss of a loved one.

• Refugee or war experiences.

This therapy focuses on improving relationship satisfaction and conflict resolution between two people in a platonic or romantic relationship.  Therapy can help the individuals decide what their goals are, and then provide strategic ways to reach those relationship goals. Whether this means parting ways or figuring out what it'll take to make the relationship work, a huge benefit of this counseling can be the expressing and clarifying of feelings.

• How long have the problems been occurring?

• Do all individuals want to save the relationship?

• Have fights ever turned violent? Is there abuse?

• Do all individuals feel hopeful the relationship can be saved?

• Does any individual entirely blame the other person for the problems?

• Are there individual behavioral health issues that need to be addressed?

• Is there fear of communicating with each other?

• Is there resentment?

• Is there lack of trust?

• Is any individual keeping secrets?

Women's issues refer to any concern that affects a woman's mental and at times physical health. These concerns can range from general mental health issues to challenges specific to women like sexism, reproductive health, gender-based violence—these are a few topics that often come up under the subject of “women's issues.

·         Women’s peace and security

·         Women's economic empowerment

·         Gender-based violence

·         The lack of women in positions of power

·         Patriarchy

·         Sexism, racism, and economic inequality

·         Trauma-centered feminism

·         Access to equal opportunity

·         The lack of respect for health and caregiving

·         Navigating career and motherhood

Intrusive thoughts and a preoccupation with death and dying are what define suicidal ideation. Occurring due to stress and a person's inability to cope in a healthy manner, the presence of suicidal ideations frequently mean that an individual is suffering from a mental illness.

• Temperament changes

• Extreme mood swings

• Engaging in risky behaviors

• Self-harm

• Threats of self-injury

• Use or abuse of drugs and/or alcohol

• Talking or writing about death and dying

• Social withdrawal or isolation

• Decline in interest of things or activities that were once enjoyed

• Hopeless or helpless feelings

Self-esteem is how we value and perceive ourselves. It's based on our opinions and beliefs about ourselves, which can feel difficult to change. We might also think of this as self-confidence. Your self-esteem can affect whether you like and value yourself as a person.

• Depression/sadness

• Anxieties

• Low mood

• Avoiding of social situations

• Feelings of inadequacy

• Comparing self negatively to others

• Difficulty accepting compliments

• Neglect of own needs, particularly emotional ones

• Putting the needs of others before self

• Low expectations

• Difficulty in making/maintaining relationships

• Concern over impact you have on others

• Difficulty in trusting own judgement

• Distorted view of self

Adolescence is a crucial period for developing social and emotional habits important for mental well-being. These include adopting healthy sleep patterns; exercising regularly; developing coping, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills; and learning to manage emotions.

• Defiance and being argumentative with parents, siblings or authority figures

• Disrespectful towards others (e.g. talking back, name calling)

• Fluctuations in emotions and being moody

• Aggressive or violent behavior

• Bullying and cyberbullying

• Teen pregnancy

• Alcohol and drugs