self-esteem – Iain Douglas Stewart

Saying you’ve levelled up on your birthday is cringe

By Iain 8 December 2020Reflections, The Mission, VideogamesNo Comments

It's my birthday today, and after receiving the card pictured, it struck me how cringe it is to say that you've "levelled up" on your birthday. Looking back on some of my previous birthday posts... I noticed that I've used the phrase once or twice myself. I get that it's a videogame analogy, but it just doesn't work when you…

L3CiCS You as a Counsellor Assignment

By Iain 28 June 2020Qualifications courseworkNo Comments

I am training to become a counsellor because I want to help people. Throughout my life I have struggled with a lot of various types of mental health problems, such as depression, addiction and severe anxiety. I was borderline narcissistic and I suffered from delusions of grandeur, as well as Golden-Child syndrome. I thought I deserved more, but I expected…

L3CiCS Counselling Theory and Self-Awareness Assignment

By Iain 26 June 2020Qualifications courseworkNo Comments

The purpose of this assignment is to show how learning about counselling theory and applying it to your own life can promote and increase self-awareness, by deepening the understanding of your own personality, history and relationships. This will be a very personal journey through my counselling studies so far, and hopefully a good reflection of what I have learned about…

Reflecting on ending self-isolation

By Iain 24 June 2020Physicality, Reflections, The Mission, VideogamesNo Comments

This Coronavirus thing has been a bit shit, eh? I'm due to go back to work next week, and I have mixed emotions about it. On the one hand, I hate my current job, and these twelve weeks have been eye-opening to exactly how much I do hate it. I'm anxious to go back because of the health risks as…

L3CiCS – Learning Log – 3rd April 2020

By Iain 3 April 2020Qualifications courseworkNo Comments

This week we were learning about Common Mental Health Problems. As categorised by The National Institute for Health Care Excellence (NICE), the most common mental health problems include depression and anxiety disorders such as generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is worth noting that it is possible to have more than one…

Three years ago, today

By Iain 10 February 2020Books, Reflections, The MissionNo Comments

Or yesterday, I forget. Whichever day it was, three years ago I was going to kill myself. I've come a long way, baby. Far enough? Not yet. We still have a ways to go. But still, considering the progress that I have made, it's unreal. Compare the person I was back then to the person I am now and I…

L3CiCS Learning Log – 29th November 2019

By Iain 29 November 2019Qualifications courseworkNo Comments

Person Centred Counselling was developed by Carl Rogers in the 1950’s around the philosophy that people can change, and that they are not bound by personal events in their past, or their circumstances in the present. This change is achieved by the counsellor making use of the core conditions of the Person Centred approach, and these are: 1. Empathy –…

A letter to myself as a ten year old…

By Iain 12 October 2018EssaysNo Comments

Inspired by a post Nikki wrote on her blog, https://lifeasjustnikki.wordpress.com/2018/10/04/dear-me/, I started this with the intent of writing a letter to my 10 year old self. I was in awe of her raw honesty, and her post really got me thinking about what advice I would give to myself at that age. I started writing but about halfway through I…

L2CiCS: Reflective Diary – 18th April 2018

By Iain 18 April 2018Qualifications courseworkNo Comments

This week we looked at more aspects of personal development, such as personal growth and how we feel about our developing counselling skills, as well as how we feel about giving feedback. Personal Growth Looking back on at my own journey on the course since September I have definitely learned a great deal about counselling and the various skills used…

L2CiCS: Learning Log – 28th March 2018

By Iain 28 March 2018Qualifications courseworkNo Comments

This week we talked more about referrals in counselling. A referral is when a client exhibits problems or presents issues that are beyond the scope of a counsellor, and the counsellor informs them of another counsellor or service that would be more appropriate for their needs. Sometimes referrals are necessary. And they are always for the good of the client.…