trauma – Iain Douglas Stewart

Further thoughts on my father’s passing

By Iain 27 March 2025ReflectionsNo Comments

So, my Dad died. As I said in the other post, we weren't close by any stretch of the imagination, the last time I saw him in person was in maybe 1997 or 1998 when I was in my early twenties, the last time I spoke to him on the phone was in 2019 on Jake's birthday (I didn't actually…

L3CiCS Mental Health Assignment

By Iain 30 June 2020Qualifications courseworkNo Comments

Identifying and describing a range of mental health problems As categorised by The National Institute for Health Care Excellence (NICE), the most common mental health problems are: Depression – The main symptom is a low feeling and a loss of pleasure in things that were once enjoyable. Other symptoms include feeling irritable all the time, having drastic changes in appetite,…

L3CiCS Comparing Counselling Theories Assignment

By Iain 27 June 2020Qualifications courseworkNo Comments

The aim of this essay is to compare and contrast two counselling theories of my choice. I have chosen to compare Psychodynamic Counselling and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. The philosophy behind the Psychodynamic Counselling approach is that we all have an unconscious mind as well as a conscious one. It states that the unconscious mind can hold on to painful memories…

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…

L3CiCS Reflective Diary – 6th March 2020

By Iain 6 March 2020Qualifications courseworkNo Comments

This week we split up into small groups to discuss case studies in a simulation of a peer-supervision group. The first case study I presented was a male in his mid-forties that had been suffering from a lack of direction and had several signs of being in the midst of a mid-life crisis. I related to the client a lot,…

L3CiCS Reflective Diary – 19th January 2020

By Iain 19 January 2020Qualifications courseworkNo Comments

The second day of our weekend workshop focused on Addiction; what it is, how it affects a person, and how it can be overcome. It was very interesting to see how attitudes have changed towards drug use over the years; in particular a handout about opium usage over the years surprised me a lot. I would not have guessed that…

L3CiCS Learning Log – 13th December 2019

By Iain 13 December 2019Qualifications courseworkNo Comments

The origins of Psychodynamic Counselling can be traced back to Sigmund Freud in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, and the psychodynamic theory has been continually developed, modified and refined over time. It is based around the philosophy that people are driven by unconscious patterns of behaviour and desires which are shaped by their past experiences. Some examples of things…

L3CiCS Reflective Diary – 22nd November 2019

By Iain 22 November 2019Qualifications courseworkNo Comments

This week we went over some Case Studies, and applied a SMART model to them with the aim of helping the client. I really enjoyed learning about the SMART model, and having a quick look at some of the other models and systems out there. We’ve learned how to ask questions, resist the pushing of our boundaries, how to be…

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 – 13th June 2018

By Iain 13 June 2018Qualifications courseworkNo Comments

This is the last piece of work I’m going to be writing for this course, and I just wanted to record my thoughts and feelings as it all comes to an end – a conclusion of sorts. If I look back on my initial expectations of the course, they were to gain a basic understanding of counselling and the skills…