In Positive Health

14/11/2023

Imagine a father who had dreams of becoming a doctor but never pursued it. Instead, he ends up in a job he dislikes. As his child grows, the father may unconsciously push them to follow his abandoned dream, urging them to become a doctor, even if it's not the child's passion.

This quote emphasises the unintended weight that parents' unfinished aspirations can impose on their children. When parents project their own unfulfilled ambitions onto their kids, it can stifle the child's ability to explore their authentic desires and paths.

Want to read more? Connect with us at inpositivehealth.com

Carl Jung is often attributed to stating, “The greatest burden a child must bear is the unlived life of the parents.” Jung is suggesting that parents often carry unresolved psychological conflicts, unfulfilled dreams, or unaddressed issues from their own lives. These unresolved matters can influ...

14/11/2023

Cognitive Dissonance Theory has far-reaching implications and is readily observed in everyday life.

It explains why people resist changing long-held beliefs, why we justify our actions even when they contradict our values, and how we seek out information that confirms our pre-existing beliefs, creating echo chambers in the age of the internet.

Want to know more? Connect with us at inpositivehealth.com.

In the realm of psychology, few theories have captured our fascination and understanding of human behaviour as vividly as Leon Festinger’s Cognitive Dissonance Theory. First introduced in 1957, this theory has had a profound impact on our comprehension of why people make decisions, how they react ...

05/10/2023

Embracing Existential Truths: Yalom's Approach to Overcoming Death Anxiety

Irvin D. Yalom's theory of death anxiety is rooted in existential psychology, highlighting the inherent fear and apprehension individuals experience when confronting their own mortality. According to Yalom, death anxiety operates in everyday life as a pervasive, often unconscious, fear of the unknown and the inevitable end of one's existence. This anxiety can manifest in various ways, such as the fear of losing loved ones, the fear of aging, or the fear of facing life's uncertainties.

Click on this link to read more about how therapy can help.

Irvin D. Yalom’s theory of death anxiety is rooted in existential psychology, highlighting the inherent fear and apprehension individuals experience when confronting their own mortality. According to Yalom, death anxiety operates in everyday life as a pervasive, often unconscious, fear of the unkn...

05/10/2023

The Profound Benefits of EMDR

In the world of therapy and mental health treatment, there are various approaches that aim to help individuals cope with past traumas, anxiety, depression, and other emotional challenges. Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is one such approach that has gained significant attention. Developed by Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s, EMDR therapy has gained widespread recognition for its unique benefits in addressing various mental health challenges.

EMDR therapy works on the premise that traumatic memories can become “stuck” in the brain, causing emotional distress and negative beliefs about oneself. The client focusses on the target memory while simultaneously following the therapist's hand movements or other forms of bilateral stimulation. This process helps to free the traumatic memory and allow the brain to process it in a more adaptive way.

Want to know more about EMDR therapy? Connect with us at

In the world of therapy and mental health treatment, there are various approaches that aim to help individuals cope with past traumas, anxiety, depression, and other emotional challenges. Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is one such approach that has gained significant at...

20/09/2023

Have you ever found yourself in an uncertain or dangerous situation without fully understanding why? Despite the fact that no one else appears to be concerned by it, something still seems odd to you. When it comes to trauma therapy and healing PTSD a lot of the focus gets put on the cognitive reprocessing aspect of trauma treatment.

You may not be aware of it, but every day as you experience the world, you are taking in hundreds of social cues from your surroundings. We take up on other people's body language, facial expressions, speech tones, and more. We are always actively observing and engaging with the world and other people as part of the human experience.

Like to find out more? Connect with us at In Positive Health.

Have you ever found yourself in an uncertain or dangerous situation without fully understanding why? Despite the fact that no one else appears to be concerned by it, something still seems odd to you. When it comes to trauma therapy and healing PTSD a lot of the focus gets put on the cognitive repr...

29/06/2023

Our practice is growing!

In Positive Health is all about community, and we continue to build our community of health care professionals, who strive to provide the highest quality of evidenced-based care.

IPH only started in Canberra in February 2022 with Campbell MacBean (psychologist) and Nel MacBean (speech pathologist). Since then, we welcomed Sally Arthur (psychologist) in September 2022 and this month we are delighted introduce Katie Beckwith, a psychotherapist.

We are still seeking one or two health care professionals to join us, who can contribute to our happy team. We believe in open communication, fairness, equity, and a love of learning. A broad focus for us is strengthening relationships for our clients and amongst our team. If this sounds like a nice change, get in touch!

https://inpositivehealth.com

22/06/2023

We welcome a new practitioner to our clinic here at In Positive Health, Dr Katie Beckwith, a psychotherapist. Working with individuals aged 15 years and older, Katie seeks to enhance a client’s connection with their inner world through client-centred, holistic approaches. Her practice is founded on the delivery of personalised, compassionate, and effective care.

In her first blog, Katie writes about The Light Side of Personality.

In 2002, the Dark Triad became the next big thing in understanding human personality. Researchers Paulhus and Williams[1] mapped a construct constituting the ‘dark’ aspects of humanity, uncovering three distinct yet related facets; Machievellianism, narcissism and psychopathy. The Dark Triad joined other prominent models, the Five Factor Model[2] and HEXACO,[3,4] in becoming a heavy focus of personality research. Dark Triad personalities have shown relationship with workplace, education, intimate, interpersonal and antisocial behaviours.[5]

Seventeen years later, a new concept emerged.

To read about that new concept, follow the link here.

In 2002, the Dark Triad became the next big thing in understanding human personality. Researchers Paulhus and Williams[1] mapped a construct constituting the ‘dark’ aspects of humanity, uncovering three distinct yet related facets; Machievellianism, narcissism and psychopathy. The Dark Triad joi...

13/06/2023

Breaking the Cycle: Fostering Secure Attachment in Parent/Child Relationships

Attachment Theory explains the critical need for infants and children to develop a secure attachment with their primary caregiver. Parents who experienced traumatic or negligent upbringings will likely develop insecure attachment styles themselves and may have difficulty fostering secure attachment with their own children. In essence, how you respond in times of big displays of emotion can directly relate to how these emotions were received and handled by your own primary caregivers in infancy and youth.

For more information and to read more on this topic, check out our blog at https://inpositivehealth.com/breaking-the-cycle-fostering-secure-attachment-in-parent-child-relationships/

31/05/2023

“It’s Not Me, It’s You” - How to Break Things Off with a Narcissist.

Have you ever found yourself completely charmed by someone, only to become close with them and discover they view themselves as godlike or superior to those around them? Perhaps a loved one has made friends with a colleague at work who you notice actively puts down anyone who challenges their inflated self-perception.

If these behaviours sound familiar to you, it is possible that you’re dealing with someone living with high-conflict narcissistic personality disorder. Whilst they only make up a small percentage of the population, having professional or personal relationships with these people can be incredibly draining, and it can be difficult to separate yourself once you have grown close with them as you run the risk of becoming a Target of Blame: the object of all of their shortcomings and someone they will seek revenge on socially, emotionally, and sometimes even physically. This information can be quite confronting, but fear not!

According to Bill Eddy in his book “5 Types of People Who Can Ruin Your Life”, you can protect yourself from becoming a Target of Blame. Want to know more? Follow this link to find out how.

Have you ever found yourself completely charmed by someone, only to become close with them and discover they view themselves as godlike or superior to those around them? Perhaps a loved one has made friends with a colleague at work who you notice actively puts down anyone who challenges their inflat...

11/04/2023

Bring your relationship back to square one in just seven sleeps!

John and Julie Gottman created a ‘prescription’ following Gottman Therapy, to ultimately challenge couples to make small yet significant changes in their relationship for 7 days. Each day, there is a new ‘task’ or ‘challenge’ to complete and focus on to form a deeper long-term connection with your partner.

Day one begins with making contact - so simple yet effective. This can be done by ‘turning toward’ your partner when they initiate for a bid for connection. ‘Turning toward’ simply means to respond and make a connection when the other person is trying to connect with you or gain your attention in some form.

Day two attempts to connect on a deeper level with your partner by ‘asking a big question’. Big questions are open-ended, not just a yes/no reply, but really going back to the basics about getting to know one another. This is called filling in the love map, creating your own path.

Day three is about expressing thanks and gratitude to your partner. Every partnership is unique, with unique challenges and by changing your filter to begin to see the positive actions rather than the negative, a new pathway in your brain will activate to see through a positive lens.

Day four’s activity is to give real compliments to one another. Really digging back to the question of why you fell in love with your partner in the first place. By amplifying these positive qualities, the foundation of affection, respect and friendship will begin to arise, allowing you to express the qualities you are seeing.

Day five is about asking your partner what you need. What you want may be easier than asking for what you need, but to learn how to express rather than suppress is very important. Timing matters, ask ‘are you available’, so you can express feelings at once, taking the pressure off.

Day six is to reach out and touch. Touch can be seen as a powerful drug, creating strong bonding and connection. Strengthen your emotional and physical connection by simply participating in the magic of ‘mini-touches’.

Day seven, lastly, is declaring date night. Go out and have some fun, expand those love maps! In this time, ask open-ended questions, give positive touches, experience adventure. Starving relationships require all of these things to be protected at all costs.

These small yet successful steps, which can be completed within 10 mins, can ultimately transform the outcome of your relationship, creating better bonds and connection. Are you willing to try?

The above information is a summary of The Love Prescription, a book written by Drs John and Julie Gottman. It may be purchased from their website.

Written by Tiana Di Genova
Tiana is in her final year of a Bachelor of Science in Psychology at the University of Canberra.

The Love Prescription, a simple yet powerful plan to transform your relationship in seven days from New York Times–bestselling authors

11/04/2023

Social media has been shown to affect mental health

We all know that social media has both its positive and negative effects on individuals. This is particularly true in the aftermath of the COVID 19 pandemic. There is no surprise that mental health and social media are clearly connected throughout society today which may have major impacts on an individual due to rapid growth in trends. The question here is, how can we reduce these high rates and risk factors, allow people to have a positive relationship with themselves, and to not be consumed by the negative side of social media…?

People may have needed social media during the COVID-19 lockdowns in order to stay connected to family and friends. This type of social media connection led to significant increase in usage creating a bubble that people were forced to be a part of. This extra time people had activated trends in social media which escalated and became more popular as well as the time spent on different platforms. Ultimately this increased use brings its own problems in terms of mental health and how it may slowly decline.

The fast and constant improvement of social media and technology over the past decade, and even more so over the pandemic, match the rising rates of su***de risk and ideation. It is human nature for many individuals, especially adolescents, to perceive themselves negatively which may be due to the need for ‘social rewards’, and craving the attention of likes, comments and shares on their latest post. In a national study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, it shows that in Australia, 2 in 5, aged 16-24 have experiences or currently have a mental disorder that extends over a 12-month period. These numbers cement the issues behind this even more so to make it known of the significant issues individuals are facing currently. Another study concluded that there should be increased awareness to address contemporary issues to help balance impacts on society, ultimately aiming for a better understanding of the topic.

Written by Tiana Di Genova

Tiana is in her final year of a Bachelor of Science in Psychology at the University of Canberra.

Summary statistics on key mental health issues including the prevalence of mental disorders and the use of services

18/08/2022

Come Join Our Team

We are looking for Australia-based Psychologists and Speech Pathologists to work with us in our rooms at In Positive Health.

In particular, we seek an Educational Developmental Psychologist and a Relationship-focussed Psychologist.

Our new practice in Braddon, ACT, combines Psychology and Speech Pathology. We’re currently looking for Psychologists and Speech Pathologists who enjoy having the best of both worlds: working independently within a team of supportive colleagues.

Two roles we are keen to fill include Educational Psychologist with experience in test provision, and a Relationship/Couples Psychologist, or someone who is interested to develop into this role with support (Gottman or EFT training preferred but not essential).

We also offer onsite clinical supervision (if desired).

A broad focus for us is strengthening relationships for our clients and amongst our team. We’re particularly interested in clinicians with some experience but would also be open to diverse levels of experience.

What we offer
You may have been working as an employee or contractor in a large private practice and are ready to create your own practice. We offer a Management Fee structure that includes a rental agreement plus access to reception facilities, and the ability to grow your practice.

Our facilities include:
• Boutique Office space in the CBD
• Access to reception service
• Wi-fi
• Kitchen facilities
• Supervision and business development support
• Group practice referral opportunities

Head to our website https://inpositivehealth.com for further information, as well as our contact details.

We Are Committed to Your Health We Are Committed to Your Health Welcome to In Positive Health where your health is our happiness We Are Committed to Your Health Welcome to In Positive Health where your health is our happiness OUR SERVICES PSYCHOLOGY At In Positive Health our psychologists provide Go...