Blue Horizon Counselling

24/11/2025

Burnout in helping professionals is not a personal failure. It is a psychological response to prolonged emotional labor, sustained responsibility, and the erosion of recovery space.
The three dimensions outlined by Maslach & Leiter reveal a deeper truth: when exhaustion, detachment, and diminished accomplishment coexist, the issue is no longer workload alone, but the slow destabilization of professional identity and purpose.

For carers, therapists, and frontline professionals, ignoring these markers does not preserve strength. It compromises clarity, ethical presence, and the quality of care we offer. Addressing burnout, therefore, becomes an essential component of competent practice, not an optional luxury.

This is the perspective guiding our APS-approved restorative retreat in Bali, where evidence-based burnout prevention, reflective clinical practice, and intentional rest converge to support sustainable excellence in care.

Because longevity in this profession requires more than dedication.
It requires design, awareness, and deliberate restoration.

—
Holistic Recharge: A Restorative Luxury Retreat for Helping Professionals
Bali | 25 APS-Approved CPD Hours

24/11/2025

Take control of your habits and build lasting change with The Better Self-Control Workbook. This practical guide offers step-by-step tools to break unwanted behaviors, strengthen discipline, and create a healthier, more intentional life. Perfect for anyone ready to understand their patterns and finally move forward with clarity and confidence.

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23/11/2025

This work didn’t begin with pressure or performance. It began with care, connection, and a quiet knowing. Take a moment to check in.

Does that spark still feel close to you, or has something shifted?

23/11/2025

Burnout rarely happens overnight.
Over 70% of helping professionals live with ongoing burnout symptoms, often without enough space to restore themselves.

It builds quietly in the skipped breaks, the emotional labor that never switches off, the long days that blur into weeks, and the feeling that you’re always giving, but never quite restoring.

Left unaddressed, burnout erodes clarity, presence, connection, and the ability to move through life with intention. But when it is addressed with care, powerful shifts unfold. Emotional regulation strengthens. Boundaries become clearer. Presence returns. Professionals move from survival into steadiness, purpose, and renewed direction.

This is why recovering from burnout is itself a form of CPD.

Holistic Recharge delivers 25 CPD hours grounded in evidence‑based models, stress physiology, and integrative practices for helping professionals — anchored in a 6‑night restorative luxury retreat at one of the world’s most breathtaking coastal sanctuaries.

Wake to ocean air and soft sunrise light.
Learn beside open skies and tranquil waves.
Savor thoughtfully curated gourmet meals.
Restore through mindfulness, gentle movement, sacred grounding, and unhurried swim sessions as golden light settles over Bali’s eastern shore.

More than a professional development opportunity, this is an intentional investment in your longevity as a practitioner.
This is not about escaping your work.
It’s about returning to it with steadier energy, clearer boundaries, and a deeper sense of grounding.

If something in you knows it’s time to pause, reflect, and recalibrate, this may be that space.

📍 Hotel Komune Resort & Beach Club | 17–23 April 2026
🎓 25 CPD Hours | APS Approved

We’d love to welcome you.

10/11/2025

📱 “Always on” culture isn’t virtue — it’s vulnerability.
With Wi-Fi everywhere and expectations “instant reply,” our boundaries silently erode. Our capacity for presence, rest, and authenticity shrinks.
🌐 What the blog covers:
How being “available” became a badge of honour — and a burnout risk
Why constant connectivity undermines emotional freedom
Steps to reclaim time, energy, and agency when your phone’s ping is your leash
🛡️ 3 quick boundary hacks you can try now
Designate “reply windows” instead of response-on-demand
Use an ‘away’ mode or set clear auto-response for non-urgent communications
Create tech-free zones—physical or time-based—and guard them like sacred space
Are you ready to stop apologising for being human?
Read the full piece ➜ https://bluehorizoncounselling.com.au/blog/anxiety/the-myth-of-being-available-how-boundaries-got-erased-by-wi-fi/

1. The Ping That Owns You There used to be an end to the workday. A ritual — the commute, the change of clothes, the soft click of a front door. Then came Wi-Fi, smartphones, and a cultural belief that productivity is devotion. Now, messages arrive while you’re cooking dinner, watching Netflix, ...

09/11/2025

Have you ever asked yourself “Why do I keep doing things I regret?

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Why We Act Before We Think: The Science Behind Impulsivity

Have you ever asked yourself “Why do I keep doing things I regret?” — whether it’s snapping in anger, overspending, binge eating, or falling into old habits?
Science shows it’s not just about “self-control.” It’s about how your brain, hormones, and genetics work together.

A new review published in The Egyptian Journal of Neurology, Psychiatry and Neurosurgery reveals:

Impulsivity is deeply rooted in brain biology — areas like the prefrontal cortex and limbic system control decision-making and emotions.

Hormones such as cortisol (stress), ghrelin (hunger), and testosterone influence how impulsively we react.

Neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin — and even certain genes — shape our drive for instant rewards.

Men and women experience impulsivity differently due to hormonal and brain differences.

Understanding this means impulsive actions aren’t just “bad choices.” They’re biological patterns that can be rewired with the right tools and guidance.

At Impulsivity, we use science-based strategies to help people break free from destructive cycles, rebuild emotional control, and strengthen relationships.
If you’re ready to understand your impulses and take back control, visit 👉 Impulsivity.com.au

Because healing starts with understanding how your mind really works. 💙

25/10/2025

Women — it’s time to reclaim your story.

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The Body Remembers Her Name: Trauma Recovery, Reclaiming the Feminine, and Restoring Joy Through Samba and Storytelling is a grounding guide for women seeking embodied healing from trauma. Rooted in Afro-Brazilian wisdom, myth, and dance movement therapy, this book offers guidance for a spiral...

17/10/2025

A study from Cambridge University Institute of Criminology shows how domestic abusers create ‘trauma bonds’ – even before violence begins.

Criminologist Mags Lesiak urges a shift away from theories of codependency which ignores "deliberate brainwashing".

Tap the link in the comments to learn more.

15/10/2025

We often turn to food not because we’re hungry, but because we’re hurting. Emotional eating is one of the most common ways people cope with stress, anxiety, loneliness, or even boredom. The temporary comfort food brings is followed by guilt, frustration, and loss of control — creating a painful cycle that’s hard to break.

Here’s how you can start to manage it:

Identify Your Triggers – Stress, fatigue, conflict, or sadness often spark emotional cravings. Notice when and why you reach for food.

Pause Before Eating – Take a few deep breaths and ask yourself, Am I physically hungry, or emotionally overwhelmed?

Find Healthier Comforts – Replace the habit with mindful activities — journaling, walking, talking to someone you trust, or practicing relaxation techniques.

Practice Self-Compassion – Be kind to yourself. Changing emotional patterns takes awareness and patience, not punishment.

Build Emotional Resilience – When you learn to regulate stress and emotions, food stops being the only comfort available.

If you’re ready to understand and manage your emotional and stress eating patterns, our book “Stop Binge Eating: How to Handle the Stress Triggers that Lead to Emotional Eating, Stress Eating and Binge Eating” can help guide you step-by-step.

It’s designed to help you break free from the cycle and build a healthier, calmer relationship with food and with yourself. 🌱

👉 Check it out here: https://mybook.to/StopBingeEating

10/10/2025

Happy World Mental Health Day 💙

In 2025, mental health science is accelerating. The NIH has launched six major projects to develop outcome-focused quality measures (tools that track how interventions work in real) world settings. Meanwhile, researchers have decoded how the brain separates old and new memories during sleep, offering insight into trauma processing and memory reconsolidation.
And in clinical practice, a new rapid-acting depression treatment, free from traditional side effects, is showing promise for treatment-resistant cases.

Mental health isn’t just emotional. It’s biological, measurable, and evolving ✨

07/10/2025

Some mornings, we wake with a quiet ache for stillness.
A longing to soften the edges, slow the breath, and feel held.
Other days, it’s the pulse of courage that rises
The kind that nudges us to speak, to step forward, to stretch into discomfort.

Calm and courage aren’t opposites.
They’re two sides of emotional regulation.
One soothes the nervous system.
The other mobilizes it toward growth.

If you’re not sure which one you need today, try asking:
What would help me feel more like myself right now?
What would support me in moving through this moment with care?

Maybe it’s a pause. Maybe it’s a push.
or maybe it’s both, in layers.

You don’t have to earn rest.
You don’t have to wait for fear to disappear before you act.
You just have to listen.

💙 So, which do you need more today: calm or courage?

25/09/2025

Every relationship experiences moments of tension, disagreement, or frustration. Feeling unheard, dismissed, or misunderstood can slowly erode connection and intimacy if left unaddressed. The good news is that with the right skills and strategies, couples can transform these challenging moments into opportunities for understanding, growth, and deeper connection.

Here are essential skills every couple can develop:

Active Listening: Truly hearing your partner without planning a response or judgment allows both parties to feel valued and understood.

Emotional Validation: Acknowledge and honor each other’s feelings, even if you see the situation differently.

Healthy Boundaries: Clearly communicating your needs and limits protects both your wellbeing and the relationship.

Impulse Management: Recognizing and regulating impulsive reactions prevents escalation and promotes calm, constructive dialogue.

Collaborative Problem-Solving: Work together to identify solutions instead of blaming or shutting down.

Evidence-based techniques such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and mindfulness strategies can guide couples to break destructive cycles and rebuild trust and intimacy. These approaches are taught in practical, accessible ways in our programs and publications.

If you want to deepen these skills and start transforming tension into connection, our services and resources are designed to support you:

Explore our professional counselling services here: https://bluehorizoncounselling.com.au/

Learn more through our books, including tools and exercises for couples: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Dr-Yuliya-Richard/author/B09Z9457X4

Your relationship deserves more than just surviving conflict—it deserves the tools, understanding, and strategies to thrive together.