Specialisations
Couple Counselling
Couple counselling is a tool to help people in troubled relationships learn to see their situation from another perspective and to understand one another better. This may include exploring issues such as difficulties communicating, a loss of closeness and intimacy or personal problems that have developed within your marriage. Our counsellors will walk with you to help you develop a deeper understanding of your relationship to restore intimacy.
Family Therapy
Family therapy involves the whole family or several family members all meeting with a counsellor. Through family therapy, families or individuals within a family learn better ways to interact with each other and resolve conflicts. If your family is feeling torn apart or unable to move past a particular issue then family therapy may help you heal. Our counsellors are passionate about helping families to hope through healthier ways of relating.
Parenting Support
Parenting today is one of the most rewarding and challenging endeavours and requires different skills during your children’s development. These skills can differ depending on where you are in your own emotional, financial, or spiritual development. And since every child develops differently, parenting can be confusing and arduous. We can help you understand the importance of unconditional love, consistency, what to expect at different developmental stages, healthy boundaries, consequences, and building self-esteem in your child. Sometimes you just need a little help with understanding and support to parent well.
Youth Issues
Youth today are growing up in a complex world full of temptations. They face daily peer pressure of drugs, sex, bullying, stealing and cheating just to name a few. Young people today deal with things like eating disorders, abuse and relationships. These complex issues do not just go away. Youth need to be free to discuss their specific issues in a positive and safe environment in order to overcome them. At Lifestreams Counselling we seek to provide that safe place for youth to chat through their problems and gain some productive skills to work through the difficulties of adolescence.
Counselling for Children
We recognise that children sometimes experience emotional difficulties for a number of reasons. It may be due to a change in circumstances such as separation or divorce, a loss, illness, abuse, low self esteem, lack of confidence, problems at school or at home. Our aim is to enable each child to become clearer about what is happening to them and to provide a safe space to understand these events. Different methods may be used to encourage children to be able to express their difficulties, such as play and art. It gives us great joy to help children recognise their strengths and be able to express themselves and grow.
Grief and Loss
The death of a spouse, family member or dearly loved friend, or the loss of something important to our lives such as a marriage, a career, our youth or health can trigger many emotions and pain known as grief. If you're in the process of grieving, you know that it isn't an easy experience and can certainly be very lonely as well as scary. You may experience conflicting emotions such as numbness and disbelief, sadness, anger, anxiety, guilt or feel unable to return to normal activities. If you are coping with a recent loss hope may seem awfully distant, we will walk with you through the grief to new hope in the future.
Separation and Divorce
The trauma of separation or divorce brings hurt and pain as though our heart is literally breaking. The grief and loss of self esteem can be overwhelming. For a while it seems that we can never put the pieces of our lives back together. At Lifestreams Counselling we want you to know that there is life after divorce. We seek to provide hope and new direction for broken lives.
Depression
Depression plagues many people and the results can be crippling. You may find that simple day-to-day activities have become extremely difficult, and you don’t know why. If you are becoming emotionally detached from those around you and withdrawing into increased isolation it is time to seek help. We can explore together the sources of your depression and give you tools for your recovery and healing.
Anxiety
Anxiety is not merely worry, restlessness, your mind racing, rapid heart beat, and not being able to sleep and an inability to sit still are other symptoms of anxiety. High degrees of anxiety may cause you to experience panic attacks that can be quite debilitating. If you have any of these symptoms it is important for you to seek help. Your anxiety may be needless suffering that could be helped through insight into your unique situation and support from one of our counselling team.
Self Esteem
Our self esteem is the source of our personal happiness or lack of it. It establishes the boundaries of our accomplishment and defines the limits of our fulfilment and joy. If we think little of ourselves, we either accomplish little or drive ourselves unmercifully to disprove of ourselves. Our counsellors seek to guide you to God who enables us to think positively about ourselves, and find our true potential.
Sexual Issues
Many men and women from all walks of life struggle with sexual identity, addictions to pornography, masturbation and cybersex, and other sexual practices. We have seen lives and families devastated by sexual problems. These problems are not unique to any religion, race, financial, social or marital status. If you suspect that you may have an issue in this area we will work with you to wholeness.
Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse is one of the most traumatic experiences that can happen in a person’s life. We understand the pain, trauma and emotional turmoil that arise from such an experience. The emotional rollercoaster often affects not only the person but people around them, breaking relationships within the family and the community. We seek to help overcome the fear, powerlessness, betrayal, anger and hopelessness that results. And nurture back emotional and spiritual well being.
Anger Issues
Frustration and anger are normal responses to situations, but at times we have difficulty controlling our anger, or owning up to and honestly expressing our anger. Anger can be caused by feelings of helplessness and the need to control situations, people and consequences. Then we feel worse because of the guilt that ensues as a result of feeling angry. We encourage anger expressed in a healthy way which can foster personal growth and significance, improving relationships and changing lives.
Spiritual Direction
At Lifestreams Counselling we encourage every person to realize their own freedom and responsibility of developing a relationship with God. God sees you as a precious treasure, and He longs to have a friendship with Him. He wants you to know your true identity and purpose for your life. This is the most exciting journey you can take in your life. Through listening carried out in the context of a trusting relationship, we encourage an awakening to the spiritual in everyday life.
Cross Cultural Adaptability (Preparation for overseas work + Psychological assessment)
Travelling overseas may be a very stressful affair. This is especially so when one is going for a very long period of time. Adapting or readapting to a culture is often harder than it seems. The “Culture shock” phenomena may hinder one from appreciating the joys of experiencing a new culture. At Lifestreams Counselling, we not only provide counselling for people who are going overseas for missionary or secular work but also provide counselling to those who are struggling to re-adapt back to their home country.