Very many people could benefit from simply giving more consideration to stress, how it works in and on them and how they can adopt habits which minimise harmful effects of excessive stress and make creative and positive use of it. A significant proportion have more severe problems with stress that need to be addressed more urgently in one-to-one work with a therapist.

Stress symptoms range from excessive tiredness, lack of energy, loss of appetite, sleeping problems, high blood pressure, physical symptoms of various kinds including muscle cramps,  cold sweats and tingling in fingers and toes to uncontrolled weeping, full blown panic attacks and depression.

Whilst few people experience all of these symptoms, it is common for one or more of them to be present when stress is beginning to present serious challenges. Where severe and alarming physical symptoms accompany stress, we advise taking medical advice. However, many stress symptoms can very quickly be relieved through the intelligent approaches used at the centre without the use of drugs and with no side effects.

• A general approach to stress education:  The first level of intervention is in providing information about how stress works and some basic de-stressing techniques including relaxation, breathing and physical exercises, combined with simple guided imagery.
 
• Intelligent Stress Counselling:   The therapist will ask questions about how stress works for you and will build a clear feeling and understanding of how you can work with it to reduce its more harmful effects.
• Past & Future Focus:  Full account will be taken of past experiences contributing to stress and basic needs not currently being met. However, it is normal for attention to be present and future oriented much of the time. You are free to tell as much or as little of the history of your concern as you feel will be appropriate.
 
• Guided visualizations and various kinds of metaphor help you to change unconscious patterns and to consciously establish more positive ways to make good and effective use of unavoidable stress.
• Needs audit:  New understandings of the full pattern of human needs provides powerful and extremely useful knowledge for stress management. Current ways of meeting needs are audited and more comprehensive patterns developed.