Self-development resources, tools and creative ideas
MSc, UKCP accredited Psychotherapist and counsellor
Deputy Head of Student Counselling at the University of Brsitol
In this section you can read about different aspects of therapy. This can help to have a more nuanced understanding of different themes, methods and theories.
I also write about philosophy, plants and literature.In this section you'll find:
- What therapy is;
- How therapy works and how it can help;- An introduction to different types of therapy and their distinctive features (Existential Psychotherapy, Humanistic Psychotherapy and Relational CBT).
- Philosophy,Economics,ExistentialI recently became interested in how do universities in the higher education world uses AI for learning purposes. Some universities forbid the use of AI altogether. Others, in my view more progressive, give the students guidelines. The guidelines are about ethical use and how to create prompts to...Psychotherapy,Philosophy,ExistentialGianni Vattimo passed away recently (on 19/09/23) so I'm writing this to remember him and all the things he taught me. I remember reading his books in my late teens/early 20s and discovering a new way to look at the world. I studied History of philosophy in secondary school and at university,...Some ideas to keep our head above the water in this late-stage capitalistic economy. I concentrated a lot of my reading on post-capitalism lately and came across several interesting writers and social media people. I recommend Tim Jackson 'Post-Growth', published in 2021. These ideas in...Philosophy,EconomicsWas Brexit a mistake? Of course it was! ● One of the main points for brexiteers was that the UK could control its borders. Yet, immigration to the UK, since Brexit, has sharply increased. ● Since leaving the EU, there are a lot of industries critically under-staffed (hospitality, food production,...Psychology[This article is adapted from an essay I wrote for the University of Roehampton] To critically discuss epistemology and power, it is essential to start with Milgram’s experiment on obedience (1963). This is one of the most well known studies on individuals’ relationship with power. Since its...Psychology[This is part of an essay I wrote for a master degree in Psychology at the University of Roehampton] The acronym WEIRD (Henrich et al., 2010) refers to Western, educated, industrialised, rich and democratic societies or individuals. The term is used here to highlight biases in psychology...Humanistic,PsychotherapyThe Humanistic approach is rooted in the so-called ‘third force’ of psychotherapy. After psychoanalysis and behaviourism, in our post-industrial culture, therapists started to think about human nature in a different way. This psychological perspective emphasises the individual’s ability to self...PhilosophyWhat is really stopping us from rethinking our economic system? We are currently experiencing the malfunctioning of capitalism. There are two main issues: first, the problem with infinite growth is that the resources of this planet are not infinite. And second, capitalism does not make us happy. ...Psychotherapy,Existential,PhilosophySometimes we can think we made the wrong decisions in the past, and that it is too late to change. Saying that it is never too late to change feels somehow reductive. It is more complex than that: there are often boundaries and restrictions that can make change feel impossible. We need to go...Reading this book 11 years after its initial publication I realised how much of it has been integrated into everyday use. The concept of System 1 and 2 are of common use amongst professionals. The concepts on heuristics and cognitive biases are also explored in extensive details. However the...I was recommended to read ‘Bad Science’ by Ben Goldacre, in preparation for further studies, especially because the degree I’m about to start involves research. The author is quite witty and engaging, so it’s an enjoyable read. Because this book was published in 2008, social media was not in...Psychotherapy,Existential,CBTPsychoEdDo you ever feel that there’s something wrong even when everything is fine? Somehow it feels easier to see the glass half empty and it takes us a good amount of effort to see the positives. An important lesson from evolutionary psychology is that our brains did not evolve to make us happy, but...Psychotherapy,Humanistic,ExistentialThere is a fine line between anxiety and excitement. On a physiological level the two emotions are experienced in quite similar ways. I’m talking to that mix of symptoms often referred to as the fight-or-flight (-or-freeze) response. The line between anxiety and excitement is the approach to...Psychotherapy,HumanisticI’ve been waiting a long time to go back to see clients face-to-face. Although I didn’t necessarily dislike working with video calls, there is something different when doing therapy in the flesh. As a therapist I get a different sense of the person and I feel more connected. I feel more...PsychotherapyOften when we stand in front of life choices we feel uncertain and ask others what they think is right. I think it’s less about right and wrong and more about the narrative we want to tell ourselves about that choice. Before we apply the moral judgements it can be helpful to think about what is...PsychotherapyWhat is LGBTQIA+ Affirmative Therapy? LGBTQIA+ Affirmative Therapy is when the therapist holds a positive and validating attitude towards all genders and sexualities. A therapist who promotes LGBTQIA+ Affirmative Therapy tries to challenge the stigma and biases against members of the queer...Psychotherapy(I need to give credit to an interesting talk I followed, by Dr. Will Devlin) The etymology of the word ‘compassion’ gives us a good place to start. The word comes from the Latin: com + pati, which means: suffering with, sharing the suffering. It indicates two important points: 1) Being...Humanistic,Existential,Philosophy,PsychotherapyBIOGRAPHY - Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) Abraham Harold Maslow was born on 1st April 1908 in Brooklyn, NY. After him, his parents had six other children. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Russia. They were uneducated so pushed him towards academia. After he satisfied his parents by studying...PsychotherapyThe first website which we can call a social media website, was created in 1997 (a platform called Six Degrees). Social media began to exist less than three decades ago and the impact it is having on our society has not been studied in great depths. What started as a great tool to share...PsicoterapiaOgni persona funziona a modo suo, si sa, e ci sono quattro principali ‘metodi’ di approcciare il mondo. Mi riferirò a queste modalità percettive chiamandole ‘sfere’. Questa è un’espressione che ho inventato io, nella mia personale esperienza come psicoterapeuta. In genere si distinguono quattro...More Posts
© Matteo Francescon 2023