Rachael Kane

HEALTH ISSUES

INSOMNIA/HYPERSOMNIA

Doctors associate a variety of signs and symptoms with insomnia. Often the symptoms intertwine with those of other medical or mental health conditions. Some people with insomnia may complain of difficulty falling asleep or waking up frequently during the night. The problem may begin with stress. Then, as you begin to associate the bed with your inability to sleep, the problem may become chronic.

If you can’t sleep, the problem may be either with getting to sleep, in which case it takes you more than 20 minutes to fall asleep, or in staying asleep, where you may fall asleep easily but awaken hours before dawn and not be able to get back to sleep. Typically anxiety is more associated with the first type of problem, while depression is associated with early morning awakening. However, it is not uncommon to have both types of problems if you’re anxious or depressed.

PAIN MANAGEMENT

Chronic pain can have a profound impact on a person’s overall wellbeing, their relationships, their work and physical activities. Where the pain has lead to limitations in various areas of life, counselling can assist with the grieving process as individuals come to terms with their illness, injury or pain and start to adjust their own expectations about what they might be able to achieve in various life areas. Counselling in pain management strategies such as mindfulness, relaxation training and cognitive techniques is also effective in assisting people to recover a sense of control over their pain and to manage their lifestyle more effectively.