Our Mental Health Blog
On this blog myself, Christiaan, and other contributors will share interesting information around mental health, rehabilitation, therapies and counselling in today’s demanding world and often overwhelming world of mental health and the health practitioners that navigate the maze to help others.
From Stress to Serenity: Why the Ocean Could Be Your Mental Health Secret Weapon
Thalassotherapy, a seawater hydrotherapy combined with the marine climate, has been shown to improve mood, fatigue, general well-being, and physical capacities in working populations, but little is known about sleep management. In healthy workers, three days of...
PART 1: Beyond COVID: Healing Mental Health for a Brighter 2024
We are about to embark on a brave new year 2024, after all the dust has settled from the aftermath of COVID 19. Mental health has had a major impact since then. We all hope that after this arduous respiratory disaster and everyone’s experience of some kind of trauma...
Supporting Families Through Methamphetamine (Tik/Meth) Addiction: Proven Strategies
A brief introduction Tik addiction, Meth addiction or ICE addiction, all common names for methamphetamine addiction, impacts not only the Person Who Uses Drugs (PWUDs), but also their families. Families play a critical role both in experiencing the repercussions of...
A Discussion: Part 2: Alcoholism Treatment
Summary of "What Works? A Summary of Alcohol Treatment Outcome Research" by William R. Miller, Paula L. Wilbourne, Jennifer E. Hettema In part one of Miller and Myers' handbook on alcoholism treatment approaches, we discussed all the different models that have been...
The Allure of Cape Town’s Healing Journey: Starting on a Recovery Journey
A literal journey to recovery has become an increasingly popular destination in Cape Town over the past two decades. There are numerous recovery centers and programs available in the city that are not only beneficial to locals, but also to international visitors. The...
A Discussion: Part 1: Alcoholism Treatments
In this blog article, I shall delve into and quote directly from the "Handbook of Alcoholism Treatment Approaches: Effective Alternatives" (Hester & Miller, 2003), a text often regarded as the definitive guide on alcoholism treatment since the 1970s. However, I...
”Oxy-moron”: Rehab is for quitters
Yes, you can say that this blog title could be seen as click bait - it is, I want people to read it! Yes, you could say this is a pun and yes, Oxy-moron is a play on words and no, people that took ‘Oxy’s’ are not morons. In fact, it's the family, doctors,...
A Deep Dive into the Merits of Therapy in Relationships and an Individual’s Mental Health.
Introduction: The choice to embrace therapy, be it psychotherapy or counselling, is a vital one. It offers a lifeline to those facing mental health challenges. This post delves into when therapy might be needed, demystifies misconceptions, and examines the intertwined...
The Stages of Change: Addiction recovery (or ANY human situation that requires change)
The stages of change concept was one of the primary approaches to understanding recovery and change in working with individuals suffering from addiction, and more broadly with the concept of change in the human experience. The concept involves a sequence of stages...
Is the 12-Steps Addiction Treatment outdated?
While exploring online one evening, I came across an old book and eventually found a copy on eBay. It introduced me to Dr.Reid K Hester & William Miller's Handbook of Alcoholism Treatment Approaches: Effective Alternatives1, including the intervention approach,...