What are coping skills?

Many of the cognitive behavioural techniques I use or coping skills involve building psychological flexibility and long-term resilience skills for good mental health. Evidence shows people with good assertiveness and problem solving skills are less likely to suffer from the effects of stress and whilst they cannot stop stressful things happening to them, they are more confident in their abilities to cope. Whilst some people are more naturally resilient the good news is these skills can be taught and if practised can help bring about fundamental changes in the way you approach life now and in the future. These skills can be integrated into individual therapy sessions and or included in workshops as part of relaxation and resilience training.

Assertiveness Training

Whether you want to be able to be more expressive of your own feelings and wishes in social situations or to help with public speaking or job situations assertiveness training can be very effective. Failure to express ourselves in line with our own personal values can often lead to low self esteem and a perceived need for approval from others. Assertiveness training can help you recognise your own right to express yourself and actively engage and meet your needs without hurting yourself or others. So whether it’s being able to ask for that refund, resolving a work issue or simply being able to say “no”, with practise in session we can explore how you may cope better in these situations. will feel more confident in all situations. Week on week we might set new small challenges for you to try in between sessions, slowly proving to yourself how much you’re capable of. Renowned psychotherapist Albert Ellis famously cured himself of his shyness by forcing himself to ask 100 women out on dates. He never did get the date but at least he was no longer shy!

Problem Solving

Problem solving is a skill and one you can acquire, If you struggle with making decisions and procrastinate, for example putting off decisions for another day or when faced with challenging situations finding them too difficult to handle, it may be because you are not looking at problems and their solutions in a helpful way. Understanding your current problem solving strengths and weaknesses can help you develop better problem solving skills, reduce your worry about making decisions and increase your resilience for the future. By understanding and accepting your own personal values, (ACT is very useful for this), we can set realistic, achievable goals to help you overcome the challenges you face. Whilst worry is the brain’s random attempt at problem solving, it rarely solves anything to effectively problem solve you need to look at things more systematically and clearly.

ACT

I am also experienced in ACT (Acceptance and commitment theory) which can be effective therapy not only teaching mindfulness skills, which enables us to connect more to what matters to us and our values. By looking at our core values and beliefs we can then align our actions and decision making skills to act in accordance with these values. One of the keys aims of ACT is to help with psychological flexibility, it does not mean we will never down or stressed again however when challenges arise in the future we can adapt and apply the skills we have learnt. It can help us get ‘unstuck’ and is a very useful therapy for anxiety, depression and addictions.

Anxiety and worry often accompany many important changes in personal circumstances e.g. divorce, redundancy, career changes, new training opportunities etc. A values based approach can really help with those decisions and life changes and setting of your own personal goals.. What is important to you and how does this fit with other important values in your life? I can help guide you and give you the skills to help with these life changing events when they arise.

I offer a free 20 minute consultation, if you have any questions or are still unsure how I can help please feel free to contact me via phone or email.