Help Yourself Towards Mental Health

Courtenay Young is a humanistic, transpersonal and body-oriented psychotherapist, who has worked in a wide variety of different ways and in different situations in the mental health field over the last twenty-five years. He was resident psychotherapist at the Findhorn Foundation, an international spiritual community located in north-east Scotland, for over seventeen years, and now works privately, and in the NHS, as a psychotherapist and counsellor in and around Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders.

• About The Author -- Introduction -- A definition of “mental health” -- Stepped care and self-help -- Stress -- Basic information -- Self-help for stress -- Stress and modern life -- Fitting exercise into your life -- Different types of exercise -- Relaxation -- Meditation and mindfulness -- Symptoms of stress -- Other anti-stress exercises -- Stress and life events -- Depression -- Self-help for depression -- Working with depression -- Foods for depression -- Somatic aspects of depression -- Different views of depression -- Emotional expression in depression -- Basic working principles for depression -- A bit about anti-depressant drugs -- Negative emotions -- Thoughts and moods in depression -- Thinking distortions in depression -- Common irrational belief systems -- How to change your negative thinking -- The Process -- Your inner process -- Points to remember -- Anxiety -- About anxiety -- Relaxation -- Social anxiety -- Panic attacks -- Working with panic attacks -- Phobias -- General anxiety disorder -- Self-Esteem Issues -- Introducing issues of self-esteem -- Improving self-esteem -- Becoming more assertive -- What Works? -- An overview of what works -- Self-awareness -- Legitimate needs -- Asserting yourself -- Responding to criticism -- Family Issues -- Bereavement and grieving -- Having to care for others -- Information for carers and families -- Parents at home, parents at work -- Relationship issues -- Relationship difficulties -- Divorce and separation -- Other Issues -- Anger management -- Sleep issues -- Problems at work -- Weight, body image, and eating issues -- Chronic fatigue syndrome (myalgic encephalomyelitis [ME], or fibromyalgia, or post-viral fatigue syndrome) -- Twelve-step programmes -- Trauma and post traumatic stress disorder -- Self-harm -- Money worries -- Ageing issues -- Travel -- Well-Being -- Natural health -- The path to mental health -- The road to change -- Wider and different perspectives -- Sources of information

'Courtenay Young presents a contemporary view of therapy and counselling as accessible and relevant and not distant or precious. The book will interest seasoned professionals and students alike. It will also be a significant addition to the self-help mental health literature.'- Andrew Samuels, Professor of Analytical Psychology, University of Essex'All too often, treatment and referral has been a haphazard affair for a patient who comes to a GP or primary carer with common psychological problems. This book by Courtenay Young could change this dramatically. It provides a combination of a few simple diagnostic tests and a lot of self-help handouts, geared closely to what GPs are actually confronted with. The detailed instructions for combining these in decision making at the first stages of treatment are laid out with great clarity in a way that will bring a much needed structure to the whole process.'- Arthur Still, PhD, FBPsS, Counselling PsychologistCONTENTSABOUT THE AUTHORINTRODUCTIONA definition of mental health; Stepped care and self-helpSTRESSBasic information; Self-help for stress; Stress and modern life; Fitting exercise into your life; Different types of exercise; Relaxation; Meditation and mindfulness; Symptoms of stress; Other anti-stress exercises; Stress and life eventsDEPRESSIONSelf-help for depression; Working with depression; Foods for depression; Somatic aspects of depression; Different views of depression; Emotional expression in depression; Basic working principles for depression; A bit about anti-depressant drugs; Negative emotions; Thoughts and moods in depression; Thinking distortions in depression; Common irrational belief systems; How to change your negative thinkingTHE PROCESSYour inner process; Points to rememberANXIETYAbout anxiety; Relaxation; Social anxiety; Panic attacks; Working with panic attacks; Phobias; General anxiety disorderSELF-ESTEEM ISSUESIntroducing issues of self-esteem; Improving self-esteem; Becoming more assertiveWHAT WORKS?An overview of what works; Self-awareness; Legitimate needs; Asserting yourself; Responding to criticismFAMILY ISSUESBereavement and grieving; Having to care for others; Information for carers and families; Parents at home, parents at work; Relationship issues; Relationship difficulties; Divorce and separationOTHER ISSUESAnger management; Sleep issues; Problems at work; Weight, body image, and eating issues; Chronic fatigue syndrome; Twelve-step programmes; Trauma and post traumatic stress disorder; Self-harm; Money worries; Ageing issues; TravelWELL-BEINGNatural health; The path to mental health; The road to change; Wider and different perspectivesSOURCES OF INFORMATIONREFERENCES