Lifestyle counselling book, continued…

If you landed on this page first, please go to the beginning of the information about this book, by clicking this link: Introducing Lifestyle Counselling and Coaching for the Whole Person.***

…continued…

Chapter 8: Counselling individuals using the E-CENT approach

8.1: Quick introduction

There is no standard or invariable structure that can be applied to all E-CENT counselling and therapy sessions. There are several core models that we use to guide our counselling process – and they will be reviewed below – but they tend to occur in various, unpredictable patterns, depending upon the client’s narrative, and various automatic counsellor-judgements.

There are at least twenty standard principles that guide the thinking of the therapist, but not all of these is activated by any particular client, or client-problem: (See Chapter 3). And the order in which they become relevant cannot be anticipated or pre-specified.

Furthermore, the E-CENT counsellor is guided from non-conscious levels of mind, rather than consciously working out how to respond.

So, given these facts, how can I quickly provide you with an overview of a ‘fairly typical’ individual E-CENT counselling session, as a map of the territory to be explored? The most important things to bear in mind are these:

Right-brain to right-brain, non-verbal, emotive communication is probably the most potent thing that goes on in emotive-cognitive therapy: (Hill, 2015; Siegel, 2016; Rass, 2018; Forgas, 2001).
We are attachment therapists first; affect regulation therapists second; and only then cognitive-behavioural-informational.
We aim to build a warm relationship of attentive awareness and acceptance with the client. We aim to become a safe-harbour and a secure base.
We also practice sensitive attunement to the emotional state of the client.

Beyond that point, here is my ‘quick tutorial’ on how to apply E-CENT counselling in practice, drawn from my impressions of thousands of counselling sessions. If I have to try to summarize ‘the process’, here is my best approximation to what the counsellor is trying to do:

Build a relationship with the client, while trying to find out what they want and need.
Get an outline of the client’s story – the ‘confession stage’ (in the Jungian tradition) – about the client’s presenting problem.
Help them to explore their story, and to refine it, so it becomes more accurate – more complete; or more digested; more known. For example, help them to check if their story has been subjected to any (or many?) deletions, distortions or over-generalizations. Help them to explore their story of origins and their story of relationships (to begin with).
Help them to see that their stories (including their emotions about events) could be edited (‘re-framed’)^[i] so that they are less disturbing, less painful, and more tolerable than they originally seemed^[ii].

5. Teach the client that the quality of the story that they inhabit – or live inside of – is strongly and unavoidably affected by…

…End of Extract…

~~~

[i] See Chapter 3 – ‘Shaping our narratives’ – in Wilson, T.D. (2011) Redirect: The Surprising New Science of Psychological Change. London: Allen Lane/Penguin.

[ii] See Appendix G of Byrne (2016).

~~~

Available now : To get your copy, please click the Amazon link which serves your geographical locality:

~~~

Feedback on the Lifestyle Counselling book, on LinkedIn, on 12^th May 2018:

Angie Clarke SPN-(LION): “You are absolutely right Dr Jim Byrne. The healthier, mentally well balanced, happier and well rested counsellor will be a lot more helpful to the clients because of clearer, faster and more accurate thinking after listening to every word”.

~~~

Nedra Smith-Brown MA LLMSW: “Counsellors are forever learning. Including health coaching & realization in these type of sessions can assist the client with processing their symptoms & concerns”.

~~~

Chapter 9: How to incorporate lifestyle and health coaching into talk therapy

By Jim Byrne

9.1 Introduction

One of the most exciting developments in the world of coaching, counselling and psychotherapy at the moment is the emergence of lifestyle coaching and health coaching. Those two disciplines, which overlap significantly, seem to appeal to growing numbers of counsellors, psychologists and psychotherapists, as an emerging aspect of their own areas of professional interest and practice. For those counsellors and therapists who want to teach the content of this book to their clients, many will find that it is simply a matter of reading this book, and then passing their learning along.

However, others may feel that they want more support than that.

One reason for feeling the need for such support is that, while lifestyle coaching and health coaching are compatible with talk therapy, and, indeed, should, logically, be part of what psychological therapists offer to their clients, there is a problem with the mode of delivery. This is so because most systems of counselling and therapy (apart from the cognitive/rational approach) rely upon the healing power of relationship, and therefore many counsellors and therapists lack experience of ‘direct teaching’, or ‘facilitation of learning’, or coaching.

The heart of coaching is the ability to (1) teach something; (2) observe the effect of that teaching/learning process; and (3) to provide corrective or developmental feedback. This we could call the ‘coaching cycle’.

Because many counsellors who have no previous experience of coaching will want to make the transition towards lifestyle or health coaching, we have to look at some of the challenges that that will involve.

Therefore, we have to make provision for those individual readers of this book who may want to be directed towards the salient aspects of the challenge of how to teach this material to their clients.

For this reason, this chapter has been designed to help such individual counsellors and therapists to bone up on particular approaches to teaching and learning.

However, because it is not our intention to patronize anybody, we leave it to the individual reader to decide if they need this level of explicit guidance, or if they would prefer to figure it out for themselves through trial and error; or from previous teaching/learning experience. If you decide to study this chapter, then please read it in conjunction with the reading of Chapter 8, which provides insights into our typical approach to counselling; and also with Chapter 7, which explores our take on human emotions.

Feedback on the Lifestyle Counselling book, from LinkedIn, on 12^th – 13^th May 2018:

Claire Watts: “I have this (book) in my basket to buy. I originally trained as a beauty therapist but found that something was missing in how I treated clients. I always added in diet and nutritional advice and exercise. Now as an integrative counsellor/psychotherapist I find I can help with the mind and the body by combining both my skills. I am still formulating my concept but totally agree it’s the way therapy is progressing”.

~~~

PS, on 15th May

Feedback on the Lifestyle Counselling book, from LinkedIn, on 15^th – 16^th May:

Heather Antanavica, LMFT-C, CLC, CRP: “This is right up my alley. I’m a big time preacher of treating the WHOLE person because our mind/body/spirit are connected as one system”.

~~~

9.2 Guidance for those who feel they need it

In Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll wrote of how the King advised Alice to “begin at the beginning”, and continue to the end, and then stop.

This is a good, if simple, guide to action, in planning any journey.

So let us map out the journey we must now follow, and sort out both the beginning and the end. Four obvious elements of our journey have to be as follows:

Who to teach. This will include individual ‘learning styles’, as well as locations on the ‘stages of change’ model.
What to teach. This has to include the ordering of learning tasks, as well as the amount of change per unit of time.
When to teach it. This could include client readiness; priority of learning needs; and other elements.
How to teach it (and/or how to facilitate some learning). This is about the art of teaching; the promotion of learning; and the use of ‘selling skills’.

So, without further ado, let us begin at item 1, and continue until we reach the end.

~~~

1. Who to teach

Counsellors from different traditions will have different approaches to teaching and learning.

Postman and Weingartner (1969)^[i] were in favour of promoting student enquiry into problems. Their slogan was this: “No question, no teacher”. If the client does not have any questions (or curiosity) about the impact of diet, sleep or exercise upon their personal concerns, then it will be virtually impossible to ‘teach them’ anything in those fields (according to this theory).

Carl Rogers (1983)^[ii] was famous for saying that “I know I cannot teach anything to anyone. I can only create an environment in which they can learn”. And for Rogers, the ‘facilitative environment’ was one in which the facilitator simply accepted and prized the learner, who was assumed (in line with the theory of Jean Piaget) to be self-motivated, and capable of learning everything by exploration alone.

I (Jim Byrne) have experimented with both of these approaches (in the previous two paragraphs), and find that it sometimes helps to be as non-directive as these theorists.

However, I have also found that, sometimes, it is important to move to a more Gestalt-based approach – or social learning approach – in line with Vygotsky and Bandura – which consists of:

…End of extract…

~~~

[i] Postman, Neil, and Weingartner, Charles (1969), Teaching as a Subversive Activity. New York: Dell.

[ii] Rogers, C. (1983) Freedom to Learn for the 80’s. Princeton, NC: Merrill.

~~~

Available now : To get your copy, please click the Amazon link which serves your geographical locality:

~~~

Feedback on the Lifestyle Counselling book, from LinkedIn, on 16^th – 17^th May 2018:

Ariel Myatt: “I really like this perspective. I always found that the most effective therapists tend to pry deeper than just how I’m feeling that day but also what I have been up to? Am I stretched too thin? Do I have other medical problems going on as well?”

~~~

Stephanie Troy, LICSW: “I love when I see articles shared in this group that are about holistic health and an integrative health model. Thank you for sharing!”

~~~

Sunny Lee McKellar, LPC: “My gosh, I am humbled by (your) simple framing of a topic I try to promote within a work/lifestyle population whose bent is linear A to B to C. Empathy is discovered in the garden digging to the roots of presenting symptoms/ complaints/ problems; then nurturing with light and healthy nutrients.”

~~~

Aisha Kashif: “I have found the holistic model appropriate for many clients; the entire lifestyle is often changed behind what seem to be some behavioural symptoms. Thank you for sharing”.

~~~

Sinead C Kavanagh: “Couldn’t agree more Jim. I am building a new start up which aims to work with those who recognise the need for sustenance of the whole. My hope as a facilitator of learning is to help people reach who they are and seek employment accordingly. When you enjoy your work life, the balance at home is achievable. My latest qualification is in psychology, my background holistic therapies and T&D. Now it’s time to merge all three for better outcomes for all. Just as nourishing the body, mind and soul will help one to ‘live their best life possible’.”

~~~

For information about our range of currently available books, please go to the E-CENT Books Page.***

~~~

To get your paperback copy, please click the Amazon link which serves your geographical locality:

~~~

Feedback on the Lifestyle Counselling book, from LinkedIn, on 18^th – 19^th May 2018:

Olwen Anderson: “I’m looking forward to reading your (book) text Dr Jim Byrne”.

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Hilde Spille: “Dr Jim Byrne, I like (your) approach of coaching the whole person. I’d like to write a review about the book on my blog compassforcreatives.com and include it in my newsletter”.

~~~

Lilian Bern: “Very Interesting: I call myself a Holistic Therapist and have been doing something similar to what you recommend, and MORE (energy work, trauma release work), since 1994 in Arkansas”.

~~~

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Feedback on the Lifestyle Counselling book, on LinkedIn, on 22^nd May 2018:

Angie Clarke SPN-(LION): “Absolutely true Dr Jim Byrne. Inner happiness is definitely related to an adequate nutritional diet, what we think of ourselves, how we deal with conflicting thoughts, physical exercise, adequate sleep and the way we think about our past unhappy or traumatic experiences. Rather than letting those past upsets continue to affect me, I think of them as lessons in life. Changing old depressed worries into life lessons can be very helpful. It turns losing into victory”.

~~~

Christiana Germanou: “Thank you! I find (your post about your system of Lifestyle counselling) valuable!”

~~~

~~~

To get your paperback copy, please click the Amazon link which serves your geographical locality:

~~~

Feedback on the Lifestyle Counselling book, from LinkedIn, on 25^th May 2018:

Risa Neuwirth, LCSW: “I agree wholeheartedly. I became a clinician in my 40’s and it never made sense to me to rely on talk therapy alone to help clients learn to manage a myriad of emotional, psychological and physical problems. The body and mind are one organism, and it’s sub-optimal to treat either without also considering the other. I have always practiced psychotherapy holistically — whole person: body, mind, spirit and sexuality — and find it to be effective on many levels”.

~~~

Frederick Toates: “Hello Jim. Delighted to see your critique of the mind-body dichotomy that should be of historical interest only but alas is alive and well. Fred”.

~~~

Jacques Jospitre: “Your point is well made. A solid biological foundation is critical for doing talk therapy. And, we do need to revisit our thinking around treating all conditions with this perspective in mind”.

~~~

Thea Baker: “I couldn’t agree with you more! A whole body approach is critical for us all I believe…movement/exercise helps open us to talk therapies, dietary adjustments rebalance our gut and in turn affects serotonin levels which affects our brain…it’s a beautiful synthesis if we can combine those modalities!”

~~~

Kristiaan Spronk: “An example of the mind/body connection. The insular cortex is associated with the concept of self (self awareness, sense of agency, introceptive awareness, the sense of being in and owning one’s body). It is also involved in negative emotion (disgust, anger) and social emotion (e.g. empathy, compassion, understanding emotions in others, processing norm breaking behaviour, vicarious emotions) and pain (judgement of pain levels, Imagination of pain, emotional pain, and vicarious pain). These are areas that one might consider to be “mind”, and as such fair game for talking therapies. However, the insula is also plays a part in homeostasis (regulation of blood pressure, control of the autonomic nervous system [associated with fight/flight, but also with control of organs]), regulation of digestion (visceral arousal and sensation, gastric motility, swallowing), along with motor (hand/eye coordination, speech articulation, motor learning) control”.

~~~

~~~

To get your paperback copy, please click the Amazon link which serves your geographical locality:

~~~

(Second) Feedback on the Lifestyle Counselling book, from LinkedIn, on 25^th May 2018:

Tahirah Yasin: “Great subject matter (in your informational post about your Lifestyle Counselling book)”.

~~~

George Seber: “Jim, I totally agree that we need to counsel the whole person. I have a 44 page chapter on this topic in my book…”

~~~

Olivia Bolton: “This (book information) is great… I will be ordering a copy of your book in the immediate future!”

~~~

~~~

Feedback on the Lifestyle Counselling book, from LinkedIn, on 26^th May 2018:

Lindsay Percival: “I think you make such an important point Dr Jim Byrne (when you write about, ‘How to integrate diet and nutrition, inner dialogue, physical exercise, re-framing of experience, and sleep science into Lifestyle Counselling practice’). As a psychotherapist I work holistically because I first trained as a Reiki therapist working with the body. Now I combine both. You can’t work with the mind without working with the body and in my personal view without some concept of a person having a deeper part of themselves which we may call soul or spirit. To focus on one part only is incomplete. Thanks for posting”.

~~~

Gary Bradley: “Jim, you make an excellent point. As a coaching psychologist, I have observed the same dearth of knowledge and lack of connection between psycho-emotional conflict and mood and physiology in both counselling and coaching approaches, and in how patients and coachees report their experiences. There is a need throughout our disciplines for a more holistic, integrated culture that draws on brain and body research”.

~~~

Angie Clarke SPN-(LION): “Your very popular book sounds very informative regarding Lifestyle counselling. You are absolutely right saying that therapy by just talking “cannot cure most of the ills of the modern world” as many of them are related to the lifestyle of the client. Being well nourished, exercised and well slept can make people feel stronger and happier and more able to cope with the stressful and unhappiness in life”.

~~~

~~~

To get your paperback copy, please click the Amazon link which serves your geographical locality:

~~~

Feedback about the Lifestyle Counselling book, from LinkedIn, on 26^thor 27^th (?) May:

Risa Neuwirth, LCSW: “I agree wholeheartedly. I became a clinician in my 40’s and it never made sense to me to rely on talk therapy alone to help clients learn to manage a myriad of emotional, psychological and physical problems. The body and mind are one organism, and it’s sub-optimal to treat either without also considering the other. I have always practised psychotherapy holistically — whole person: body, mind, spirit and sexuality — and find it to be effective on many levels”.

~~~

~~~

Feedback on the Lifestyle Counselling book, from LinkedIn:

~~~

Chris Hemsworth: “Wow! (This book) sounds exciting. I can’t wait to read it”.

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John Melbourne: “I’m looking forward to reading this. (I’m) Particularly interested in whether exercise and diet are regarded/treated as causes (and if so then is that a cause relating to onset or maintenance or both) or symptoms. Or if instead the book defines them as both symptom and cause concurrently. …”

~~~

Dr Melaney McShan: “Just received (my copy of this book) today. Looking forward to reading it”.

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Patricia Gray: “I ordered and received my copy. I anticipate the excitement shared by colleagues”.

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Hayley McDonald: “It sounds like a wonderful book Jim. Well done for your achievements. I wonder if you also consider the mind-body-SPIRIT connection…”

~~~

Debbie J Ferguson, DrPH: “I look forward to reading your book!”

~~~

~~~

To get your paperback copy, please click the Amazon link which serves your geographical locality:

~~~

Feedback on the Lifestyle Counselling book, on LinkedIn, on 5^th June 2018:

Nita Mahbubani: “Will get a hold of this book (on Lifestyle Counselling) and share with my colleagues – (It’s) a very timely find, as the physical health aspect is getting a lot of focus in (the causation of) our mental health at this stage (in time)”.

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Valerie Quintanilla: “(Your informational post about Lifestyle Counselling) is great!!

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Dr. Aastha Sachdeva: “(To) Dr Jim Byrne. (Your Lifestyle Counselling) is a valuable concept. I genuinely believe that in the pursuit of name, fame, wealth and glory, we are unable to manage our lifestyles, which in turn is the cause of problems and stressors. After all it is HOW we live our lives that shall determine WHAT we make of them”.

~~~

Polly M: “Good luck with the book Dr Jim. :-)”

~~~

~~~

To get your paperback copy, please click the Amazon link which serves your geographical locality:

~~~

Feedback on the Lifestyle Counselling book, on LinkedIn, on 8^th June 2018:

Shelley Elvin: “Wowwwww! (That description of the many sources of human disturbance) makes so much sense! 🙂 :-)”.

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Natalie Botero, MA: “I do agree Dr Byrne. The brain-body and psychological connection is not separate. Isolating them in treatment may even further exacerbate the separation we have from our bodies. I’ve been studying medical intuition along the same line of thinking, and have seen amazing core roots of issues affected by the entire energetic makeup of a person; and traumas, etc. explained pretty commonsensically. Thanks for your relevant point….”

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Margaret Juricek: “Dr Byrne: I’m in agreement with you. Everything about us is affected by our body chemistry, experiences, health and lifestyle. Counselling today is no easy task”.

~~~

To get your paperback copy, please click the Amazon link which serves your geographical locality:

~~~

Feedback on the Lifestyle Counselling book, from LinkedIn:

“This (book) is wonderful!”

Patricia Peirce (on LinkedIn, on 3^rd June 2018)

~~~

Feedback from LinkedIn members:

Ralph Pifer: “This text represents a real leap forward—‘working with the whole person’–as opposed to a collection of isolated symptoms. People are more than symptoms. The causes of mental illness and discomfort in life arises from many sources and has many effects”.

(Retired Professor of Psychology and Social Science at Sauk Valley Community College; Dixon, Illinois, USA). 27^th May 2018.

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Blair Cano, PsyD, MSCP:“Got the book: loving it so far!” (22nd May 2018).

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Caroline Corkery: “Just bought it; looking forward to getting it”. (24th May).

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Sara Goguen: “Looking forward to reading your book!” (24th May).

~~~

To get your paperback copy, please click the Amazon link which serves your geographical locality:

~~~

Marion Driver M.Ed: To Dr Jim Byrne “I am so thrilled to see this (post about your Lifestyle Counselling book) and can’t wait to read your research! You’ve stated something that is music to my ears: ‘Lifestyle Counselling is an idea whose time has come! …’ Thank you! So many variables are to be considered when counselling the whole person as you have pointed out. I am looking forward to reading your work and learning more. All the best to you!” (24th May).

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Ursula Daly: “Good Evening Jim. I endeavour to come from a holistic approach at all times and diet/exercise are at the core of the therapy session, should the client present with high levels of anxiety.

“Thank you Dr Jim. Long live this powerful but simple way, and long live your writing”.

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Kevin Padden: “(This book) Looks like excellent work. In (graduate) school we talked about an approach with clients that would be integrated/ holistic. I would think without appropriate nutrition, exercise and sleep, facilitating change would be impossible! Thanks for the post!”

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Smita Desai: “Dr. Byrne: I feel completely aligned with your approach. I too have been using this with my clients. However, what you have is research-based evidence, which is extremely practical and thus very heartening!”

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To get your paperback copy, please click the Amazon link which serves your geographical locality:

~~~

Postscript from LinkedIn, on 10^th – 11^th May 2018

Dr. Rodolfo Valentino: “Dear Colleagues, I do not want to destroy the idyll, but when I look around my friends and colleagues, who all work in psychiatric, psychological, medical, life style and coaching areas, I sometimes wonder who really needs help: the clients or my colleagues. (The disturbing things I see include) Lack of sleep due to overtime, insomnia due to night shift, poor lifestyle and poor diet due to family disruption, irregular daily routine, socially accepted and latent drug use, unsafe employment contracts and resulting life crises, planning uncertainty for the future, etc. And that, just to name a few aspects. :-)”

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Julie Anderson-Moffat: “I totally agree with this concept. For far too long we have treated mental and physical health as if they’re two separate entities, to the detriment of our overall health. An integrative, whole-person approach is definitely the future, (and has been our past – though somehow [it got] lost). Thanks for bringing this vital concept to light! Julie”

~~~

To get your paperback copy, please click the Amazon link which serves your geographical locality:

~~~

Social Media Feedback:

Bobbie Mohler: “I bought this book and (I) am loving it. It’s the goal for my own life and what I want to develop for (my) clients. We were created to live whole lives not compartments. I have seen the difference nutrition makes in my life and in my clients’ lives. Cut out the stuff that isn’t really good that fills grocery shelves. It’s mostly feeding our addictions for bread and sugar designed by genetically engineering grain products to make them cheap to produce, have long shelf lives, and keep humans clawing for more and more”. (24th May 2018).

Personal communication via LinkedIn InMail: “Hi Jim, Just got your book! I’m very excited about starting to read it this weekend. Best Wishes, LD”.

Jean Annan (On The Psychology Network Group, on Linked, on Wednesday 18th April 2018): “(I) Have the book in my hand. Loving the comment about the role of perspective on narrative. Thank you”.

Personal communication from JK, a happy customer on Linked in, on 10th April: “My book arrived today. Happy reading to me! Thank you sir 🙂“.

Posted on LinkedIn on 11th April: Jill Sage MSc “(A) Fantastic Read 🤗 Thanks Jim”.

Farah Deeba (On the LinkedIn Group: Anxiety and Depression Association of American – on 27th April 2018): “Dr. Jim, I used your approaches with my clients during therapy. Your approach is excellent”.

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Feedback from LinkedIn Groups: Five samples:

Sadhana Mishra (On the Psychologists in Private Practice Group, on LinkedIn): 26th April 2018: “I agree with your potent points! You have arrived at a holistic module”.

Marie Dorrington – (Student at UCD, on The Psychology Network, on LinkedIn): 25th April 2018: “Jim, great book, and lots of information inside”.

Jean Marie Miller, Ph.D LPC NCC (On LinkedIn) 21st April 2018: “This looks fascinating. I’ve added it to my cart on Amazon and look forward to reading it. This will be excellent for my upcoming research project on counseling and coaching”.

Katie Hickman (On the Psychology Network, LinkedIn): “Thank you so much for posting this brilliant book. So helpful to my degree and training. :-)”

Ian Rickard (On LinkedIn): 10th April, on the Psychology Network Group: “Some fabulous advice within those pages. I think I need to ponder on what you have written to do justice to the text. I feel that this is my next book to learn from”.

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To get your paperback copy, please click the Amazon link which serves your geographical locality:

~~~

Feedback on the Lifestyle Counselling book, from LinkedIn, posted here on 15^th June 2018

Melodi Parker: “I believe everything is connected – physically, emotionally/mentally and spiritually. One cannot function without the other. There are various options available to truly seek success (whatever that looks like); don’t limit yourself to only talk therapy”.

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Dr. Bill Dyment: “Looks like a great approach. Jim. My treatment model has always involved the pursuit of wholeness by addressing Mind-Body-and Spirit”.

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Nicola Swales@ “I totally believe in the holistic approach to therapy. How could one truly be relational without working with the whole self within the context of one’s life? I certainly can’t. There also has to be room to know that counselling and/psychotherapy can be damaging to some individuals, but in the words of Babette Rothschild: ‘First do no harm’.”

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Margaret Black: “I also became a Health Coach in addition to my LCSW. I educate people all the time. I recommend it to anyone”.

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Vanessa McHardy: “Looking forward to reading this have just ordered, it is definitely how I would like to work more, is there any trainings available in the UK?”

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To get your paperback copy, please click the Amazon link which serves your geographical locality:

~~~

Feedback on the Lifestyle Counselling book, on LinkedIn, posted here on 18^th June 2018:

TeriAnn FrameTankersley: “I love this approach. It makes complete sense”.

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Christine Ries: “Thank you for sharing!”

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Suruchi Bhatia: “Totally agree, (this) holistic approach is long awaited! Every experience contributes to making of a person what one is”.

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Deborah Spratling: “Thanks. (I) Share your views on working with people holistically (in my practice). (I) Bought your book this morning”.

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Tony Lee: “Brilliant post Jim, A lot of the lifestyle questions on sleep, diet and exercise are never asked (in counselling and therapy contexts). My history is (of) addictions and, in my experience, recovery workers (and) addiction counsellors rarely talk about this issue”.

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Carolyn Van Doren: “Viewing the entire person is not new. It was introduced by Alfred Adler. As research reveals more information we are in a much better position to consider the mind, body including brain, behaviour, concepts beyond self within the person’s environment. The insight (that) Dr Byrne adds is helpful”.

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Renée K.: “Holistic assessment to include sleep hygiene, diet and exercise are very important and just as important in determining whether there are any underlying physical health issues which can be driving a person’s reactions. Thank you for your common sense holistic approach!!

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Cathy A Castagna: “Thank-you for sharing your insights. I find them to be extremely relevant and very congruent with the latest research regarding the mind, the brain, and the body!”

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Jo Ann Burns: “Dr Byrne, I have ordered your book and I look forward to reading it. What you are stating here makes a lot of sense. Jo Ann”.

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Sharisse Hosein: “Love the concept of lifestyle coaching”.

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To get your paperback copy, please click the Amazon link which serves your geographical locality:

~~~

Feedback on the Lifestyle Counselling book, from LinkedIn, on 19^th June 2018:

André Finn: “I agree with your point of view, but the problem is that many of the psychiatrists only care about anti-depressants and others medicines. We have to keep in mind the awful influence of the pharmaceutical business which makes a lot of money with their pills… Psychiatrists should be trained in a better way. The university should also revise their teaching and their curriculum”.

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Angelina Sirchia: “We do need to stop dealing with a person as if the physical is somehow detached from the mind. This is an age-old problem. I work in education and the ignorance regarding a holistic approach to people is quite rife”.

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Feedback on the Lifestyle Counselling book, from LinkedIn members, posted here on 25^th June 2018:

I had posted a piece about how, depriving individuals of nutrients will produce so-called ‘psychiatric symptoms’ (or emotional distress and even extreme mental health problems).

Then some individuals posted:

Amy Holden: “Interesting, and yes of course lack of vitamin D, magnesium etc. all have an effect … good nutrition as a whole is important”.

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Monique Kiera Meertens: “Yes! This is exactly why I am a health coach and personal trainer that specifically partners with therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists. There is so much healing that can take place through what we put on our plate. Thank you for your work! It would be an honour and pleasure to collaborate with you in the future! Cheers to health, wealth and happiness!”

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Carol Bogg PgDip BSc Hons CEC: “When it is evident that my coaching clients have some underlying emotional issues – my starting point is to coach them around their sleep and nutrition. Thank you for highlighting the physical as well as the psychological. Who knows – we may eventually discover that all psychological issues have their basis in physiology. We are after all, a complex mix of biochemistry. Perhaps the non-separating mind and matter needs to go further”.

(I think Carol Bogg goes too far here. There are undoubtedly emotional problems that arise from the stresses and strains of life, as experienced subjectively, rather than bodily. The loss of a significant person, triggering grief, is a perfectly normal and natural process that occurs in all individuals, regardless of how well they sleep, eat or exercise. Grief/sadness is an innate affect; as are anger/rage, anxiety/fear, joy, and a few others; and they are triggered by subjective experience, and not by direct physical causes!)

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Cynthia Avers: “I always ask a client when they last had a physical (examination), and thyroid or vitamin D levels checked! I graduated a CACREP program in 2016 and this kind of careful assessment was discussed in grad school for sure!”

(I wonder if Cynthia also asks her clients about their approach to, and frequency of physical exercise; and whether or not they ate breakfast that day; and how well they slept last night; and so on. My approach is much more comprehensive than asking about physical exams, and a few vitamin deficiencies!)

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Shelley Perry: “Now that sounds like my kind of book!”

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Then, under another post of mine, in which I suggest it’s time to rethink the body-brain-mind of the counselling client, I got these:

Debra Byam MBACP: “True, this is the reason why being an integrative counsellor & psychotherapist is highly effective and when also using life skills coaching and an understanding of the biopsychosocial model it encompasses all psychological (mood, personality, behaviour etc)and social factors (cultural, familial, socioeconomic, medical etc.). Dealing effectively with the biological, the psychological and social”.

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Paul Sheppard: “There are some wonderful tools to help people reduce stress and anxiety which can be very useful with any therapy approach. Having had anxiety years ago, exploring the inflammation approach helped it finally wind down and disappear. I teach the tools to clients as well as offer lifestyle coaching as it’s amazing what people do and not know how it can impact on their nervous system. These approaches are slowly becoming more popular than just relying on talk therapy. Therapy itself is changing and in my opinion for the better”.

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Cynthia Avers: “Thanks for sharing this! Agree that we need to understand the whole person in context and assess for many different factors. Since grad school I have been adding to my knowledge about the nervous system and brain-body connection. Professionals should be keeping up with recent research, especially as neuroscience is moving quickly. I have run across therapists who do not pay any attention to it and graduated decades ago. Spoke with a medical professional recently who was thrilled that I understood what she was talking about and she remarked many therapists do not seem to get it…”

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Ingrid Ord: “Thank you for this. Integration with ‘body work’ has been very therapeutic and helpful, in my recent experience. Fascinating stuff! Thank you”.

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To get your paperback copy, please click the Amazon link which serves your geographical locality:

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Feedback on the Lifestyle Counselling book, from members of LinkedIn groups, posted here on 28^th June 2018:

Regina Bailey, M.S.: “This is much needed. I work with adolescent girls and the one thing I see over and over is the lack of understanding that they are in control. More specifically they don’t understand that ‘…if I eat hot cheetos (junk food!) and donuts (junk food!), and nothing else, that could cause me to feel lethargic and depressed…’. This knowledge (of Lifestyle Counselling) could help change how we provide services for the poor, low income (clients), and how we inform our clients…”

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Beryl Vaughan: “Postpartum Depression and Sleep Deprivation has always seemed like a no-brainer. Given the choice between food and sleep, to the severely sleep-deprived, sleep comes before food. I agree, the research on sleep deprivation and other research follow Maslow’s first hierarchy put would indicate a re-visitation. Thank you”.

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Constance Colevins-Tumlin: “Thank you for furthering the discussion on how impactful nutrition and sleep are to basic functioning and especially to mental health. Regards, Constance Tumlin, PhD”.

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Shehla Riaz: “(Your post about this book is) So well illustrated …. (It) will give me a more deep insight and a better way of explanation while teaching this theory to architecture students…”.

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Feedback on the Lifestyle Counselling book, from LinkedIn members, on 29^th June 2018:

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Riya Jacob: “Definitely getting this!! Thank you for this resource!”

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Chris Hemsworth: “Sounds fantastic, can’t wait to get my copy”.

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Adrianna Benson: “I like the holistic approach and the integration of body and mind (described in this post about Lifestyle Counselling). Having worked with at-risk youth, being a parent of a middle schooler and being well into middle age myself, I can attest to the fact that the basics of sleep, nutrition, exercise and relationships are cornerstones in mental health and resilience. I can’t wait to read more!”

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Feedback on the Lifestyle Counselling book, from LinkedIn members, on 30^th June 2018:

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I had posted a piece on LinkedIn, on the following subject:

Current systems of counselling and psychotherapy were all created in an era of close to zero awareness of the body-brain-mind-environment connection…

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And it attracted the interest of several people, including those who posted the following comments:

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Catriona McCormack: “I agree”.

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Lorne Freedman: “I’ve been including a “Health” component (exercise, sleep, and nutrition) into my Inclusive Education Plans for about two years now. Addressing the factors that contribute to these deficits can make a huge difference”.

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Rachel Charlton: “I have been working like this for a long time because as an Integrative counsellor it not only taught me to with different models of therapy but to look at a person as a whole. I have bought your book recently and am looking forward to the read 😊”.

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Mary Rusac: “Love what you have shared. It’s 100 percent correct. I practice counselling using a holistic approach,. Lifestyle and diet is a huge part of it. It’s a tragedy that most Universities do not teach this approach. I run an 8 week community based Recovery from Depression and Anxiety program in Brisbane. Nutrition and lifestyle is the basis of this incredible program. I have watched hundreds of people recovery completely. So simple yet our body of learning does not cover this. We cannot fully help people in our counselling work unless we acknowledge that the mind, body and spirit are the fundamental components of the human being. I am so delighted to come across your work. This is the way I have always practiced. Feeling blessed by your article. :-)”.

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