Anxiety, Depression and Sexual Health
Over three million Australians are living with anxiety or depression. These conditions can impact on your thinking, behaviour, mood, relationships, physical health, sleep, appetite and sexual functioning. Counselling provides an opportunity for you to develop insights into your thoughts, behaviours and feelings, and enhance your existing coping skills for managing your condition.
There are many different factors that can impact on one’s sexual functioning, including anxiety and depression. At some point in their lives, most people experience difficulty with desire, arousal or being able to orgasm. This can be very distressing and may involve painful intercourse and an active avoidance around sexual activity. Counselling allows you a space to talk about sensitive issues of a personal nature with someone objective who can listen and provide some suggestions on how to best optimise your comfort and wellbeing.
At Sally Findley Psychology, we use a range of clinical approaches to tailor treatment to your individual needs, such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy and Narrative Therapy.
Counselling can assist a wide range of personal issues in the following ways:
- Learn more about anxiety and depression, and develop coping skills to manage your condition;
- Learn strategies to manage difficult and painful feelings;
- Change your thinking and behaviour patterns to healthier alternatives;
- Improve communication skills to enhance your relationships and your confidence;
- Learn problem solving skills to address difficult issues in your family, friendships or workplace;
- Improve self-esteem and self-confidence;
- Learn relaxation and mindfulness techniques;
- Enhance intimacy and increase your physical and emotional comfort during sex with specific suggestions;
- Develop an understanding of your condition through psycho-education to empower you to take charge of your health;
- Help you develop a healthier relationship with your body (i.e. low libido, difficulties with arousal, painful intercourse, vaginismus, prolapse etc…);
- Develop your confidence to ask for help to get back on track with feeling confident and competent again.
Helpful Links
www.beyondblue.org.au a wonderful resource for person’s affected by anxiety and/or depression and their loved ones to access information around managing their mental health.
www.blackdoginstitute.org.au is a great site to learn more about treatment, programs, research and the prevention of mood disorders.