We at Carnegie Counselling Centre Swords understand that anxiety is probably the number one psychological ailment most suffered by individuals in the world today. It can have a crippling effect on individual freedom and make life very difficult and unpleasant; often unbearable. When we don’t understand what is happening in us, we feel powerless and overwhelmed which in turn adds to the sense of fear. It is vital that we understand why we feel anxious so that we can begin to address our fears. However, it is not enough to understand the root of our anxiousness and fear; we also need to develop real skills and use appropriate tools to manage our experience of anxiety. This is how counselling for anxiety can be very effective. Contact the Carnegie Counselling Centre in Swords to speak to a therapist about Anxiety Counselling.

Addictions trap us into behaviours that at one level, promise to resolve psychological issues, while at the same time rob us of our freedom to choose. Breaking free can be challenging but not impossible. In fact, many find recovery and lead very free lives while learning to use healthy ways to address needs and issues in their lives. Acknowledging the addiction and becoming aware of your relationship with the substance or behaviour is the beginning of the road out of addiction. We provide Counselling for addiction, creating a space for you to explore and plan change around a number of addictions including alcohol, drugs, sex/porn, gambling, gaming and eating disorders. Contact the Carnegie Counselling Centre in Swords to speak to a therapist about Addiction Counselling.

Anger, just like any emotion, is experienced as an internal response to something outside of us that is having an impact on us. It can be experienced ranging from mild irritation to extreme rage. It is what could be described as a defensive or protective emotion that can help us feel powerful when we feel overpowered. How we express anger can either help us to healthily address issues and assert ourselves in a healthy way, or it can be a destructive force to ourselves and others when acted out in an unhealthy way. Understanding what makes us angry is important. Allowing ourselves permission to feel angry and identifying the underlying feelings behind the anger gives us the opportunity to express anger in a respectful and safe way.  Your therapist can help you to work through these issues and also explore useful tools to help you manage your anger in the moment. Contact the Carnegie Counselling Centre in Swords to speak to a therapist about Anger Management

Depression can often, but not always surface after major life events. It can also be borne out of unexpressed thoughts and feelings which over time compound and block the natural flow of balance in our abilities to cope with life. We can often feel stuck or experience great loss, which steals us of our energy and motivation to live life. Psychotherapy aims to address the underlying issues that may be creative factors in the depressed condition. It is essential that a person feels safe and "minded" in this process in order to safely express those difficult thoughts and feelings and move beyond them. We always recommend speaking with your GP to explore any underlying conditions that may be informing a person’s low mood and will work in partnership with their assessment.Contact the Carnegie Counselling Centre in Swords to speak to a therapist if you are struggling with depression or low mood.

We all experience loss of a loved one in a completely unique way. This is why there is no validity to having an expectation of how you “should” feel when bereaved. The experience can feel very isolating and lonely as we try to navigate the many feelings and emotions, or cope with the numbness. Although on one level we accept that death comes to us all, on a deeper level we are completely shocked and mystified when the reality strikes us personally. There can be many thoughts and feelings unexpressed at the cliff edge of death.  Bereavement therapy can help us navigate through the fog with a therapist who will not fix or judge your feelings, thoughts and experiences, but rather give you a space to express and grieve. Contact the Carnegie Counselling Centre in Swords to speak to a therapist about Bereavement Counselling.

Relationships are the most important things to us as they are the means by which we give and receive love. Whether that relationship is within friendship, family or a committed intimate relationship, how we navigate desires and conflicts within the relationship can either connect in a closer bond, or impede intimacy with feelings of fear, judgement and mistrust. Couples Therapy provides a safe place to openly address issues within agreed boundaries. Learning how to communicate so that you can hear and be heard will give you the means to safely work through issues which often bring hurt and misunderstanding to the relationship.

Personal Therapy can be one of the most rewarding investments we can choose to make for ourselves. To delve into the unconscious programming that informs our psychological and behaviour patterns and choices. Becoming aware of our core beliefs underlying how we view ourselves in the world can give us choice and newfound hope of change to live a more satisfied life.   Taking this journey alongside a skilled therapist who can help illuminate the hidden corners and identify the destructive patterns of thought and behaviour, in an objective and compassionate way, ensures that you are guided safely through the process of discovery.

The workplace can be the place that we spend much of our time. It is here that we can be confronted with a lot of life’s dramas as we navigate relationships and organisational politics. Our sense of acceptance and security within an organisational structure is generally informed, internally, from our experiences of love and belonging in our development and, externally, by the culture of the organisation. Issues such as bullying, exclusion and toxic environments can have a detrimental impact on our confidence and sense of wellbeing. Working through issues with a therapist can be useful in giving voice to your frustrations and struggles in this area. Working out boundaries and finding your own power in situations will help you find stability in the midst of a difficult environment.

Our sexuality is very closely linked to our sense of who we are in the world. Understanding who we are and how we relate to ourselves and each other in this realm can be very confusing. Ideas and concepts around what is considered normal or acceptable are constantly being challenged in today’s new sexual landscape. Coming to a place of acceptance and understanding of who we are and how we express ourselves in all ways, including sexually, is vital for our healthy development; mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Our non-judgemental and open approach will help to facilitate your process of exploration and discovery in this area.

As we move through our developmental stages in life, we are increasingly becoming aware of different aspects of our existence. Our desire for purpose and meaning is an essential motivator to developing our sense of self and our spirituality. As one stage in life ends and another begins, we can feel loss and question at a deeper level why we do what we do. These existential crises are normally punctuated by and intensified in major milestones in our lives. Leaving school, coming into adulthood, embarking on relationship, birth of children, aging, and death are some of the events or expected events that we can benefit from help to process change and re-evaluate our understanding of ourselves beyond them.

During childhood and adolescence, we experience great change within ourselves in relation to the world around us. This often-constant shift in a young person’s understanding of themselves, within their family, peer relationships, and environment can be a difficult time. The period of development from dependent child to striving for independence as a teenager is extremely important and fraught with many challenges. Children and adolescents often find it difficult to express themselves verbally in a way that they feel understood. Play therapy provides a child the opportunity to ‘play out’ their thoughts, feelings and problems, just as, in certain types of adult therapy, an individual will ‘talk out’ their difficulties. Equally, creative psychotherapy provides the adolescent with creative arts to aid expression. It is a form of psychotherapy and counselling that facilitates expression through creative media as well as talk. We recognize the important role of parents and caregivers and always involve them in regular reviews while maintaining confidentiality for the young person within agreed boundaries.