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How to Better Support Counseling Clients with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

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As the days get shorter, darker, and colder, it’s common for counseling clients to feel a drop in energy. Many begin to feel sad, struggle with sleep, experience changes in appetite, and keep to themselves. As clients experience Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)  it’s essential now more than ever for counselors to connect with them. This can include regular check-ins, increasing homework between sessions, creating a new fall/winter routine, and supporting them with digital tools. 

Check-in regularly

Many clients pull away from socializing while feeling the effects of SAD. While this may feel more comfortable for clients in the short term, it can be detrimental to their overall health during the darker seasons. Counselors can support better client mental health by checking in regularly. This can include scheduling more frequent appointments or keeping up between sessions with a digital homework app. As research shows, more social connectedness is linked to lower rates of anxiety and depression. Effectively reaching out to clients between sessions can make all the difference. 

Create a new seasonal routine

Clients may need to adjust their routines to feel better in the cooler months. Physical changes, like incorporating light therapy, can be a game-changer for general mood. Routine changes like increasing exercise, spending time with family and friends, and incorporating more nutritious foods into the daily diet are essential in combatting SAD. 

Assign homework between sessions

It’s important to keep up with busy clients between sessions to ensure they’re still moving toward their goals and maintaining positive mental health. Research has shown that counselors who don’t consistently follow up on homework assignments are less likely to generate patient regard for the activity. Without homework, it’s all too easy for patients to forget about their growth, or put it off when out of the office. This is especially true in busier seasons like during the holidays — particularly for clients with packed schedules, like parents or caregivers. 

Assigning homework between sessions allows clients to keep their mental health top of mind in their day-to-day lives. Homework brings their focus back on their goals and progress and creates a better chance that they’ll keep up with regular sessions. 

Homework comes with many benefits. It gives clients control over their wellness, giving them a sense of responsibility. It also creates a space for discussion when it comes to progress  — fostering a healthy client-counselor relationship. It’s also great for counselors as it creates a paper trail, making progress tracking a breeze. 

Use technology to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder

A digital homework app like Therachat is an innovative tool that makes it easy for counselors to support clients during the tough winter months, as they experience Seasonal Affective Disorder. This is especially beneficial for patients who have a hard time booking regular sessions. With emotion tracking, skill-building, thought reframing activities and progress tracking all in one app, it’s never been easier to support clients with SAD. Give your clients an accessible tool they can reach for when they need a boost between sessions. Learn more about Therachat for clinicians.

The Benefits of Yoga for Sleep in Counseling Patients

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Help your counseling patients get better sleep with gentle movement. We know assigning homework is beneficial in client results and goal achievement, but some clients just don’t take well to sitting still. Meeting your client where they are can make all the difference in their results. Let’s talk about how to help restless clients get more sleep with gentle yoga. 

The Benefits of Yoga for Sleep

Yoga doesn’t have to be an hour-long intense practice. Studies have found that exercise can improve sleep for most, and yoga specifically helped older adults improve their quality of sleep. And the mindfulness practice, breathwork, and thought awareness allows clients to wind down and quiet their mind before bed.  

Gentle Yoga for Sleep: 

  • Yoga Nidra: The state of consciousness between waking and sleeping. Nidra is a deeply relaxing practice that requires little to no movement — making it one of the best for clients to start with. 
  • Hatha Yoga: This is what most people think of when they think ‘yoga’ — flowing through different poses, and holding them for a good stretch. 
  • Yin Yoga: This practice runs at a slower pace. Holding poses for longer allows for deeper muscle stretching 

How to Successfully Assign Movement Homework

In order to reap the benefits, clients have to engage with the practice. So how can we get them started effectively? 

  1. Create the habit: The goal is to make this a nightly habit for consistently better sleep. Get clients to start slowly with just a few minutes or poses per night. Once they’re comfortable, set a plan to work up to more.
  2. Encourage a relaxing environment: It’s tough to relax in a stressful environment, so encourage clients to practice sleep hygiene: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene
  3. Check-in often: Touch base with your clients to see how their routine is going, and if adjustments need to be made. 

Use a Digital Homework App to Build Routines Faster

It’s all too easy for clients to forget their homework as soon as they leave their session. Keep it top of mind with a digital homework app like Therachat. The app sits right on the client’s own devices for the ultimate accessibility. From there, you can communicate with your clients, check in between sessions, and offer positive reminders to stick to the new routine. More frequent check-ins allow clients to build the routine faster, and in turn, feel better faster. Learn more about Therachat for clinicians. 

How Counselors Can Support Caregiver Mental Health

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Caregivers are an integral, often unseen, part of our healthcare system. In 2018, 25% of the population were caregivers — 7.8 million Canadians. Caregivers are most commonly adults aged 45 to 64, many of which are caring for children and parents simultaneously. While more than half of caregivers express their caregiving experience as rewarding, it can take a toll on mental health. Caregivers may find themselves putting aside their own needs to ensure their care receiver is taken care of. This can lead to burnout, exhaustion, and a decline in health. 

Caregivers can benefit from support from the support and guidance of a mental health professional. Many struggle to find the time or resources to regularly attend sessions. There are tools and strategies that allow counselors to better support caregivers from afar, and between sessions. 

Assign Homework for Better Clinical Outcomes

Patients often leave counseling feeling lighter, clearer, and generally in a better mindset. However, returning to their usual environment makes it difficult to carry those positive feelings forward in day-to-day life. Assigning homework between sessions gives caregivers something to work towards outside sessions where a counselor isn’t present. Homework keeps growth and self-care top of mind, allowing caregivers to tend to their own needs. 

Studies show that homework leads to better patient outcomes. A meta-analysis from 2010 looked at 14 studies to compare therapy outcomes of patients who completed homework and those who didn’t do homework at all. They found that those who completed homework in combination with therapy reported better aftereffects than about 70% of those who didn’t engage with homework at all. 

Use a Digital Homework App to Keep Caregivers on Track

A digital homework app like Therachat is an innovative tool that counselors can implement to keep patients on track between sessions. 

Research has found that therapists who don’t consistently follow up on homework assignments are less likely to generate patient regard for the activity. It’s all too easy for patients to forget about homework or put it off after leaving a session. Particularly when working through difficult thoughts and feelings. That’s why following up with a homework app between sessions is one of the best ways to support caregivers when they don’t have the time or resources to make it into an appointment. With emotion tracking, skill-building, assessments and thought reframing activities all in the app, it’s an easily accessible tool that gives caregivers the power to take care of themselves between sessions. 

Prioritizing Caregiver Mental Health

Caregivers are an essential part of our healthcare system — but we want to ensure they’re getting the support they need as well. By implementing homework and following up with an app between sessions, counsellors are empowering caregivers to prioritize their mental health. Because you can’t pour from an empty cup.

How to support clients through a life transition

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Counsellors can see when their clients are going through a particularly difficult or turbulent time. Whether it be a period of great change, a time of low mood, or a series of tough events that have occurred one after another — sometimes clients need a little more help and support. With many counsellors and clients meeting digitally instead of in-person, it can be tricky to connect. However, there are ways to help your client feel supported even at a distance. We’ve outlined tips on how to support clients through a life transition below.  

Encourage clients to reach out to their network

Isolating the self during stressful times can lead to more negativity, anxiety, depression and rumination. To help clients break out of that, encourage them to reach out to their network and break the pattern of loneliness. The social connection can make a huge difference in mood and thought patterns. So while many isolate themselves during challenging times, encouraging them to do the exact opposite is a fantastic way to help them find connection with others. 

Practice self-care and compassion 

While a network can be hugely beneficial in supporting clients through a life transition, the relationship with self is just as important. Encourage clients to regularly check-in with themselves. Are they feeling burnt out, energized, or excited? What other feelings are coming up? Do they need to take a break or keep pushing on? These self check-ins will help clients take rests when they need to, and move forward when it’s time. 

Use technology to support your clients

Regular homework check-ins can have a big positive impact on the client-counsellor relationship, especially during a life transition. Technology is one of the most efficient ways to connect with clients and follow-up on homework between sessions. A digital homework app like Therachat allows counsellors to check-in with their clients, encourage positive routines and thought patterns, and engage in emotion check-ins. Save time with pre-made activities, or customize your own to support your client’s unique needs. Supporting your clients with a digital touchpoint can help them get through life transitions more smoothly and reach their personal goals. 

Support your clients from one life moment to the next

Every client will go through ups and downs — particularly through major life moments or transitions. Offering a little extra support and engaging in more check-ins can make a huge difference in helping your clients feel supported as they move from one period in their life to another. 

Use digital tools to elevate your practice and client care. Therachat’s innovative features are here to help you support your clients. Learn more about Therachat for clinicians.

Product Update: Improved Emotion Readings

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On our last release we’ve improved emotion tracking for clients.

In this release we’re bringing the results to your dashboard. Get a better view on how your client is progressing by seeing the changes in their emotions.

We’ve also made it easy for you to test out the Therachat experience in the client app and link that back to the dashboard on the web.

Improved emotion tracking data

Get more insight in how your client is doing by checking their progress over time on your therapist dashboard. See how intense they felt emotions and use that data as a starting point of check-ins in- or outside of session.

Clients can easily invite you to the platform to share data

If your client would like to share their Therachat data with you, they can now easily invite you to Therachat, even if you’re not using it yet. You will get an email saying that a client would like to use Therachat with you. When you sign-up, you’ll automatically be linked to your client and start seeing their data on your Therachat dashboard.

Invite Therapist

Test out the client experience

Download the client app, test it out and see your own data popping up on the web dashboard by logging in. This allows you to fully grasp the experience your clients will have before inviting them.

 

     

Try it for free for 14 days!

Let Therachat stimulate your clients to journal, track emotions and do your custom homework activities. Start your 14 days free trial now!

 

 

Therachat Update: Enhanced Emotion Tracking

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We listened to your great feedback on emotion tracking and decided to upgrade it.

Enhanced Emotion Tracking

With the enhanced emotion tracking we intended to

  • Make it easier to track emotions following the Wheel of Emotions.
  • Help people articulate which emotions they are feeling & enhance their emotional literacy.
  • Give a better view on the progress that is made.
  • Help people be more aware of the emotions they are feeling.

Emotion Tracking In Depth

We have split up emotion tracking in 3 different steps.

  • Step One: Defining Primary Emotions
    The first step is to define primary emotions. Often times it’s easier for people to identify the basic emotions they are feeling.
  • Step Two: Rating Intensity
    By rating the intensity of the primary emotions we will be able to visually show progress over time and a reduction of negative emotions.
  • Step Three: Diving Into Secondary Emotions
    Lastly we ask users to define secondary emotions. By seeing a list of deeper emotions, users become more aware of which emotion they are feeling.

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Emotion Tracking Charts For Therapists

The emotions clients track on our mobile app translates into easily readable charts where therapists can follow progress of the emotions of their clients are experiencing in between therapy sessions.

Try it Out Yourself on the Mobile App

Download the free mobile Therachat app on iOS or Android & try it out yourself.

Stimulate Emotion Tracking with Clients

If you would like to stimulate your clients to track their emotions & have insights into their tracking data, sign-up for Therachat via the form underneath this post!