đ Festive Feeling Series Navigating the Festive Season with Resilience and Practical Strategies By Prof Patrick McGhee Christmas is a cultural phenomenon defined by images of connection, conviviality, and family warmth. For those experiencing loneliness or social isolation, this relentless, idealised portrayal creates a painful psychological phenomenon: The Expectation Gap. The gap between the media-fuelledContinue reading “The Expectation Gap: Tackling Loneliness at Christmas with Practical CBT”
Author Archives: Prof Patrick McGhee
Father – Son Dynamics at Christmas: Navigating the Activation Gap
Festive Feeling Series Navigating the Festive Season with Resilience and Practical Strategies By Prof Patrick McGhee The father-son relationship, often characterised by unspoken expectations, competition, and a unique form of âactivation,â takes on an intensified significance during the Christmas period. Unlike the traditionally expressive mother-daughter dyad, the dynamics between fathers and sons can be subtle,Continue reading “Father – Son Dynamics at Christmas: Navigating the Activation Gap”
Understanding Mother-Daughter Dynamics at Christmas: The Micropolitics of Festive Feelings
Festive Feeling Series Navigating the Festive Season with Resilience and Practical Strategies By Prof Patrick McGhee Christmas is often painted as a period of effortless harmony, warmth, and nostalgic connection. Yet, for many of us in the consulting room, the festive period amplifies the unique pressures inherent in the long-term, enduring relationship between a motherContinue reading “Understanding Mother-Daughter Dynamics at Christmas: The Micropolitics of Festive Feelings”
Mental Health and Fathers at Christmas: A CBT Perspective
Festive Feeling Series Navigating the Festive Season with Resilience and Practical Strategies Christmas is often portrayed as a time of warmth, generosity, and family unityâbut for many fathers, it can amplify underlying mental health pressures in ways that feel uniquely burdensome. As providers, protectors, and often the âfixersâ in family dynamics, fathers may grapple withContinue reading “Mental Health and Fathers at Christmas: A CBT Perspective”
Mental Health and Mothers at Christmas: A CBT Perspective
Navigating the Festive Season with Compassion and Practical Strategies Christmas can be a time of joy, connection, and celebrationâbut for many mothers, it brings unique pressures that can exacerbate mental health challenges. From the relentless demands of holiday preparations to the emotional weight of family dynamics, the season often amplifies feelings of overwhelm, guilt, andContinue reading “Mental Health and Mothers at Christmas: A CBT Perspective”
Festive Feelings
The 12 Unhelpful Thinking Styles of Christmas As CBT practitioners, we’re all familiar with the classic unhelpful thinking styles (or cognitive distortions, if you prefer the traditional term). But there’s something about the Christmas season that seems to activate these patterns with particular vigor. The combination of high expectations, family dynamics, financial pressure, and genuineContinue reading “Festive Feelings”
Festive Feelings
Christmas and Mental Health: When the Season of Joy Feels Heavy Christmas is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. Yet for many of our clientsâand perhaps for some of us as therapistsâthe festive season brings a unique set of mental health challenges that can feel overwhelming and isolating. The Expectation GapContinue reading “Festive Feelings”
Four Surprising Truths About Depression That Could Change How We Treat It
For decades, the story of depression treatment has often followed a simple, linear script: a person feels unwell, receives a diagnosis, and leaves a doctor’s office with a prescription. This narrative is comforting in its simplicity, but for a vast number of people, it’s a story that doesn’t have a happy ending. The reality isContinue reading “Four Surprising Truths About Depression That Could Change How We Treat It”
Treating Jealousy with CBT
The Green-Eyed Monster in the Digital Age: Understanding and Overcoming Jealousy in Modern Relationships Why Jealousy Feels Worse Than Ever Jealousy isnât new. Shakespeare called it the âgreen-eyed monsterâ over 400 years ago. But in todayâs hyper-connected, comparison-driven world, jealousy has evolvedâand intensified. Social media, dating apps, and the blur between online and offline livesContinue reading “Treating Jealousy with CBT”
Flutura and ASD
How Online Apps Can Help Autistic Clients In the field of CBT, working with autistic clientsâespecially those diagnosed later in lifeârequires sensitivity, adaptation, and tools that support both therapist and client. Recent guidance from the recent Practical CBT blog highlights ten key ways to enrich therapy for autistic adults: using strengthsâbased framing, adapting thoughtârecords, structuringContinue reading “Flutura and ASD”
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