News
When faced with a criminal charge for the first time or subsequent times it can be a daunting and scary process. Our Practitioners are able to support and assist you through the process.
Pre-sentencing reports for possible diversion, discharge without conviction is important in assisting the Police and Judges to come to an informed decision. Post sentencing reports could be invaluable in assisting the courts to formulate different sentencing plans. Parole reports can assist in earlier release.
Kilpan & Associates has been assisting people with the following expert opinion reports for 25 years.
Immigration situations where specialist Psychiatric Reports are requested by Immigration New Zealand in relation to Visa and Residency Applications whether on Humanitarian/Family or Work Application issues.
Accident Compensation Corporation where Specialist reports are required for treatment assessment and ongoing medical treatment.
Employee Assistance Programs in the work place when Employers want the best out of their employees and Counselling can assist Employees in the workplace or personal life to be the best that they can at their job.
As Workplace pressures increase so does the stress/anxiety of performance. To assist Corporations to manage stress in the workplace Kilpan’s specialist intervention assessment and reporting can enable employees to perform better or allow a structured exit package.
Relationships occur everywhere from interpersonal loving intimate connections to work, sports and all social situations. Disruptions, disagreements, difference of opinions can result in issues of separation, problems with communication, breakdown in friendships, drop in productivity and social exclusion.
It is important that harmony and balance be found in all relationships through understanding the difficulties and changing behavior, communication and the previous grievances.
Sadness or downswings in mood are normal reactions to life’s struggles, setbacks, and disappointments. Many people use the word “depression” to explain these kinds of feelings, but depression is much more than just sadness.
Some people describe depression as “living in a black hole” or having a feeling of impending doom. However, some depressed people don’t feel sad at all—they may feel lifeless, empty, and apathetic, or men in particular may even feel angry, aggressive, and restless.
Whatever the symptoms, depression is different from normal sadness in that it engulfs your day-to-day life, interfering with your ability to work, study, eat, sleep, and have fun. The feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and worthlessness are intense and unrelenting, with little, if any, relief.
The 21st Century is known as the age of ANXIETY. With the information age everything has speeded up to a point where sometimes an individual can feel overwhelmed and distraught. Phobias or fear can be found in flying, heights, elevators, public speaking, and many other areas of daily living. Freedom from anxiety/phobias (fear) can bring a profound change in your life.
There are a few things we know about self-esteem – first up it is an opinion not a fact.
How we live our lives is profoundly effected by the way we view and feel about ourselves. These thoughts and opinions come from the experiences we have with our family, at school, from friendships and in wider society. Self-esteem involves our ability to think, to deal with life and to be happy.
From a young age we look for encouragement and approval. Yet our culture does not readily give this. Parents can be tough taskmasters in seeking the best for their children, as many of you may know. Young people have a tendency to be intolerant of difference and often mock their peers who are clever or hard working. There is a constant bombardment of messages telling us we should be young, slim, beautiful, fashionably dressed, have a lover and money to spend. Personal acknowledgement of ability and pride in oneself can be regarded as being arrogant, boastful, or conceited.
Rejection or loss at any age is likely to undermine self-esteem. Events like parents separating, a boy or girlfriend being unfaithful, being ostracised by friends or picked on by peers, dealing with an unsuccessful application, having an accident, a burglary, or coping with a death are likely to provoke feelings of loss and threat. For some this is temporary, while for others the effects are long-lasting.
Conversely, success is a great ego booster, and academic achievement can be an obvious signal of success. However, the wealth of talent and competitive environment of Cambridge can easily lead to self-doubt and insecurity. There is a lot of pressure on students to do well for the sake of family, College, and the University. You may even feel that other people over-estimate your ability and this burden of expectation can lead to a sense of failure and impossibility.
However, what we feel about ourselves is not based solely on what we do. It usually involves our relationships with others and whether we feel worthwhile as people. We have a basic human need to be wanted, noticed, and included. We want to contribute, to be of value, and make a difference – in other words to matter.
Our self-esteem will continually fluctuate and is affected by events and encounters with other people. We are also constantly judging and evaluating ourselves, often in comparison with others. Observing ourselves in relation to other people can be a helpful source of learning and feedback. Yet all too often comparison slips into competition and others become a yardstick by which we evaluate ourselves as good or bad, competent or inadequate.
The reality is we are all different. Each of us has strengths and limitations which we need to learn about and learn to live with. There are aspects of our behaviour and appearance we may seek to change or develop, but a sense of self is also based on self-awareness and self-acceptance.
