Mindcare Counselling Blog

One of my favorite songs sung by the Bee Gees , a yesteryear  song, has beautiful lyrics: "It's  only words, and words are all I have, to take your heart away." So rightly said.With words we can make people laugh—or cry; respond positively—or negatively; draw people closer to us—or drive them away. Words have amazing healing quality. Rudyard Kipling once said,  " Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind." Words can be powerful motivators. We can use them to bless or curse others; encourage or discourage; hearten or dishearten; embolden or frighten; exhilarate or dispirit; inspire or depreciate. What we habitually say in our heads, we usually end up saying with our lips, which ultimately direct our feet." Words are powerful. From others they often influence or direct our decisions and behaviour while our own words act to elicit responses from those who receive them. Words have set whole nations in motion…Give me the right word an...

A Kansas State University professor is helping students improve their confidence and academic performance by creating a map of learning. Candice Shoemaker, professor of horticulture, has spent more than four years looking at students and self-efficacy. Self-efficacy involves student confidence in understanding topics and is often linked with academic motivation, learning and achievement. Shoemaker's published research appeared in a recent issue of  HortTechnology . Shoemaker studied self-efficacy by creating a course map for students in the Principles of Horticultural Science course, the foundation course for students in Kansas State University's department of horticulture, forestry and recreation resources. Each semester, Shoemaker had between 80 and 100 students in the class. Given the large number of students and the importance of topics covered, Shoemaker wanted to teach the course in a way that helped students retain understanding of course topics. She thought about what ...

We accept that some people are born with a talent for music or art or athletics. But what about mathematics? Do some of us just arrive in the world with better math skills than others? It seems we do, at least according to the results of a study by a team of Johns Hopkins University psychologists. Led by Melissa Libertus, a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, the study -- published online in a recent issue of   Developmental Science   -- indicates that math ability in preschool children is strongly linked to their inborn and primitive "number sense," called an "Approximate Number System" or ANS. Research reveals that "number sense" is basic to all animals, not just human beings. For instance, creatures that hunt or gather food use it to ascertain where they can find and procure the most nuts, plants or game and to keep track of the food they hunt or gather. We humans u...

Psychologists explore myths, realities and offer guidance for parents Social media present risks and benefits to children but parents who try to secretly monitor their kids' activities online are wasting their time, according to a presentationat the 119th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association. "While nobody can deny that Facebook has altered the landscape of social interaction, particularly among young people, we are just now starting to see solid psychological research demonstrating both the positives and the negatives," said Larry D. Rosen, PhD, professor of psychology at  California   State   University , Dominguez Hills. In a plenary talk entitled, "Poke Me: How Social Networks Can Both Help and Harm Our Kids," Rosen discussed potential adverse effects, including: Teens who use Facebook more often show more narcissistic tendencies while young adults who have a strong Facebook presence show more signs of other psychological disorders, i...