Learning zone
Dilemmas
This month's dilemma: Cameron gets on well with his therapist. They have developed a quasi-supervisory relationship during his counselling training and now he thinks she might be an ideal supervisor
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We’ve always been told throughout the counselling course that the journey each of us will follow during training will change us
Read moreHindsights
Why I became a counsellor
What makes a good therapist? What values do you hold dear? Former nurse Els van Ooijen wanted to be able to help her patients emotionally, but also to understand and heal herself
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New research suggests the herbal medicine St John’s Wort could be a suitable alternative for treating depression
Taking herb ‘helps depression’
New research suggests the herbal medicine St John’s Wort could be a suitable alternative for treating depression. A study of the effectiveness of the herb was carried out on 5,500 people with mild to severe depression in Munich. The researchers compared the effects of St John’s Wort with a placebo and a wide range of old and new anti-depressants.
Dr Klaus Linde, who led the study, said: ‘Overall, the St John’s Wort extracts tested in the trials were superior to placebo, similarly effective as standard antidepressants, and had fewer side effects.’
The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends that only people suffering from mild depression should consider taking St John’s Wort and advise GPs not to prescribe it. There is concern over how it reacts with other drugs such as the contraceptive pill.
bbc.co.uk
