The Implications of Cortisol in Counselling

Cortisol is a hormone produced by the body in response to starvation (low blood sugar & fats) and as part of the stress response. Under normal circumstances this hormone maintains balance in the body and helps to keep us alive. Chronic exposure, such as long term stress, has a negative effect on our mental and physical health and increases our risk of developing various illnesses. Chronic exposure may also hamper our ability to develop ‘new thinking’ and therefore a reduction in cortisol (stress) during the counselling process may be necessary for recovery. Through the study of epigenetics it also seems likely that the ‘chemical echo’ of our stress experiences can be passed on to the next generation, therefore, learning how to cope effectively with stress may positively impact future generations.

Emma Sweetland has completed her 4 years of counselling training at Bucks Adlerian Training, she is now completing her 100 hours of supervised client counselling and currently works as a copy editor and is a mother of two. Prior to having children she worked as a Research Assistant for Oxford University at the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine in the Molecular Immunology department on an immunological protein called HfE which has evolved to regulate non-haem iron metabolism – when mutated hereditary haemochromatosis Type 1 results. Before this she worked for the BBSRC (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council) working on transmissible spongiform encephalopathies including Scrapie and BSE and for GlaxoSmithKline in the production of large scale immunological therapies. Emma holds a BSc (Hons) in Microbiology & Virology and an MSc in Immunology.

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Lecture enquiries: evans_patel@hotmail.co.uk