Latest news with #counsellor
ABC News
6 days ago
- ABC News
Miss Australia, gangland girlfriend, counsellor and criminal: Felicia's Djamirze's story
Felicia Djamirze is a counsellor, an advocate for women's justice, a three-time Miss Australia winner and a convicted drug trafficker. Felicia grew up surrounded by drug abuse and crime in a rough part of Sydney. Her family was marked by addiction and connections to the criminal underworld. As she got older, Felicia attracted a lot of attention for her looks, eventually finding the world of beauty pageants, which she thought was her way out. But behind the scenes, Felicia's life was far from glamorous. While living with a partner who was in a bikie gang, she survived severe domestic violence. Then, during her next relationship she was caught up in an horrifically violent encounter with the Queensland Police when they burst into her home to arrest her partner for dealing meth. Felicia admitted her involvement and was convicted for drug trafficking. In the aftermath, she retrained as a counsellor and mental health advocate. She now aims to use her experiences to help others find a way out of the justice system and re-enter, unashamedly, into the real world. Further information Content warning: this episode of Conversations contains descriptions of domestic violence. Help and Support is always available. If you are experiencing Domestic Violence 1800 Respect is available 24 hours a day on 1800 737 732. For support with PTSD in Australia, Lifeline (13 11 14) and Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467) offer crisis support. Felicia's book Accessory is published by Affirm Press. Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.
CNA
7 days ago
- General
- CNA
Work It - Feeling emotional when colleagues leave without a farewell
Not all workplace exits come with farewell lunches. When a respected colleague leaves with only a brief goodbye email, is it normal to feel unsettled? Have a work-related question to ask a career counsellor? Email us at cnapodcasts [at]
Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Mother, 43, who was given 40% chance of survival after bowel cancer diagnosis shares common night time symptom which is often ignored
A mother who blamed her night sweats on perimenopause has revealed it was an early sign of deadly bowel cancer. Charlie O'Brien, 43, from Bromley in South East London, had previously been fit-and-healthy until she suddenly became very unwell at the start of the year. Doctors found a large tumour on her colon and she was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer in January 2025. Heartbreakingly, the counsellor and hypnotherapist was told by doctors she has a 'four in ten' chance of survival. Despite not experiencing most of the classic symptoms, her tumour was already three to four years old, because bowel cancer can be very slow growing. Since her diagnosis, she has been able to 'piece it all together' and has shared what she believes to be the early signs of the devastating disease. Initially she put the on-and-off night sweats she'd had for around two years down to entering perimenopause, but once her tumour was removed 'they've stopped'. Other symptoms she has since linked to the tumour include an aching and pulling sensation on her left side, bloating, tummy cramps, and constipation. Now she has urged others experiencing any of the early signs to 'insist on screenings with your GP if needs be'. In a video posted on TikTok which has been viewed more than 114,000 times, she also shared the usual bowel cancer symptoms she didn't experience. These included blood from the bottom, weight loss, fatigue, vitamin deficiency, and loss of appetite. 'If I can help someone to not go through the dreadful experience I have—these posts are more than worth it,' she wrote in the caption. And it seems her decision to go public with her diagnosis and health battle has already started to have a positive ripple effect. After bravely sharing her experience, many people have told her that they have either had a colonoscopy or booked an appointment for one. Since under going an emergency operation to remove the tumour, Ms O'Brien has undergone eight rounds of chemotherapy, with more to go. The comment section was flooded with messages of support from social media users. One user commented: 'Thank you so much for sharing this. (I) really hope you are okay.' Another said: 'This is so important to spread awareness. I've just been diagnosed and never had any of the classic (symptoms).' It comes amid an alarming explosion of cancers in young people, which has baffled experts. Over the last 30 years, young diagnoses of colon cancer have shot up by 80 per cent across the globe, research suggests. Meanwhile, rates of the disease in older groups, who are statistically more likely to get the disease overall, have either declined or remained stable to the same period. Concerningly, last year experts predicted that deaths from bowel cancer are set to soar by a tenth by 2040. There have been several different explanations proposed by experts for the explosion in cases in young people. Earlier this year a bombshell study found a common food bug E. coli picked up in childhood may be fuelling the epidemic. Other researchers have suggested it could be due to 'accelerated aging' which increases their risk of developing polyps, small growths that can lead to cancer. This aging is thought to be caused by a mixture of lifestyle choices, such as diet and level of exercise. However, it has also been suggested that factors typically outside of an individual's control could be to blame, like chemicals in food, clothing and air. Some studies have pointed to seed oils like sunflower, canola, corn and grapeseed, as the explanation. Meanwhile, a growing number of studies have laid the blame at the foot of ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Other theories suggest microplastics—particles of plastic that are transferred on to food from packaging materials—and additives in store-bought foods.
Telegraph
13-05-2025
- General
- Telegraph
My secret formula to get my husband to do more housework
While sex in my own marriage was satisfying, it had become more irregular – averaging two to three times a month – because of busy work schedules, tiredness, kids and, well, housework. Sometimes I came to bed long after my husband because I didn't want to leave kitchen counters stacked with dishes. The feminist in me hated the thought of leveraging sex to get my husband to do something he should do anyway. But the counsellor said that the natural give and take of relationships already includes plenty of things you do simply because your partner wants or needs them. 'Besides, most of these ladies find that once things get going, they enjoy it too,' she said, plucking a crostini from a platter. And thus my 'Friday Night Leg Over Experiment' was born. The idea was simple: for two months I would initiate sex every Friday night, then see if that prompted him to chip in more over the weekend. I did this without informing him so I wouldn't skew the results. (If he had known I was trying to buy housework with sex, it could have led to a supply-and-demand, inflationary pricing situation that didn't bear thinking about.) My findings turned out to be quite different from what I expected, including the impact of scheduled sex on me. Here's what happened: Week 1 I was ready and excited for the experiment. The first Friday night, my husband seemed surprised and delighted when I turned to him for something more than the perfunctory goodnight kiss. The evening was a nice, unexpected ego boost for both of us. Week 2 This time he initiated and I responded. After a long week for both of us, it was nothing fancy, but nice nonetheless. Week 3 Adding sex to a to-do list, alongside scrubbing the tub and descaling the kettle, has made it feel like a chore. Week 4 Pavlovian response seemed to have set in. We turned towards each other more from weekly habit than sexual magic. Oh well. Week 5 After a late night with friends, we fell instantly asleep. I made up for it on Saturday morning before taking the kids out for the day. Nice enough, even though I was watching the clock a little. Week 6 I realised with surprise that this had become a reliable weekly opportunity to reconnect. It felt like we were focussing on and caring for each other. Week 7 It felt like we had reached an easy equilibrium. Sometimes I initiated, sometimes he did, but 'Friday nights' had become a regular part of our relationship, beneficial to both of us. Week 8 I've stopped counting the weeks now…. The experiment has unintentionally given our 10-year-plus sex life new energy, with emotional dividends too. In a way, it's unsurprising. As relationship experts often point out, sex helps to improve intimacy in a marriage, as well as making the individuals feel better about themselves, and now, instead of waiting around for the 'perfect moment', me and my husband are creating it. Even on those evenings when I tell myself I'm not in the mood, once we've started I get into it – just like the counsellor predicted. My fear that I might be 'buying' housework with sex has also evaporated. Which is ironic because, well, he's doing more of it. Signs were promising on the first Saturday when he took out the rubbish without my asking. That could have been a coincidence, but he was noticeably more cheerful and affectionate for days afterwards. The next weekend, he offered to run a Saturday errand with the kids so I could 'relax at home' (also known as folding and putting away laundry, but still a welcome respite). Over the weeks, he began to reliably do his regular chores while also running one-off errands. He no longer abandoned his socks on the bedroom floor or – even more maddeningly – on top of the laundry basket and started to actually put them in it. As he contributed more at home, I realised I could help too. I stopped making comments like, 'Did you see this mess?' or 'You do know you can put your dishes straight into the dishwasher instead of leaving them for me?' Instead, I started sharing observations like, 'Oh this bin is getting full.' And he responded by tying it off and taking it out. Initially I went into this experiment with a single hope: to lighten my own load on the domestic front. Ultimately though, I stumbled upon a way to reset our relationship, allowing both of us to show more consideration, cooperation and care for each other, with or without the Viakal. I never did tell my husband about the Friday Night Leg Over Experiment – although, as a clever man, he might have suspected something. 'Isn't this nice,' he remarked a few weeks in, looking round the sitting room before glancing at me with a twinkle in his eye.
