Psychotherapists and Counsellors Answer your Questions
Conversations with Therapists
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What led you to choose psychotherapy or counselling as a profession?
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Which philosophical approaches have influenced your professional development?
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Which particular aspects of health or the human journey are you interested in?
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What methods do you use?
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When do you think the client will start to feel that progress is being made?
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How has therapy made a difference in your life?
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What do you like most about being a therapist?
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Do you ever have 'bad hair' days?
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What do you think is the most significant problem we face, in the world today?
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Can you share the name of a book, film, song, event or work of art that inspires you?
Ash Rehn
I'm reluctant to propose something as the 'most significant' problem we face because 1. our lives are multi-storied and 2. people are diverse and face a diversity of challenges depending on where they...
Noemi Papp
I think one of the most significant problems we face today is inequality. It impacts people’s access to opportunities, resources, and wellbeing. It highlights the importance of understanding people...
Martina Palombi
I think the lack of understanding that human beings are much closer to animals in terms of the evolution of our brain development and nervous system than we realise. This fact speaks to our short term...
Ashley Thomson
I find this an incredibly difficult question to answer, and not because answers don't come to mind: genocide, imperial colonialism, global warming, the ongoing pandemic, fascism, transphobia, the...
Jennifer Fox
The impact our species is having on the planet through climate change and how to engage in ways of reducing that impact and being adaptable to making changes.
Marie Mooney
Disconnection from each other brought about by fear and difficulty communicating how we really feel and listening and understanding where others are coming from.
Adam Grosman
Disconnection from people and ourselves, hyper focus on using the eyes to have experience.
Jacquie Flecknoe-Brown
We cannot find happiness in a bank account, but we can destroy the world trying
Sally Singh
The most significant problem we face is the our thoughts and social constructs that cause us to get stuck in labels or hyped up stories.
Oliver Brooke
Thinking that the parts of us which are anxious, angry, addicted, etc are the problem. They aren't the problem, the problem is the burdens they carry. If we fight against the parts of people we fight...
Miranda Fagan
While there are many social issues that we all face every day (sexism, ableism, homophobia, sectarianism, transphobia, etc), the one that looms overhead for me is the future health of our planet as it...
Sarah Lawson
Undeniably climate change. To think that our way of living and that of all living things is increasingly being impacted and may cease to exist, is both distressing and alarming.
Sonya Thompson
I believe stress, overwhelm, and intense social pressure are some of the biggest challenges people face today. Many of us are pushed to keep up with unrealistic expectations, leaving little room to...
Nicola Kickbusch
The current stressors that most people are under stemming from the current cost of living crisis is definitely up there.
Michelle Collier
Where do I start!? The world is facing so many challenges, but at the heart of it, I believe the most significant problem we face is disconnection ... disconnection from ourselves, from each other,...
Tara King
One of the most significant problems we face today is the growing disconnect between what human beings fundamentally need for emotional wellbeing and the pressures of the modern world. As Gabor Maté...
Michael Elwan
One of the most significant challenges is how rarely people feel their experiences are taken seriously by the systems meant to help them. Migration, caregiving, suicide bereavement, family violence,...
Lisa Milne
I believe that fragmentation of social bonds and disconnection are some of our social world's greatest challenges, beyond the physical realities of poverty, inequality and environmental change.
Alison Turner
Disconnection from ourselves, others and nature. When I am out, I notice people just looking/living in their phones. On the surface, it may look like they are self absorbed, but they are not even...
Tessa Ipp
Finding our true self and living from a place of authenticity so that we can love the imperfections of who we are.
Megan E Shea
A significant problem we face today is disconnection—from our bodies, each other, the land, and our sense of meaning. In a culture that prizes productivity and perfection, we often lose touch with...
Linda Bartolone
I think one of the greatest challenges we face is disconnection, from ourselves, from one another and from what truly matters. We live in a culture that rewards productivity and constant forward...
Kathleen Goossens
Climate change and the subsequent challenges it brings to people and the planet. Fear, anxiety and intolerance due to diversity and difference.
Leigh Barber
I believe one of the most significant challenges today is the widespread disconnection, from ourselves, from each other, and from the support we need to thrive. Many people struggle with stress,...
Charlotte Hobbs
I think one of the most significant problems we face today is social disconnection driven by device usage — and the cascading nervous system consequences that follow.
I see this constantly in my...
Simone Waddington
One of the greatest challenges is disconnection—from ourselves, from one another and from our communities. Many people are carrying enormous pressures while feeling increasingly alone. Creating...
Fiona Gray
That we often don't have a village to support us, that people can be very vulnerable to isolation. We all need our village.
Sarah Harwood
Secure attachments, and difficulties in relationships, as people are more distracted these days by TV and mobile phones. There is a lack of connection within the family home.
David Nightingale
The amount of noise in our world today, whether auditory, visual, or simply information overload or busyness can prevent us from necessary self-reflection and self-knowledge.
Julian Cerreto
I don't think I could possibly know the most significant. However, from a therapeutic perspective, one thing that comes to mind is that we seem to have an epidemic of superficiality. One good reason a...
Gabriele (Gabe) Marranci
The world's most significant challenge today is the need for more empathy and understanding. Global problems like climate change and inequality require teamwork that crosses borders. It's important to...
Ohad Rein
I see a direct link between all the world's problems, and that link is the human mind. One of the greatest challenges we face today is disconnection—disconnection from ourselves, from each other,...
Meran McKenzie
Loneliness is significant at the moment due to the false sense of connection online that is not direct person to person communication and true relationship building.
Karen Potter
Not having enough importance and respect placed on the natural world, the environment and animals.
Ajay Hawkes
There are many important political issues.... the most significant I think is the environmental crisis. However momentous the other issues are, the planet has a somewhat uncertain but tight deadline...
Geoff Heard
On a world scale, many of the basic requirements for living a dignified life are missing. Millions of people do not have sufficient food, land or security to raise healthy families. The causes are...
Claire Sydney
One of the greatest challenges we face today is disconnection, from ourselves, from one another, and from our communities. While technology has made communication easier, genuine emotional connection...
Teresa Wilkinson
We live in a community that does not talk alot about emotions. People are often feeling isolated with how they feel and at times others do not know how to support them and be open and honest about...
Tony Monaghan
One of them is how social media competes for our attention constantly, and can rob us of our solitude and ability to reflect, to think deeply, and feel whats happening around us.
Another is how...
Megan Bonetti
I think one of the most significant challenges we face today is disconnection, from ourselves, from one another, and from meaning. Many people are under constant pressure to perform, cope and keep...
Megan Drummond
I believe one of the most significant problems we face today is the growing inability to tolerate discomfort, which fuels entitlement and avoidance.
Many people struggle with sitting in...
Geraldine McKay
I would say that poverty, climate change, health care, mental health, and ageing are issues that we face as a society.
Robyn Price
Disconnection. Disconnection is leading to an increase in the levels of fear, anxiety and depression in our midst. And how we have seen that during the Covid-19 situation as governments mandate...
Katie Ellyn Beckwith
We live in a highly traumatised world such that trauma and survival states have become normalised. Consequently there is a disconnect between our conscious selves and our deepest selves which leads to...
Veronik Verkest
Global warming and our view of unlimited growth that cannot be sustained with limited resources on this planet.
Limited natural resources to feed and shelter an ever expanding population is one of...
Xanthe Katsouras
I don't know.
These are conversations I find little value in, as we all have an ideas of what needs to be fixed to make the world a better place. I am tired of the soapbox.
I don't have the...
Rob Gray
Disconnection — from ourselves, from each other, from meaning. We have more information than any generation in history and less wisdom about what to do with it. People are drowning in the visible...
Karen Anderson
Overpopulation. Raping of the earth's below and above ground natural resources without longer term care plans. Not heeding the planet's groans of suffering - weather implications, environmental...
Sally Estepho
I think many people are feeling increasingly disconnected—from themselves, from one another and from the things that give life meaning.
We're constantly connected through technology, yet genuine...
Grant Finlay
I believe one of the most significant problems we face today is the loss of genuine connection: to ourselves, to others, and to our communities. Many people are moving through life feeling...
Mark Walker
Genuine, heartfelt consideration and tolerance of others. Face-to-face time is crucial to true relational engagement and belonging.
Steven Segal
We are living in a world of existential anxiety and existential threats. Many nations fear themselves to be under an existential threat, a threat to their way of life. Many cultures feel under...
Gidon Weinstein
I believe the struggle to find our genuine, congruent voice is a major challenge. If more people could embrace their authentic selves, grounded in peace and love, the world would be a far better place.
Barry Medwell
One of the most significant challenges we face today is disconnection.
Despite being more connected technologically than ever before, many people feel increasingly disconnected from themselves,...
Reed Everingham
In the Western world, many people struggle to find meaning and purpose in their daily lives. We are bombarded with messages from the media that make us feel inadequate, and it can be challenging to...
Gaye Mallinson
There are so many - where do I start! I know that all I can do is do the best I can on any given day and hope I can be that candle in the darkness for my clients when they need it most...so we can...
Philip Hilder
I think that the most significant problem that we face in the world today is the lack of care for our mother Earth. I think that this political, and institutional lack of care is having, and will have...
Uri Bookman
The most urgent challenge we face is emotional disconnection—loneliness, fear-driven behaviour, and the erosion of empathy. According to the World Health Organisation, loneliness contributes to over...
Tinchu Kumar
I think one of the greatest challenges we face is the global mental health crisis. Many people struggle with anxiety, depression, loneliness, and the effects of trauma, yet barriers such as stigma and...
Claudia Rossi
Maintaining compassion and care for ourselves and others.
Jonathan Breach
A globalised society is increasingly falling under the belief that the individual, community and broader society is able to sustain a trajectory of perpetual growth, productivity and affluence. ...
Samantha Goldrick
The most significant problem? I think it is hard to pick just one but I believe we are starting to see a radical re-examination of our relationship to work, technology and productivity and the...
Paula Yanis
One of the most significant challenges we face today is disconnection — from ourselves, from one another, and from the communities and environments that sustain us. Despite being more connected...
Carolyn Choy
I believe the most significant problem we face today is a profound sense of disconnection. We live in an era where we are more 'connected' than ever digitally, yet many of us feel increasingly...
Ernst Meyer
Our diminishing capacity to respectfully disagree, and our increased movement towards social isolation, or entering echo chambers.
Sarah Tuckett
Social isolation and over-reliance on technology. It is the quality of our relationships that determines the quality of our lives. Not the quality of your technology.
Tania Djipalo
We need connection more than ever, with ourselves, with our loved ones, our communities and the beautiful natural world around us. Connection with nature is an easy natural way for us all to feel more...
Nicole Dickmann
Disconnection. From ourselves, from each other and from the deeper levels of our own experience. When we lose connection, we lose compassion and clarity. I believe most of the world’s issues stem...
Sarah McArthur
The world is facing a growing mental health crisis, which has been exacerbated by the pandemic, economic pressures, and societal stresses. Mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and burnout...
Stefan Durlach
The increasing loss of soul, sense of the sacred, and reverence in our world. I believe that visible manifestations of this loss are multiple massive crises occurring at the same time (environmental,...
Tom Teelow
Facilitating and witnessing moments where something begins to shift internally for a person, where what was previously carried silently, defended against, or difficult to articulate starts becoming...
Rowan Druce
The world is an interwoven web. To focus on a single problem as most significant runs too great a risk of losing perspective of the interconnected nature of life. Like the world, a person is not a...
Corina Johns
I don't think there is one single answer to that - the most significant problem you find depends entirely on where you look. There is certainly no shortage of problems in the world to grab our...
Brenda Rowlandson
Many!
Basically, conflict and loss of empathy. How do we stay in relationship, personally and globally, whilst negotiating all the issues that affect us and keep us in fear and isolation. Climate...
Rima Alkadamani
In my view, one of the most significant challenges we face globally is the widespread experience of disconnection both from ourselves, from each other, and from our environment. This disconnection...
Yogeeta Kiran
A growing sense of disconnection - from ourselves, each other, and shared humanity - alongside rising fear, division, and uncertainty.
Micaella Gogoski
One of the most significant challenges we face today is a growing disconnection from emotional awareness and nervous system regulation, both within individuals and across society.
Many people are not...
Jade Fisher
Disconnection. We've lost reciprocity and right relationship - with Earth, with each other, with ourselves, with the more-than-human world.
Our dominant paradigm is power over rather than power...
Debby Heath
A lack of real connection to both self and others. I believe that if we were more loving and connected to our 'real selves' we would have better relationships with others - more love, empathy,...
Jaclyn Cunningham
I think our fundamental belief in separation and the sickness that is extreme individualism is at the core of most of our challenges. Separation not just from other humans but from our fundamental...
Sudhir Dean
To live in a world that is off kilter in a way that is sane, is no mean feat. We live in a world that is full of stressors. Psychotherapy offers the opportunity to heal our wounds and find approaches...
Dominique Caesar
I baulked at this question... I don't know if it's possible to answer, but I tip my hat to all the therapists on here who have tried!
But seriously, if I had to pick one overarching issue, it’s...
Josh Wasniewski
There are many significant global challenges, including climate change, poverty, and conflict. I won’t go into those here, but I see a growing sense of disconnection, both from ourselves and from...
Eleni Kidis
Disconnection from ourselves, from spirit and to the boundlessness of existence.
Lisa Moore
This is a difficult question to answer. The world is a huge planet that has existed for billions of years. It is meant to be shared but in my humble option, we humans haven’t always done a...
Kristy-Lee Ferry
For me, it comes back to disconnection.
Disconnection from ourselves… from each other… and from the world around us.
When people are disconnected from themselves, they lose that internal...
Amelia Ducker
Many people are navigating a sense of disconnection — from themselves, from others, and from a deeper sense of meaning.
While there are significant challenges in the world, I’m interested in...
Liz O'Neill
I think one of the most significant challenges we face is a growing sense of disconnection and a decline in meaningful community and belonging. Many people experience a form of thwarted belonging,...
Luke Edwards
I think our greatest problem is the experience of isolation and disconnection from ourselves, each other and the world. I think this has developed as a result of a cultural focus on ourselves as...
Joanna Penty
For me it's climate change, the heating up of the planet and the tragic loss of biodiversity that has taken millions and millions of years to evolve; the human tragedy, the loss of vast swathes of...
Kylie Long
Disconnection. We are disconnected from the earth, from nature, and from our own true wild natures.
We are living with the legacy of multiple generations of trauma - the exploitation of the earth,...
Jennifer Fernandez
I think the most significant problem we face is disconnection — from ourselves, from each other, and from the natural world. We live in a time shaped by systemic forces that prioritise productivity,...
Tim Fraser
Ignorance. Sometimes wilful, often not. Political, social, cultural interpersonal, and intrapersonal. I think that as a species we still don't understand ourselves and our place in the scheme of...
Joshua Comyn
A lack of genuinely deep thinking, feeling, and sensing. Immaturity in other words.
Safari Lee
I think one of the biggest challenges we face is a growing sense of disconnection. This can be from ourselves, from each other, and from a sense of meaning or belonging. Even though we have smart...
Matthew White
There are many challenges globally, but from a psychological perspective, I think a significant one is how people cope with uncertainty and change. Whether it’s social, economic, or personal,...
Karen Rose
Goodness, I wasn't expecting this question. There are so many that no response I could give in this teeny text box could possibly do these issues justice.
Rebecca Tregurtha
Disconnection. When we lose connection with one another we begin to fear “the other”. Fear of difference breeds judgement and judgement breeds hate. If we can connect with others with curiosity...
Kane Solly
One of the most significant challenges we face today is the growing difficulty many societies have in sustaining thoughtful dialogue across difference. Public conversations can quickly become...
Claire Naidoo
Disconnection — from ourselves, from each other, and from a deeper sense of meaning.
Helen Basili
The ongoing legacy of colonisation and systemic inequalities resulting in the deliberate exclusion and persecution of deliberately marginalised people and the destruction of the natural environment.
Sonia Scussel
There are countless problems. From a mental health therapist perspective, I feel that there is a lack of mental health education from childhood on. Introducing knowledge of mindfulness, empathy and...
Julie Catt
One of the most significant challenges we face today is a growing sense of disconnection from one another’s humanity. In times of uncertainty and rapid change, many people feel unseen,...
Josephine Borg
climate change, the inability to see from another perspective and lack of boundaries.
Jonathan Tandos
I think a lack of compassion for ourselves and others and difficulty having healthy boundaries drives many of the problems in the world today. Materialism, competitiveness and lack of community have...
Marvel Adeyemi
I believe one of the significant problems we face in the world today is inequities and poor access to health care.
Jade Padgham
One of the most significant challenges I see today is a growing sense of disconnection, from ourselves, from one another, and from a deeper sense of meaning or purpose. Many people feel overwhelmed by...
Fiona Giles
Accelerating climate change is an unbearably upsetting problem, especially since our politicians have wasted so many opportunities for mitigation and prevention. Loss of biodiversity due to...
Sarah Atkinson
One of the most significant challenges is disconnection—between people, communities, and even within ourselves. Many struggles stem from isolation, lack of belonging, and societal pressures that...
Nicole Kinnaird
Big question! The first thing that comes to mind is the sense of disconnect from ourselves, one another and Nature. I probably think this is the biggest problem we face in the world, because I feel it...
Angelina Jennings
I think people have forgotten how to care for each other. We have lost a sense of community and support. Unfortunately business, big tech and getting ahead has left us with different priorities. I...
Ashley White
Shame. I'm convinced most of the collective problems we face are either caused or exacerbated by the ways we cope with feelings of defectiveness or inadequacy. Anger, greed, violence, alienation,...
Rostik Bershadsky
Modern life is full of wonderful people, good stuff, rich experiences, and lucky opportunities; however, it also brings about many challenges and confronts us with ever higher demands and resulted...
Karen Thomas
Listening to our inner worlds, listening to each other in our relationship with family members, colleagues at work, students and staff at school, members of organisations, government, cultural and...
Leigh Fraser-Gray
Isolation. I do wonder if its easy to feel disconnected. I specialise in helping everyone to understand how they are responding to their circumstances or experiences or situation in life and feel more...
Catherine Sullivan
Disconnection — from ourselves, from each other, and from the present moment. So much of my work is about rebuilding those connections in small, practical ways.
Cameron Trenowden
The world is a place that is changing at unprecedented speeds and trying to keep up with this is exhausting. It takes a toll, physically, emotionally and financially. If our community or environment...
Helen Brittan
I often think of the once famous story of this very question being posed as an essay question to academics and thinkers in the UK. The prize-winning answer was provided by G.K Chesterton (early 20th...
Adrian Workman
The foundational crisis is climate change.
It is the multiplier of other crises, and is interconnected with many more global issues.
Philipa Thornton
Loss of connection and community. Although we are part of the global village, I think there are so many of us out there feeling isolated behind a screen. We are social creatures and long for the...
Matt Garrett
Rating a problem as the most significant can be subjective and set up a comparison about whose woe is worse. In terms of what's lacking? Perhaps it's a lack of shared sense of humanity that can...
Emma Schubert
I think one of the biggest challenges right now is how divided we’ve become, and how easy it is to lose compassion, both for other people and for ourselves. It can feel like everyone is under...
Marcus Dally-Law
People who hold on to their viewpoints too firmly.
By all means, have opinions, draw conclusions and say what you think, but hold onto these things lightly and be open to having your mind changed...
April Lewis
I think that the most significant problem that we face stems from a lack of harmony, imbalance with our planet, imbalance with each other, and imbalance within ourselves. Many people on this planet...
Megan Bodnar
I believe the most significant problem we face today is the growing mental health crisis. Rising levels of anxiety, depression, and stress are affecting many people, fueled by factors like social...
Erin Galt
There is just too much of everything, to the extent that we can easily become overwhelmed, overstimulated and under satisfied, and I think people struggle to slow down, take a moment to breathe and be...
Christine Halden
I believe a key challenge today is widespread difficulty tolerating distress in the context of increasing demands and limited systems for burnout prevention. Many people are operating within a narrow...
Careena Cook
Lack of awareness of ourselves and others and ignorance of the fact that all things are connected.
Inability to be in the moment because of the pressure of ‘progress’ and the heaviness which...
Priscilla Schwartzman
Disconnection from ourselves, from each other, from nature, and from what truly matters feels like one of the most significant challenges of our time. Many of the struggles people bring into therapy,...
Kate McMaugh
Environmental destruction. And love of money. I mean, we all appreciate money, dont get me wrong. But when we put money ahead of goodness, kindness and looking after our world, including the...
Michelle Morris
Environmental problems, the pollution of the earth, our home, loss of species and humans disconnection from nature.
Jen OBryan
That we are destroying the planet with greed and lack of care about our future. We have no long term focus on what we are doing to the earth because we are focused on short term immediate...
Daisy Dollisson-Oatley
Lack of supportive community. I think the individualistic culture is a huge problem and so many of our difficulties stem from lack of mature, capable community.
Crawf Weir
A growing disconnection from kindness, compassion, and genuine care for one another. When people feel unseen or unsafe, fear and self-protection take over. Re-learning how to be unselfish, emotionally...
Weiyu Guan
Cultures of domination/harmful power dynamics embedded in all levels of society and within each of us, largely not seen or spoken about by most of us.
Ann Edvall
I believe social media has had a profound impact on the way we interact with one another. We are slowly losing the ability to truly listen to different perspectives, and our attention spans are...
Leah Wilson
One of the most significant problems we face in the world today is the pervasive sense of disconnection—disconnection from ourselves, from others, and from the natural world. This disconnection...
Michael Grunwald
Global warming and our inability to motivate decision-makers to take appropriate action with a long-term outlook, regardless of the exact cause of the problem.
Stefanie Marris
Our inability to listen properly. It is played out and modelled for us on the world stage. There is so much conflict in public discourse. Very few really take the time to listen deeply before...
Elizabeth Fairbanks
Negative stigma around taking care of your mental health.
Fiona Akal
Disconnection — from ourselves, each other, and the systems meant to support us. Reconnection takes time, but it’s possible.
Jocelyn Brewer
Losing our ability to connect and show compassion for others. Not necessarily because of the way technology has colonised our lives but certainly, this might have accelerated it.
Melodina Thomas
Rejection and fear
We grapple with two issues daily and use different means and ways to fight against them. Some cope with it better, others require insight, and they manage. Still, others are...
Nicole Day
I think there are a few things. Technology has advanced at such an alarming rate we are now dependent upon it, whether we want to be or not for the most part. There is more pressure to keep up with...
Dee Hardy
Information overload provided by the insistent and ongoing access through social media and technology - we need to learn to switch off technology, get back to basics... smell the air, feel the...
Michelle Tadros
We are living in a time of immense conflict and upheaval, with many of the structures we once relied on for safety and stability now dismantled. This creates a sense of chaos and confusion, leaving...
Jon Nielsen
The world is a tough place - it's difficult to narrow down all the problems to the one that is the most significant! I think a lot of it boils down to individuals in power that base their decisions on...
Giulia Fiore
I think that social isolation is probably the most predominant problem in western culture. To achieve individualistic goals, we have downplayed the importance of relationships. Furthermore, the...
Samara Woodford
The most significant problem we face today varies greatly between individuals and across cultures. At its core, I believe it stems from unmet fundamental human needs: safety, belonging, connection,...
Lu Migliore
I believe that AI is going to challenge our human systems which have already been under pressure since the digitisation of our world with the proliferation of the internet.
What does it mean to be...
Eric Rangel Oliveira
One of the biggest challenges we face today is the growing disconnect between modern advancements and our overall well-being. Despite incredible progress in medicine, many people in Western societies...
Sam Thomson
Global accesibility.. of everything! Too many good stories - we compare ourselves. Too many bad stories - it's easy to get hopeless. Too much war & unrest - we get complacent and numbed.
Robyn Bowman
The most significant problem I see in the lives of people is the fear of judgement by other people, exacerbated by social media.
Mariyon Slany
How the lack of self knowledge and self awareness drives our behaviour in often destructive ways - often because of lack of belief or love in ourselves.
Abby Draper
One of the most significant challenges we face is disconnection—both from ourselves and from one another. Social inequality, discrimination, and stigma continue to harm individuals and communities,...
Sebastian Kinne
From the perspective of a mental health practitioner, I see aloneness and disconnection as one of the deepest challenges people face today. As a father, I am mindful of how rapidly evolving...
Kelsey Hendrickson
I think social isolation is one of the most significant problems we face in our Western world today. Feeling alone and isolated can lead to a host of other mental health problems and stressors. I...
Mary A McIntyre
A lack of self compassion, lack of self acceptance and too much focus on bolstering self esteem and outer achievement has sadly affected our capacity to connect to others, to give and receive love and...
Lisa Paul
Wow where to I start............
Social Media - while I have it, I hate it too......
I think communication is a huge problem, we are losing the ability to know how to interact with each other...
Megan McGrath
Disconnection—both from ourselves and each other. We’re more digitally connected than ever, but often less emotionally connected and present in real life. Social media plays a big part in that. It...
Stephanie de Niese
Honestly, I think it's our disconnection with ourself, others, and above all (and I'd say, most importantly) with God.
This disconnection with self, others, and God leads to an inability to sit...
Dee Kumbukage
In my view, one of the most significant problems we face in the world today is the pervasive disconnection and lack of empathy among individuals and communities. In an increasingly interconnected...
Ron Dowd
The loss of the relational standpoint; our inability to accept difference.
When we lose the relational, we lose empathy for others and for the environment.
When we lose the sense that we...
Regina Gerlach
One of the most significant problems we face today is disconnection—disconnection from ourselves, from one another, and from the natural world. In a time of constant noise, pressure to perform, and...
Gregory Poll
From my professional perspective, it is emotional disconnection... we live in the Dark Age of emotional Illiteracy and suppression that causes humans' inability to connect with themselves and so...
Julian O'Sullivan
When group think interferes with individual and social cohesion.
Nathan Dick
The most significant problem we face is probably climate change, however, I think we are thwarted from facing the challenge largely due to the disconnected individualism of the West. I think we need...
Debra Sumner
Communication is often the most significant challenge many clients face, closely followed by issues of trust—both in themselves and in others. Reflecting on this, it raises an important question:...
Darius Leo
The time that we have on this planet is quite short. We could choose to be a little kinder to each other while we are here. I believe that a lot of the world's problems could be reduced simply by...
Bev Whitehead
I think that we find it hard to be present and to tolerate discomfort and pain. We have distractions all around us. These distractions, such as phones/tvs, are often used to tune out the world and our...
Carol Marando
The breakdown in human relationships. Climate change. Greed. Suffering. Purpose and meaning.
Nicol Thomas
Reduction and eradication of our basic subjectivity; that each one of us is unique. This generalization of people leads to some of the ideologies of hate that is so problematic. As though basic...
Rachel Tyson
Disconnection is a big problem in the world today. As humans, we are hardwired for connection, and it is of vital importance to prioritise our social connections throughout our lives.
Debbie O'Connor
I think that the pace at which we live in our society at this point in history leaves us without time to give to our most profound needs, that is, connection with the people we are most intimate with...
Julia Agnoletto
Inequality is a major issue because it perpetuates poverty, limits opportunities, and creates divisions in society. Addressing it is key to fostering a more just, equitable world where everyone has...
Tamara Pallos
Climate change and environmental destruction (we can't live in the world if it becomes uninhabitable)! Also neoliberal political models that dehumanise people and make it increasingly complex to find...
Jisha Syriac
From a counsellor's perspective, one of the most significant problems we face today is the growing prevalence of disconnection—from ourselves, others, and the world around us. This disconnection...
Karen Druce
It is hard to isolate the most significant problem. In the western world, I think the frenetic pace of life, increased materialism, climate change, and the erosion of a deep spiritual dimension...
Tom Skotidas
Lack of awareness of how our cognitive beliefs and primary, underlying emotions influence our behaviour.
I believe that lack of awareness leads to behaviour that damages relationships and creates...
David Lawson
Being too busy to understand and listen to those around us
Tanya Rae
The most significant problem we face today is a deep fear of vulnerability, which prevents us from showing our true selves and admitting to our fears and insecurities. This fear, combined with a...
Felicity Ahern
We face a multitude of problems all at the same time presented to us in real time courtesy of our devices 24/7. If we wanted to, we could bury ourselves in individual, communal and global crisis...
Loretta Bell
Who knows what I would have said a two weeks ago, but now it's definitely coronavirus.
Anthony Hubeck
The influence of technology and how it can take people away from human connection
Susan Pegg
I think that the toxicity of some social and mainstream media and how that's impacting people to view the world in more binary ways (us versus them) is a real problem that can lead many to view life...
Mairead Cleary
I believe our most significant problem is our disconnection from Nature, and from natural systems & cycles. Our natural world, our natural resources, our wildlife, our forests and even our own human...
Sarah Bergman
I feel the most significant problem we face in the world today, especially the western world is that we are forgetting how to rest deeply. By resting deeply I mean within ourselves, connected to...
Nicky Angelone
Climate change, unfortunately.
I also believe the after effects of Covid are going to continue for many years. Many of my clients have suffered from the isolation, from losing loved ones and not...
Jessica Vivien
The effects of trauma on the human psyche and the power of our unconscious negative core beliefs to lock people into lives of pain, stress, distress. If we could reverse these, we would unleash an...
David Anthony
Hmmm. Difficult to find the “most”. Giving it some thought, a lot of the big issues (social media, political division, distribution of wealth, etc) could find their way back to “power” - the...
Natasha Lawrence
Lack of communication and loneliness. In a world where we are so connected, I see more and more disconnection. Losing ourselves in screens exacerbates the sense of being alone and cut off as well as...
David Indermaur
Greed. The environment is being damaged as a result of over population, over consumption, and desperate grasping. We are seeing at the physical level the result of the “three poisonsâ€...
Rosa Oyta
I believe that the most significant problem we face in the world today is the widespread prevalence of mental health issues. As we know, depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders have...
Meg Bonnell
I think climate change is the most significant problem we face today.
Rina Taub
Unfortunately inequality, racism, discrimination and abuse still exist and the physical threat of war and terrorism. Third world problems of experiences of isolation and loneliness, perfection and...
Alissa Knight
So much! The world we live in has drastically changed over the past 20 years. There is recent concern among parents, educators, psychologists, and other healthcare professionals about how these...
Jamie Dimech
Stress overload, and the impact of stress on our ability to experience deep relational safety as well as optimal physical and emotional health.
Amanda Dounis
Keeping within the field...mental unwellness. I am seeing it from early ages, and we need to not just look at coping skills, but look at what it is in our environment that is feeding it so well.
Zoe Hedges
Changing environments and the effect they have on our thought spirit and all.
Natalie Meijer
Such a big question but at the root of it all seems like and it seems very corny 'all we need is love'
What would the world be like if we all trusted, loved and respected and recognised ourselves -...
Natalie Anderson
When we lose our sense of connection with others, our community or environment, we are not as strong or empowered as when we embrace diversity with empathy, compassion and non-judgement. In our...
Amber Rules
Empathy, both for ourselves and others. In my mind, empathy is a vital ingredient to feeling that we have enough and that we are enough. If we were more practised at empathy, I think we would suffer...
Jacqueline Nevin
Connection - or lack of it. As a society we have become more isolated.
Jacqueline McDiarmid
Not having enough time with our loved ones - our partners and our children. Lack of time together really affects closeness in relationships.
Jessica McMillan
I think there are 2 things:
1. Not holding each other with compassion. People are very quick to judge each other and expect the worst.
2. Not communicating from kindness. When we can have...
Karin McLennan
We have forgotten what love is. In truth, love is the most powerful force in the universe, and if we were to collectively harness love together we could transform our world. If every individual on the...
Jean Gamble
One of the significant problems we face today is that we have accepted as normal, the lifestyle we have willingly ascribed to and this lifestyle is responsible for the burgeoning rates of ill mental...
Lissette Endacott
The isolation and disconnect of unhealed hurts, wounds and the increasing polarisation of thoughts. Being able to respect and love people with differing beliefs, thoughts and viewpoints is important,...
Magdalena Jantac
I believe the biggest issue at the moment is the toxic elements of our culture, too much screen time and lack of real connection and healthy communities.
Conny Davis
Too many outside influences that makes us feel insignificant, always comparing ourselves to others and attachment to materials; the loss of healthy human and community attachments.
Amy Datyner
The prioritisation of productivity and economics over core contributors to good mental health (e.g. rest, play, social connectedness, time for enjoyable interests, sense of meaning).
Howard Colin-Thome
Loneliness, disconnection, Covid and global instability seem to be factors most impacting today.
Mary Cantrill
There are numerous significant problems facing the world today. These challenges include climate change, global inequality, poverty, conflicts and wars, political instability, lack of access to...
Kerstin Buccoliero
I believe that being too individualised, and fixated on outcomes, rather than living in the here and now, is the root cause for the negative impacts on the planet and our society. In short the I, me,...
Sharon Bonello
The problems we have in the world today are sometimes the same as the ones we have always had, but there is more exposure and openness to them.
Clearly the world of Internet has bought some...
Janelle Wright
Isolation and disconnection with other individuals, groups and cultures. This also leads us to isolation from our environment and the harm that we are causing to our planet.
Michael Vaccaro
You could say that diagnostically we are facing a mental health epidemic. Anxiety and depression are running rampant in our current state of life. I feel as though the fundamental cause for this...
Graeme James
Everything is changing in a fast paced, socially and technologically connected world. It can amplify or detract from the meaning of everything. Whether we are young or old, most of us face changes of...
Mia Kennedy
There are many and I don't believe one to be the most significant. Perhaps due to my experience I do believe the abuse of drugs and alcohol to be up there though. However, the question then becomes...
Martin Hemsley
Where to start? Intolerance, prejudice, injustice in its many many forms. Blindness to privilege.
Also, I think a huge problem is being caught in a narrow sense of who we are - we are so much more...
Dian Abdurachman
We are disconnected with Nature (the Nature outside, and the Nature inside).
Carolyn Spillett
Loss - Isolation from others, disconnection from oneself, ability to tolerate, the ability to wait (instant need, sense of entitlement).
Alicja Weidner
- Increasing rates of mental illness in Australia.
- Social inequality and rising costs of living.
Melis Topsahin
One of the most significant problems that we face today, is forgetting the free art of 'compassion' and 'understanding'. Although most of us still adopt compassion for one another, unfortunately, some...
Brian Whiter
Despite the many advances that we see around us that provide for a life of ease, life still remains problematic and our personal issues remain elusive! Among the many problems that come to mind, what...
Steve White
Apart from global warming and environmental degradation the two things that worry me are 1. the increasing systematic placement of very young children into child care and 2. The financialisation of...
Natalie Incledon
I believe climate change is the most significant problem we face in the world today.
Jane Devilliers
Inequalities between peoples of all cultures in finances, housing and health.
Others' lack of understanding how to live a good and rewarding life in the simplest way possible.
Gregg Palmer
People can have a tendency to be so mentally identified, they can disconnect from their natural being. I would place this as a root contender for pathology.
Connie Reed
Prioritising economics over environmental safety and social wellbeing
Michelle McClintock
Self-Awareness
Communication (effective communication is based in self-awareness)
Compassion (also based in self-awareness and self-compassion)
Sigrid O'Callaghan
Greed for money, power, status and the delayed care for our environment and fellow human beings.
Niki Gelekis
Disconnection from others and a sense of loneliness in a abusy world.
Kim Bailey
Loneliness, isolation and that many think that's just life in modern day
Rosie Burgess
As a global community, climate crisis is the most significant problem we face in the world today. It represents a real threat to our children's wellbeing and the comfort of our species. I also see the...
