Posts in MENTAL HEALTH
Supporting your mental health and emotional wellness during the holidays

December can bring a wave of emotional triggers — from family pressures and financial stress to grief, loneliness, and the winter blues. This article explores why the holidays can feel overwhelming and offers compassionate, practical strategies to support your mental health during the season.

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Money and emotions - what's the link?

Talking about money can feel overwhelming, triggering anxiety, shame, guilt, or avoidance. For many people, financial stress is deeply tied to past experiences, family patterns, and feelings of vulnerability. In this article, Registered Psychotherapist Aviva Boxer explores why money feels so emotionally charged and how self-compassion, therapy, and small mindful habits can help you build a healthier, more confident relationship with your finances. If money worries are affecting your mental health, you’re not alone — support is available.

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Using ChatGPT to support you in therapy

AI tools like ChatGPT are reshaping how people approach mental health and self-care. Many are using ChatGPT for emotional support, journaling prompts, and mindfulness tips — but it’s important to know the difference between AI guidance and real therapy. In this article, psychotherapist Aviva Boxer explains how ChatGPT can enhance your therapy journey by offering structure, reflection, and insight between sessions, while highlighting why the human connection of psychotherapy remains irreplaceable.

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Do I need therapy?

The intense therapy that we accept as essential in a crisis will help a lot in the moment, which is important in getting through that crisis. But the long-haul type of therapy, where you see your therapist weekly or biweekly, consistently and over time,  will help you explore core issues, process feelings and release burdens that have likely been weighing on you since childhood.

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The first therapy session

I am a therapist and a therapy client and I can say from both perspectives, that one of the most special yet daunting parts of therapy for me is the first session. The first session is important because this is the first chance a client and a therapist get to spend time together getting to know each other to see if they truly connect.

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When burnout and compassion fatigue hit hard

Compassion fatigue found me while I was doing emotionally taxing, empathetic, and caring work without caring enough for myself. I tried to attend to my needs; I finally used some of my vacation days and lieu hours that had piled up. I tried self-care; working out, seeing friends, painting my nails, taking baths and any other self-care activity I could think of, or afford. The problem was that these steps came too late.

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Online counselling changed my life - Here’s how virtual therapy can help you too

Feeling emotionally safe in your space at home can make a huge difference in accessing your feelings more readily and for those with mobility issues, or for those who have more acute social anxiety, virtual therapy can mean the difference between getting mental health support and not getting it at all.

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Protecting your mental health during the holidays

Something about the holidays can make emotions feel heavier, and to-do lists more urgent — a phenomenon that can make otherwise manageable triggers feel harder to hold. Giving ourselves permission to be especially compassionate to our needs during these times is the greatest gift we can give. 

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Affordable therapy - what it is and why it matters

In a perfect world, mental health would be treated the same as physical health in Canada and it would be covered by a national health system supporting both body and mind. But at this point it is not the case. Many people either pay for their therapy sessions out of pocket or through their work’s benefits programs. Recognizing that sometimes the cost of therapy can be a barrier to a person reaching out for support, many therapists offer affordable counselling to make therapy accessible to as many people as possible.

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Hygge journal prompts help you reflect on what is most important to you

Hygge (pronounced "hoo-ga") is a Danish term that refers to a cozy, comfortable, and contented state of being. It is often associated with a sense of well-being, warmth, and togetherness, particularly during the colder months. Journaling about hygge and mental health can be a deeply reflective and calming practice.

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Improved sleep can lead to improved mental health. Here’s how.

It is commonly understood that good sleep is a component of a healthy lifestyle. But how does sleep tie into our mental health? Let’s take a closer look.

If you’ve ever struggled with insomnia, fatigue, or sleeplessness you know that these things can lead to low mood, irritability and difficulty managing stress.

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Why 2SLGBTQIA+ and not LGBTQ anymore?

Happy Pride! (this month and every month beyond)

Recently in Canada there has been an important shift in language from LGBTQ+ to 2SLGBTQIA+. We thought you might be curious about why this shift has taken place and what it means. But before diving into our own (un)learning process (facilitated by none other than Google), it is important that we take a moment to recognize the impacts of power and privilege in our own process.

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Spring Cleaning and Mental Health: Why Decluttering is Good for your Body, Mind and Soul

For many of us, Spring begins with an annual ritual - the spring cleaning. A chance to declutter and say goodbye to our unwanted stuff - to refresh our living space by getting neat and tidy. However, spring cleaning can actually bring about other, unexpected benefits when it comes to your mental health.

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