Cultural adjustment goes beyond learning new customs or language. It can bring up deep emotional struggles, particularly when you feel caught between family traditions and the need to adapt to a new culture.
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My divorce wasn’t the solution to a mistake, it was the response to evolution. Separating didn’t negate my marriage or challenge the love that carried it for years, it was the necessary next step to ensure my partner and I - and our children - continued to be in our best space possible.
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Self-care is not an activity to be checked off a list. It’s a practice of slowing down, tuning in, and responding to our inner needs with compassion. In a culture that values speed and productivity, true self-care often requires us to move in the opposite direction.
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While OCD is often associated with behaviours like needing a clean desk or arranging items symmetrically, many people with OCD face struggles that are less visible but equally distressing.
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As parents, this is what all that work of raising our kids has been for - to get them to the point where they are ready to launch and to create an independent life of their own.
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Mindfulness and meditation are two therapeutic powerhouses that can help you reframe your reality, even if not one thing changes in how busy you are this summer.
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So much around money fear and shame relates back to the concept of scarcity both in finances and in our lives in general. A scarcity mindset goes beyond fear related to money, and is often expressed as a broader feeling of lack in a person’s life - they might focus mainly on the lack in their life in areas such as time, opportunities, or possessions.
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When I started to explore offering couples therapy it became important to me that the approach I use be affirming and that it would help me honour brain differences not rail against them. I was skeptical of modalities that asked partners to learn communication techniques or relied heavily on conforming to a certain version of what a relationship should look like.
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When caring for a person with cancer, the focus is being there for the person you love, witnessing their pain, their fears, and their uncertainty about the future. It's a rollercoaster of emotions, and as a caregiver, you're right there beside them, holding their hand through it all.
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Cancer isn't just a disease; sometimes it can feel like a collection of traumatic experiences – from the stigma and misconceptions that surround it to the sheer terror of the unknown. It's a journey marked by loss – of health, of identity, of the illusion of invincibility. Yet within this, seeds of resilience can be sown, and from them can sprout moments of profound personal growth, illustrating the transformative power of post-traumatic growth, leading to newfound strength, purpose, and fortitude.
Social anxiety is more than just feeling shy. It is “an intense and persistent fear of being watched and judged by others.” These feelings can come up when doing every-day activities such as going to a restaurant or going to the grocery store, speaking up in class or at a meeting, and involve the fear of being judged or being on display while being with others, by doing things like sharing your thoughts, answering a question or giving a presentation.
For the vast majority of adults diagnosed with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), medication management is the first line of treatment. The good news is that medication is highly effective and can be revolutionary in the lives of people with ADHD. Adding psychotherapy to the management of ADHD, along with medication, can impact the trajectory of treatment in an incredibly positive way.
We live in a society that often talks about the pursuit of happiness and very little about depression. While sadness is a part of life and we all have days where we may feel down, depression affects multiple parts of our life - behaviour, mood, and thoughts and can last for days, weeks, or even months.
Many couples attempt to communicate about money but find themselves in familiar, unhelpful patterns each time they try. Instead of giving up hope and sweeping these conversations under the rug, it can be really helpful to understand what’s going on under the surface.
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As a cancer survivor, just hearing that six-letter word used to send a chill down my spine, stirring up feelings of fear, anxiety, and vulnerability. But here's the thing – it's because of these very emotions that we shouldn't shy away from talking about cancer. Changing the way we think and talk about this life-changing experience isn't just a good idea; it's crucial for our emotional well-being and overall healing journey.
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Sometimes we have responses that are just as quick when we experience a threat. Sometimes we call this a freeze response because our bodies may shut down or feel numb. In this state it is common to feel helpless, trapped, or depressed.
We also have a mammalian part of our brain which developed later. Polyvagal theory says the mammalian brain is responsible for things like co-regulation which means that how one mammal acts effects another.
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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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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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Instead of thinking about what you want to change or alter in your life, think about what you want to welcome into your life.
Try naming what you want to welcome in as a noun (thing) and not a verb (action). An example is you may say you would like to welcome in health. Now, rather than a bunch of action items on your to-do list, you have an anchor for which you base the decisions in your life. When faced with a decision, you ask yourself, how will this impact my intention to welcome in health? When you plot out your day or week, ask yourself if you have built in things that will welcome in health. When you plan your meals, have your welcomed in health? When you make social plans, have your welcomed in health? The intention you set will help guide and inspire your life so that you do the things that will welcome in what you want in your life.
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Most people who work with a therapist initiate contact when they are going through hard things.
When life gets tough, it makes sense that people seek additional support. Working with a therapist during life’s hard times can help people navigate stress, crisis, illness, major life transitions, etc. But most therapists know that the true healing work takes place once things have stabilized in the client’s life.
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