It’s summer and COVID restrictions are lifting – why am I still languishing?

Yes, we can gather with friends, attend sporting events, go out for dinner, spend a day at the mall, etc., etc. But these things are not the same as they were post-pandemic. Whether it’s discussion with friends about vaccination status, navigating the anxiety that’s associated with sitting close to strangers at an event, wondering if the sore throat you have may not be allergies after all…things are not “normal”.

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How Do I Know if This is the Right Change?

We’ve been talking and writing about change this month and two questions that have come up over and over again are “how do I know when it’s the right time to make a change?” and “how do I know if this is the right change to make?”. Given that these are the questions people are asking, we will endeavor to answer!

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Why Are We So Afraid of Change?

When changes are forced upon us, we often react with resistance even if the change has the potential to be positive. Or we may realize that we are unhappy or unfulfilled in a certain area in our life but when we consider change as a way to grow and improve, we often recoil in fear and do nothing instead. What’s going on here? Why are we so afraid to change?

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Forced Change or Chosen Change ... What's the Difference?

Over the past year, the whole world has been forced to change in ways that have been unfamiliar and unexpected. Each and every person has lived a different version of this but nonetheless, there has been an enormous amount of change forced upon us that we did not choose. And for some, there has been change that is chosen.

Let’s take a look at how these kinds of changes are different from one another.

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Let's Get Real About Trust in Relationships

Trust is a part of the foundation of a healthy relationship. It’s encouraging while being built, and fulfilling when strong and constant. It’s painful when broken and often painful to heal, though trust truly can be healed if it becomes damaged. In this article, Registered Psychotherapist (Q) Mikaela Gossman-Bond introduces the concept of trust in romantic relationships using the metaphor of a book.

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Is Therapy Covered by OHIP?

We know that navigating Ontario’s complex mental health care system can be daunting, so here’s some useful info that can help. Making the decision to start therapy is stressful enough. Figuring out how to pay for it shouldn’t be an added stressor. That’s why we’ve put together this outline of what is and isn’t covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan - OHIP.

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Let's Get Real About Desire in Relationships

We know that the pandemic is affecting intimacy and sexual relationships but chances are, even without this ‘mandatory togetherness’ you’ve notice changes in your sex life already. Maybe sex has decreased in your relationship or maybe the sex is feeling dull, uncomfortable or obligatory instead of being exciting or fun?

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Let's Get Real About Loneliness in Relationships

There is something unique and interesting about the experience of loneliness during COVID for people in relationships. COVID has brought a whole new level of challenge to our social landscape, putting major pressure on the person/people in our direct household to meet all of our social needs. And it doesn't seem to be enough.

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Mental Health for Artists: A Why Art? Podcast

The Why Art podcast is a Hamilton-based project that interviews Canadian artists about everything related to their art. everwell was invited to the podcast to discuss the very important and timely issue of mental health for artists. Whether you’re an artist or not, we think you’ll enjoy this conversation.

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What Gets in the Way of Supporting a Grieving Person?

Grieving people often struggle to find the support they need. Well-meaning friends and family sometimes miss the mark which can add additional emotional burden during an already difficult time. Friends and family of grieving people struggle to provide the support that their grieving person needs. They want to help but sometimes they don’t know how or why their efforts are not well-received. Why is this so hard??? Let’s take a look at what’s happening under the surface.

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Time Does Not Heal All Wounds

Grief is often viewed as something that we have to “get over” in order to move on with our lives. It’s like there’s this unspoken expectation for us to heal and get rid of our grief by looking forward and tucking away the past. This perspective, however, denies the reality of our grief: we all move through grief in our own way.

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Why Expressing Your Emotions is Important for Grieving

As a therapist who has the privilege of working with grieving people, I am often asked “Why?” when I begin to work with a client on the expression of emotions associated with their grief. As a general rule, our culture doesn’t do a good job of teaching us how to deal with difficult emotions. So it’s important for us to find ways to express our loss and grief…

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That Feeling You’re Feeling is Grief

When you hear the word grief, you often think of the death of a loved one or the end of a relationship, but with the coronavirus, we are experiencing grief due to the loss of our “regular” lives before the pandemic. We are experiencing the loss of our routines, our schedules, our relationships, our sense of security and safety.

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Are you in a COVID Funk?

It’s winter in Canada. Winter is tough at the best of times but winter in the midst of COVID lockdown feels harsh and unfamiliar. Many people are feeling down, stuck, and unmotivated. I know I am. I’ve been working through this ‘funk’ with many of my clients over the past couple of months and together we’ve begun to describe this phenomenon.

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World Cancer Day: Five Things You Should Know

World Cancer Day is an important opportunity to reflect on how cancer has impacted our own lives, the lives of our loved ones and the lives of people within our community. Carly Fleming wanted to help raise awareness by writing this blog and sharing some of her experiences working with people affected by cancer. There are five things she wants you to know…

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Let's Get Real About Money: The Impact of Money On Your Relationship

Recently, Registered Psychotherapist and founder of everwell Counselling Carly Fleming, was interviewed by The Toronto Star for a feature on ‘The Kit’, (a lifestyle news source for Canadians) about finances and the impact it can have on relationships. Specifically, the interview centred on the types of issues and possible solutions a couples counsellor can offer for those struggling with ongoing arguments about money. Here’s what Carly had to say…

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