Life Transitions Counselling

Why supporting nurses’ mental health, burnout recovery, and emotional wellbeing matters now more than ever 

Struggling with low mood, fatigue, or emotional ups and downs as the weather changes? Learn how seasonal transitions impact mental health — and how Internal Family Systems (IFS) can help you cope. 

Spring invites a sense of renewal—but emotional growth doesn’t always look like a fresh start. This piece explores how to move through seasonal change with reflection, gentleness, and self-compassion.

Spring cleaning can feel overwhelming—but it doesn’t have to be. This piece explores how small, intentional steps can help you declutter your space, reduce stress, and feel more in control.

You’re going about your day as usual. Then you realize you made a mistake on that work report your boss has been asking for. Or you forgot the dentist appointment you booked months ago. Or you replay something awkward you said at a party.

And then, like clockwork, the self-criticism begins.

Close friendships between women can feel like everything when they are nourishing — and devastating when they become complicated or come to an end. Female friendships are not just social connections; they are often central to women’s mental health, emotional wellbeing, and sense of belonging.

When the world feels uncertain, many people experience deep emotional overwhelm or despair. In this therapist-written piece, we explore why these feelings make sense — and how self-compassion, nervous system awareness, and emotional care can support your mental health without minimizing what you’re going through.

Why do so many New Year’s resolutions fall apart — often within weeks? Instead of blaming willpower or motivation, this article explores a gentler, more effective path to change. Through curiosity, self-compassion, and self-trust, real personal growth becomes possible at any time of year — without shame, pressure, or perfection.

Struggling with financial stress during the holidays? Learn why December often brings overspending, money anxiety, and pressure to meet expectations—and discover practical ways to honour your financial boundaries with more clarity, intention, and calm.

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.

Explore how your money personality affects your relationship, communication, and financial stress, and learn tools for healthier money conversations.

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.

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.

Why is talking about money so hard? Learn how understanding your money story can reduce shame, improve financial wellbeing, and support healthier relationships.

A registered psychotherapist explores why forcing employees back to the office is harmful to mental health — and how workplace flexibility supports well-being and productivity.

Discover a therapist’s gentle approach to building habits that support your mental health and well-being. Learn how to create fall wellness routines that feel good and last.

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.

Mid-crisis, my 16-year-old son came downstairs and, seeing his distraught mother frantically hitting buttons, asked to help me. He listened as I tried to explain what happened. Then he calmly took my phone and began troubleshooting, pretending not to notice that I was struggling to hold it together. 

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.

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.

If you look up the causes of anxiety in midlife women, perimenopause is usually considered the culprit. But so many factors can contribute to midlife anxiety, especially for women. We are most often the ones, in heteronormative relationships, who carry the bulk of the mental load.

During these uncertain times, we do need ideas for coping, but we also need to identify our uncomfortable feelings and possibly even allow those feelings to inform how we move forward. If that sounds a little daunting, it’s because it is a huge responsibility both to ourselves and to the world around us.