With so many different forms of mental health support - it's sometimes hard to find the right therapist for you. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to therapy, and the therapist that works well for someone else might not work as well for you. Despite that, there are key elements to look for in a therapist that will help you get the best support. They ask questions. They don't just jump in to rescue you, but instead they ask questions and guide you to better understand yo

Establishing and maintaining clear and healthy personal and professional boundaries with others is an important aspect of our ongoing well-being. A lack of clear boundaries will prevent us from being and feeling our best. Creating and maintaining boundaries that are too strong can prevent connection with others that we desire. I encourage you to give yourself permission to reflect on your needs, establish boundaries, communicate your limits, and maintain/adjust them as need

I hear many people say, “I just want to be happy”. The problem with just wanting to be happy, is that we set ourselves up for failure, as we are unable to maintain this state perpetually. The expectation of perpetual happiness creates internal conflict as we begin to disconnect from ourselves and our common humanity. As humans, we are born with a diverse range of emotions that includes happiness but also includes a great many other emotions. As an alternative, I suggest we al

At some point in everyone’s life, there will come a time when we require extra support. Unfortunately, therapeutic support is often stigmatized, even in a society that has come to embrace and recognize the importance of mental health and its initiatives. When I tell people that I am training to become a psychotherapist, common comments include “Oh, so you’re going to help crazy people?” or some highly misconstrued idea that I will blame all of their problems on their parents

Many would describe our culture as fast-paced, competitive, or goal-driven. Whether its completing school assignments, reaching work deadlines, fulfilling our personal goals and responsibilities, or simply keeping up with the latest trends, our minds often work overtime thinking about the next move. While thinking about the future is important for survival (after all, we’d starve if we didn’t think about what to eat!), it can take a toll on our wellbeing. A state of mind that

Vulnerability has always been a big deal to me. Like many people, I worry if others will see my flaws with acceptance, understanding, and awareness of my strengths. Now as a mental health practitioner, I hope my clients will feel safe as they open-up and share their vulnerabilities with me. You might be wondering why there is a snail in a scribble for a segment about vulnerability. It is a reasonable question to ask, and there are surprisingly many reasons for it. Initially,

We all experience different emotions throughout the day, such as happiness, sadness, anger, and anxiety. Even though some emotions are belie

With our busy schedules, it's sometimes hard to make time for our partners. People's routine is often about coming home and wanting to just shut down from their day with catching up on social media, playing games on their phone or television, watching TV or just wanting to be alone; however, over time this will impact their partner's emotional needs and connection. This doesn't mean you can't do that sometimes, but finding time for you and your partner from time to time is

We often read articles on how to make women happy, but what about men? I work with many men in individual therapy and/or coaching and have come to understand what men want in a partner. Here are some of things I've picked up over the years that men talk about and want. Make him feel like a man. I know we all want to feel independent and strong, but it's ok to let him open a jar of pickles or put up that shelf. Show that you need him. Small tasks make men feel useful and h

We often catch ourselves rushing into relationships and somewhere down the line, we want it to grow into something big and fast. But let's just put the breaks for a minute and think about why it's so important to rush into something even when it doesn't feel right. People often settle because they don't think they deserve better or they give up on looking for better. But most often, they're giving up on themselves. In order to meet the right person, you have to be the righ

Most people do not recognize their anxiety for what it is and instead think something is "wrong" with them. Some people are preoccupied with the symptoms of anxiety (e.g. stomach aches, increased heart rate, shortness of breath, etc.). Others think they are weird, weak or even going crazy. Unfortunately, these thoughts only make people feel even more anxious and self-conscious. How can you tell if your everyday anxiety has crossed the line into a disorder? It's not easy. Anxi

Coping with stress or depression during the holidays

Anxiety & panic attacks are more and more common. I often find clients coming to me to help them work through their anxiety. Though my work with them is about understanding their triggers and why their anxiety is happening, we also focus on how to cope when dealing with an attack. Here are some ways to help you during an anxiety or panic attack. Familiarize. Familiarize yourself with the symptoms of a panic or anxiety attack. This will help you know that what you are feeli

Loss. The word alone can trigger so much emotion from someone who has lost someone close to them. Loss is heavy, hard and often an unbearable emotion that we wish we could easily file away. But it can’t. Grief has to be felt and lived-in in order for it to begin to feel easier. Even then the weight of loss is never fully gone. When I lost my father last year, I didn’t have time to be sad. I didn’t have time to feel his loss in ways that I would have if I wasn’t so focused

We are all individuals making sense of the world as we know it. We are making sense of it through our own perspective and our own history. Communication is an important factor in any relationship and often couples take it for granted. Whether one shuts down during conflict or screams in fury during conflict, it's all part of how we were conditioned to deal with conflict. Our actions often mirror are previous behaviours and how we deal with others. More so, we often choose par

Did you know... If you've ever been in love, you've probably at least considered classifying the feeling as an addiction. And guess what: You were right. As it turns out, scientists are discovering that the same chemical process that takes place with addiction takes place when we fall in love. #love #relationships #therapy

How does the body benefit while in “love”? When in love, the body releases special chemicals that make you feel good, content and happy. This can spur creativity and that probably explains why most poets, artists, writers and people with extraordinary talents are also good at love.Love can result in sexual activity (the fun part) and this can affect the entire body – from head to toe. Doctors believe that love-making is a good aerobic exercise that improves the circulation an

I recently wrote about Post Partum Depression (PPD) in It's Called Post Partum Depression: Part 1, where I talked about the signs of PPD and the differences between Baby Blues and PPD. What to can do if you are suffering from Post Partum Depression (PPD)In cases of the normal “baby blues,” often all a new mom needs is reassurance and some more practical help. Engaging the dad to be more helpful, joining a support group for new parents, or finding other sources of support so t

Relationships are hard enough, add a baby and you're in for a roller a coaster of fun! When I got pregnant and had a baby, no one told me just how hard it would be on my relationship with my partner. Sure, I expected to be stressed, sleep deprived and just plain tired... but never really thought that it would effect my relationship to the point where reconnecting felt almost impossible at times. Some of us might be lucky and the new addition to the duo won't put a single dent

No one expects it. No one ever says, “I’ll have post partum depression”. But it happens. It creeps up when you least expect it and it can be hard. Women don’t anticipate going through post partum depression since they’re told that being a mom will be the happiest moment in their lives. Though this is true, it is also the most terrifying moment in their life. You will love your baby more than you have ever thought you could love another human being and yet at the same time it