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When Father's Day Hurts
June has always been a complicated month for me. On one hand, it's a month filled with celebration. The school year winds down. Summer begins to peek around the corner. Families gather. Father's Day arrives. But June is also my father's birthday month. And for the past thirteen years, it has been a reminder of someone who should still be here. As a therapist, I spend a great deal of time talking about grief. I sit with people through losses of all kinds. Yet what grief has ta
Clarinda Brandão, RP
3 days ago3 min read


Are You Dating a Narcissist? Here’s How to Tell the Difference Between Traits, Patterns, and Personality Disorder
There’s a question I hear more often than almost any other:“Do you think I’m dating a narcissist?” And usually, it doesn’t come from a place of curiosity.It comes from confusion. It sounds like: “Something feels off, but I can’t explain it.” “I keep questioning myself after we argue.” “I don’t know if I’m overreacting… or if something’s actually wrong.” Before we answer that question, we need to slow it down. Because not everything that feels painful, confusing, or even unhea
Clarinda Brandão, RP
May 214 min read


Transitions, Routines & Kids Heading Into Summer
As we move closer to summer, many parents start noticing shifts in their children before school has even officially ended. Some kids become more emotional. Others become more dysregulated, clingy, irritable, distracted, or exhausted. And often, as adults, we look at summer as something exciting and freeing for children. But transitions, even positive ones, can still feel overwhelming to a child’s nervous system. The structure they’ve relied on all year is about to change. The
Clarinda Brandão, RP
May 132 min read


The Art of Ignoring Red Flags (Because You Really Wanted It to Work)
Let’s talk about red flags. But not in the way the internet talks about them. Because if I’m honest, I don’t think most people are out here completely missing red flags. I think we’re actually really good at seeing them. We just become even better at explaining them away. And that’s a very different conversation. It usually doesn’t look like, “I didn’t notice anything.”It looks more like, “I noticed it… but it didn’t feel big enough to walk away from.” Or maybe it felt big, b
Clarinda Brandão, RP
Apr 303 min read


Mother’s Day, in All Its Forms
As we move through the month of May, we know that Mother’s Day can linger in different ways for many - sometimes gently, sometimes more heavily. We wanted to take a moment to honour all the versions of motherhood that exist, in all their complexity. When I sat down to write this Mother’s Day message, I paused. Because the truth is, how do you write about motherhood in a way that truly includes everyone? How do you honour the joy, without overlooking the grief? The fullness, w
Clarinda Brandão, RP
Apr 302 min read


The Link Between Mental Health and Hormones: How Fluctuations Impact Your Mood & What to Do About It
Many women experience mood swings, anxiety, or depressive episodes without realizing that their hormones may be playing a significant role. The relationship between mental health and hormones is complex, but understanding how fluctuations in estrogen, progesterone, and cortisol affect mood can help you take control of your emotional well-being. From the menstrual cycle to perimenopause and beyond, hormonal changes can create waves of emotional instability, but the good news i
Clarinda Brandão, RP
Jan 183 min read


Lonely Together: Understanding Loneliness Inside Relationships
Loneliness is one of the most misunderstood emotional experiences. Most people associate it with being physically alone - an empty room, a quiet weekend, a life with too much space in it. But in my work as a relational psychotherapist, I often see a different kind of loneliness. The kind that shows up inside relationships. The kind that appears even when two people share a home, a bed, a family, a life. This form of loneliness is subtle, quiet, and deeply human. And because
Clarinda Brandão, RP
Dec 18, 20254 min read


DANCE-A-THON FOR ST. JOE’S
On Saturday, November 22nd , SOUL FUEL Fitness + Pilates will open its doors to turn movement into money for St. Joseph’s Health Centre Toronto . Members of the Bloor West Village community and beyond are invited to come together for an afternoon to Dance Through The Ages & Save Lives of all Stages . With a fundraising goal of $25,000 , generously matched by TD Group , the event hopes to raise a total of $50,000 to support care at St. Joe’s. The team at Psychotherapy In The

Co-written
Oct 27, 20252 min read


How to Spawn a Narcissist: A (Totally Tongue-In-Cheek) Guide
(Warning: follow these instructions at your own moral risk. Or.... better - don’t. Read the “safer” alternatives instead.) If you’re into creating tiny human tyrants who think the world revolves around them, congratulations - you’re one click away from parent-of-the-year material. Follow these seven foolproof steps and you’ll be raising a little legend who always needs applause, never apologizes, and believes empathy is optional. Below each step: the real psychological idea b
Clarinda Brandão, RP
Oct 13, 20253 min read


How to Support Someone Through Pregnancy or Infant Loss
Pregnancy and infant loss are deeply personal experiences - and no two stories are the same. For some, the grief is raw and consuming. For others, it’s quieter, or even hard to name. There isn’t one “right” way to feel after a loss like this. What’s often shared, though, is the silence that surrounds it. The uncertainty of what to say. The fear of saying the wrong thing. As therapists, we often hear from both sides - from those who’ve experienced loss and from friends or fami
Clarinda Brandão, RP
Oct 13, 20252 min read


The Importance of Connection
When life hurts, we often turn inward—trying to make sense of things alone. But healing rarely happens in isolation. Connection, in its simplest form, can be the medicine that helps us breathe again, soften the edges of pain, and begin to find our footing.

Maria Mihailoska
Sep 30, 20252 min read


7 Ways To Ease Back-To-School Stress
For weeks, your days have been a blur of sunscreen, snack runs, and maybe a few too many mosquito bites.
But now, the calendar is whispering a different story: back-to-school is almost here. And if you’re feeling a strange mix of relief, sadness, and a pinch of anxiety, you’re not alone.

Co-written
Aug 27, 20253 min read


What If You’ve Tried Everything? Why I’m Excited About Ketamine-Assisted Therapy
It’s not because they’re not trying. It’s not because therapy has “failed.” Often, it’s because their mind and nervous system are so locked in patterns of fear, shame, or grief that it feels like they just can’t access what they need to heal.
That’s one of the reasons I’ve become really hopeful about Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP). It’s a different way in. A shift in perspective, a loosening of the mental knots we can’t untangle by talking alone.

Co-written
Jul 31, 20252 min read


Why Men Avoid Therapy
As a male therapist, I work with a lot of men who are accessing therapy for the first time. They like the idea of trying it out with someone they imagine will understand. I listen to their experiences and hear their longstanding beliefs about the idea of opening up to a professional, including the reasons they’ve avoided it until now. And to be honest, I get it.

James Barber
Jul 23, 20254 min read


Grieving the Relationship You Wanted: Healing from Family Hurt
We’re told that family is everything. That no matter what, we should forgive, stay close, and make it work. But what about when it’s...

Mia Vucurovic
Jun 25, 20252 min read


The Power of Community and Cultural Traditions: Nurturing Identity, Well-Being, and Connection
For many, it’s the quiet strength of community and the familiar rhythms of cultural traditions. In this thoughtful piece, Maria explores how our shared rituals, stories, and relationships don’t just connect us to each other, they nourish our mental health, strengthen our identity, and remind us that we belong.

Maria Mihailoska
Jun 24, 20252 min read


Desire Discrepancy in Couples: It’s Not About Frequency - It’s About Emotional Safety
Desire differences are one of the most common - and most misunderstood - sources of tension in couples. One partner wants more. The...
Clarinda Brandão, RP
Jun 6, 20252 min read


You Don’t Have to Be on the Same Page - You Just Have to Understand Each Other
In couples therapy, I often hear partners say: “We just need to get on the same page.” It sounds like a reasonable goal. But what’s...
Clarinda Brandão, RP
May 30, 20252 min read


Breaking Habits with Hypnotherapy
How Hypnosis Can Support Lasting Change Whether it’s emotional eating, smoking, procrastination, or other patterns of self-sabotage,...

Samira Shefik
May 29, 20252 min read


Giving Ourselves Permission to Rest, Without Guilt: A Relational and IFS Perspective
In our fast-paced world, the message to "keep going" and "stay busy" often feels overwhelming. Yet, for many of us, taking time to rest...

Maria Mihailoska
May 29, 20253 min read
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