Depression

Part 1 – What to expect Kathy vividly remembers her “life turning upside down” after her car accident ten years ago. She has struggled with chronic pain ever since. Despite being a “high achiever,” she has not been able to work since this time and has had difficulty accomplishing her usual household tasks. Martin has…

Mary has suffered for years in her personal relationships and in her private world. Her behaviour, thoughts, and emotions were often described as though she was in the middle of a whirlwind. When meeting men she would put them on a pedestal, idealizing them to the point where they appeared to reach near sainthood in…

Emotions are part of every day life, and most of us have noticed the ups and downs accompanying our varying emotions. Although positive feelings, such as joy, excitement, and love are often welcomed, we tend to struggle with the more unpleasant feelings, such as sadness, hurt, anger, and fear. We tend to view them as…

Weeks, months or even years following a traumatic experience, many victims make statements like: “I just can’t get over it!” “I can’t stop thinking about it.” “I feel numb, like I’m behind a glass wall, cut off from everyone”. “Will I ever feel safe again?” These thoughts also reflect typical aspects or symptoms of Post…

You notice that your 14 year-old daughter only “nibbles” at family dinners because she “ate earlier with friends.” She now exercises intensely, claiming that the extra 1-2 hours of running each day will get her in shape for her soccer games. You also think that you hear her vomiting in the bathroom. You tell yourself…

As we all know, Christmas is an extremely hectic time of the year. It sometimes happens that when the last forkful of turkey casserole has been eaten and when the last of the holiday visitors has driven off, we are stuck by a wave of emotional exhaustion. What can we do to ease ourselves out…

Jay and his sister Maggie grew up in a small northern town, neglected by both parents. Their father, usually absent, was physically abusive when he was home, and their mother, frequently absent also, was intoxicated when present with her children. Jay ended up raising his younger sister, providing the cooking, cleaning and other domestic skills…

Many of us have grown to adulthood with child-based shame thoughts. Our self confidence can be readily undermined when these “little boy” or “little girl” thoughts creep in. These thoughts seem to have a life of their own and frequently are negative or critical. Matthew McKay and Patrick Fanning in, Self Esteem, mention that these…

Many women are losing their marriages and they don’t know it. Many women have interpersonal needs, which are not being met in their marital relationship. They probably have friends with whom they share the emotional side of their lives. This helps; however there are needs which can be best met by the marriage partner. When…

Listening is like dancing. If you get the steps in the right order there is flow and harmony. If you skip a step or reverse them, someone trips up, often resulting in tension and upset. Within marriage, it can be difficult to listen well. It is easy to “react” to what one hears instead of…

Many guys are losing their marriages and they don’t know it. Gone is the day when a guy can work and “bring home the bacon” and think that he is fulfilling his role as a husband and father. That may have been what Dad did but it’s not enough anymore (and probably wasn’t then either).…

Psychologist: “You seem to keep a lot of your concerns to yourself. How about opening up more with your spouse?” Client: “I don’t like to make waves.” P: “You mean you don’t want a hassle?” C: “I don’t like to hurt anyone’s feelings.” P: “Is there also a chance your wife might get angry?” C:…