Personal Growth

Adversity impacts the world around us. Few of us will make it through life unscathed. Personal tragedies, traumatic injuries, loss of health, chaotic relationships and financial reversals are just a few of the near normal events that can shake us to our foundation. However, we also hear of individuals who seem to take life’s difficulties…

Anne complained, “He’s always making us late”. “Whenever we have to be somewhere, he always gets himself ready at the last minute and I end up having to wait for him”. “We never show up anywhere on time!” “Never!” Anne was clearly upset. Last night she and her husband Gary had been invited to attend…

Communicating Assertively Conflict and anger in life are normal and to be expected. Anger often rears its head when there is a gap between what we want or need from someone and what we are actually getting. Anger can be healthy in instances when it provides us with the energy for honest communication. It can…

Once you embark upon it, you must be prepared for a life-changing impact. Perspectives are skewed. $100 running shoes, refrigerators and paved roads take on new status as luxury items, not necessities. You will come back to North America wondering what we’re all whining about here. Yes, a trip to Africa does just what we’re…

Have you unsuccessfully tried returning an inferior product one day after the stated return period? Have you ever been on a waitlist for a particular service, only to discover that no one seems to recognize your name when months later you call in to find out why you have not yet been contacted? These are…

Joan Schultz, Ph.D. Registered Clinical Counsellor A year ago I was asked if I would consider donating work for an orphanage in Zambia. My tasks would be to teach caregivers of orphans skills in family life and conflict resolution as well as providing trauma recognition and recovery skills for children recovering from tragedy. The task…

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…

Mary-Beth is a narcissist. This is a personality disorder characterized by a heightened sense of self-importance and grandiose feelings of uniqueness. Mary-Beth makes it appear that everything in the world is about her: her needs, her worries, her schedule, her feelings. She engages in a lot of self-dramatizing behaviour, and claims her average achievements are…

Jane attended therapy with an initial complaint of feeling anxious. She was hesitant to disclose what it was she feared and how she was coping with these “crazy thoughts”. An example would be hiding certain clothes in case someone broke in and strangled her with them. Other rituals involved spinning in a circle 4 times…

The fear of being left all alone to cope in a hard and scary world is universal; everyone feels it sometimes. But there are people whose lives are far too controlled by this fear. These insecure ones don’t trust their abilities to cope by themselves. While it is fine to be interdependent with others in…

Golf can be a most enjoyable experience. For many people, however, it seems to be a huge source of stress. Instead of coming off the course rejuvenated (albeit a little weary), many golfers tend to feel more tense after their game than when they started. Golf can actually be therapy! For this to happen three…

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…