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Everyone feels anxiety at times, and when a real threat – like a truck is barreling your way – is present, you ought to feel anxious! But for many people who lack strong inner security, anxiety becomes like an alarm that trips too easily. You’re tensing up and feeling nervous about this, that and the…

Mary is 67 and she came in to discuss her fear that her 69-year-old husband had something terribly wrong with his behaviour. She noted that he was experiencing depression, irritability, isolation, confusion, anxiety and, at times, what appeared to be unprovoked rage. He would interrupt people and exhibited what appeared to be extreme self-centeredness. At…

Most of us are familiar with the social skill of masking. Perhaps it is going to an interview-you dress a certain way, watch your posture, choose your words carefully, and observe the reactions of those around you more carefully. Most people find these experiences tiring and are happy to come home, relax and just be…

More than ever, gaming is part of our life context, especially for youth – though you may be surprised to learn that the average gamer is 34 years old and has children. It is a powerful media capable of telling intricate, artistic, interactive stories; a compelling venue for connection and relationship building; an industry worth…

Most caregivers can agree that dealing with their child’s meltdowns can be exhausting, draining, and challenging. Often these meltdowns happen when we are trying to get everyone out the door and on time for school, when we are making dinner, or at bedtime. We try to listen to our child and validate their feelings, but…

Are you finding it difficult to get out of bed in the morning? Are you feeling indifferent about things you once cared about? Are you avoiding social connections? Are you turning to unhealthy coping strategies? Do you fantasize about getting sick just enough that you can stay home from work for a couple of weeks…

What exactly does it mean to “process your feelings?”. It is certainly very common advice, and generally we tend to believe this to be true – identifying our emotions and expressing them in healthy ways is an important part of healthy human emotional development. But what exactly does this entail? How do we avoid simply…

Baby Boomers (born between 1946-1965) are entering into their “winter years” and in the process are facing a variety of stressors which they may not know how to manage. Mis-managed stress (distress) can contribute to a variety of mental and physical health challenges. When Boomers were children and young adults, the popular method for dealing…

An attractive 16 year old girl was describing how hard it was for her to go to school each day. She complained that while she had two friends at school, neither was in any of her classes. I suggested that this gave her an opportunity to reach out and make some casual connections with her…

I recently checked in with a friend to inquire about her counselling experience after she sought a referral. I wanted to ensure she was receiving the support she needed. her response was along the lines of, “It’s going well…I think? This is my first experience in therapy, so I don’t have anything to compare it…

Who knew? A study done at the University of California, Los Angeles using Functional Magnetic Brain Imaging (fMRI) to research “affect labelling” (putting feelings into words) had some surprising results. It was found that the process of writing one’s feelings on paper was enough to de-escalate amygdala activity, (the brain’s ‘alarm center’), which controls the…

After the death of a person or pet dear to your child, the holidays, especially the first ones, can become emotionally complicated. It is hard to know if you should celebrate and honour old traditions or ignore them and pretend like nothing is happening. For each family this journey will be unique and what you…