When faced with a situation where our feelings are mixed, emotional validation and gratitude are two responses that can be seemingly at odds...but are they really? Therapist and PhD/PsyD Candidate Nada Kadhim explores how the two can actually go hand in hand to reflect a truer, more helpful understanding of the emotions we experience.Continue Reading
For many, summer represents a stress-free pause before getting back to the regularly scheduled program. However, for some, the summer before a major transition is rife with anticipatory stress. Dr. Stephanie Correia introduces a few key points to consider if you are supporting a student or if you are navigating an academic transition yourself!Continue Reading
Many of us come from an upbringing where punishments were common, and we have been taught that using punishments is the main way to discipline a child or correct behaviour. But is it really the best way? Dr. Vanessa Kurdi want us to reconsider what we know and think more deeply about why we reach...Continue Reading
How best to respond when your child feels anxious or worried? Should you crack a joke to distract them? Reassure and say there’s nothing to worry about? Protect them from the source of their distress by avoiding it? Intuition often leads us in those directions, but the best strategies may be ones that help our...Continue Reading
Why is being kind to ourselves harder to do than being kind to others? Why is it so hard to give ourselves a break? What it means to be self-compassionate, and how we can put it into practice, are things we will explore in this blog post on the ins and outs of self-compassion.Continue Reading
For many, although part of us wants to change, another part of us has a hard time imagining doing things differently. In her blog on Exploring Ambivalence, Dr. Maeve O'Leary-Barrett looks at the value of paying attention to ambivalence with a special regard for how it relates to difficulties in our relationships.Continue Reading
What does “being” versus “doing” look like? How can this be explained? In her blog To Do or To Be, clinical psychologist Leanne Rondeau shows how the Guided Discovery experiential exercise from Dr. Paul Gilbert, founder of Compassion Focused Therapy, can help us understand the difference.Continue Reading
We can't always say 'yes'... in fact 'no' is not only sometimes necessary but also, a good answer. Dr Lisa Linardatos discusses people-pleasing, boundaries and the discomfort at the root of our avoidance when it comes to letting other people down.Continue Reading
Exploring and understanding reasons for a teen's reluctance to therapy - from fear of judgment, pride, or feeling forced by an adult, to prior negative experiences in therapy, disinterest, or confusion about the process - can help prevent mislabelling teens as treatment resistant. Dr Amanda Plokar shares pointers for parents to consider that can help...Continue Reading
“It’s your fault… no, it’s your fault… no, it's your fault…” Does this blame game sound familiar? We have a tendency to assign fault to ourselves or others, for things that go wrong both inside and outside of our control. But is it always helpful, or even accurate? Dr. Amber Labow urges us to look...Continue Reading
