Depression

shutterstock_141348841

Healing Through Poetry

September 10th 2019 is a day Rick will never forget. He was sitting at an intersection on his motorcycle when a car hit him from behind, sending him flying. The accident left him with a range of serious injuries, in...
sunset-100367_1920

A Few Thoughts on the Death of George Floyd

The tragic death of George Floyd is yet another example of the nastiness of discrimination and prejudice that exists in the United States and across the world, including Canada. The sense and tone I’ve gotten from social media is one...
PlayTherapy-v2-350x385

COVID – 19 and Your Child’s Anxiety – Tips for Parents

Right now, the news is a scary place and the world is starting to feel like a scary place. If you are the parent of an anxious child this is a time of increased stress, fear, and difficulties for you...
Depression

Adolescent Depression

Sophia was concerned about her son. Danny, normally an out-going and energetic sixteen-year-old, had been down in the dumps since he and his girlfriend Lucy broke up just over two weeks ago. Since then he stopped seeing his friends and...

Betrayal

David betrayed his life partner and he was not prepared for his partner's emotional distress. He wanted to know when it would end. He asked "Why isn't sorry good enough?" David needed to understand that his partner's reactions were normal....

How to Talk About Suicide

Suicide is an emotional word. Feelings of confusion, fear, anger, and even disgust are common responses when the topic comes up in conversation, rare as that might be. As a clinical counsellor, I have felt all of these emotions when...

Up In Flames – part 2

About three and a half years ago I wrote the article: 'Up In Flames' that can be found at Psychealth.com. It was written shortly after my apartment burned down and shares my experience navigating through that challenging life event. This...

Why do we Lie?

Lying destroys relationships and damages the bonds between human beings. The Journal of Intercultural Communication Research (2016) states that "we all lie, but not all lies are the same. People lie to achieve a goal: WE LIE IF [we believe]...

Empathy and Mirror Neurons

Empathy differs from sympathy. Sympathy reflects an understanding of another person' situation- but viewed through your own eyes. In contrast, empathy is what you feel when you can step outside of yourself and enter the internal world of another person....

Getting to Optimum Health

There are many books written about overcoming depression and anxiety, most of which are excellent companions to helping us move forward out of these difficult experiences in our lives. However, if we learn to practice proactive habits of self care...