Photo: Denys Nevozhai For most people, the end of a year is a meaningful time. I often take time to pause from the busyness of my days to reflect and look back on the journey I travelled. As a nature lover, I enjoy contemplating the transition from
Photo: Denys Nevoshai Some people love winter. They love the quietness, soft and cozy throws, staying home with hot chocolate, feeling cool outdoors, watching their dogs run free and silly, playing with the snow, and practicing winter sports. Other people find winter challenging for their mental health and overall
Image by Gustavo Frazao. I had a few friends over at my house some time ago to honour a personal and meaningful life event. Things were not perfect or fully finished in my new home, which I recently moved into. In a very spontaneous way, I said
Photo: Jordan Whitfield "Authenticity is the capacity to be in touch with ourselves and to be able to express and manifest who we are in our relationships and social interactions." Dr. Gabor Mate More frequently than not, people seeking therapy acknowledge that authenticity can be a struggle
Photo Nate Dumlao June was Men's Mental Health Awareness Month, and we welcomed our new virtual and in-person therapy service focused on men's needs: Mental Health Support and Counselling for Men. Most men face unique pressures and expectations about success that can be challenging to navigate. From
Kelly Sikkema The quality of our relationships determines the quality of our lives. Esther Perel Esther Perel's quote is undoubtedly a wise observation and an actual fact we can all relate to, given that relationships are an integral part of our existence, offering support and connections.
Photo by Kinga Howard on Unsplash "I've tried yoga, but I find stress less boring. Anonymous "I often come across the question, "What is your love language?" or "How can I learn what my love language is?" The concept coined by Baptist pastor Gary Chapman nearly thirty years ago
Antonio Visalli Of all possessions, a friend is the most precious. Herodotus Full disclosure! Friendships, other than my psychotherapist, have been and continue to be one of the softest and most reliable places for me to land when searching for fun and waves of laughter, as much as
Photo by cottonbro studio "In my early professional years, I was asking the question: How can I treat, cure, or change this person? Now, I would phrase the question in this way: How can I provide a relationship which this person may use for his own personal
Bruno Aguirre "In times of life crisis, whether wildfires or smouldering stress, the first thing I do is go back to basics … am I eating right, am I getting enough sleep, am I getting some physical and mental exercise every day?" Edward Albert Emotional fatigue builds
Photo: S. Crane "Psychotherapy can be one of the greatest and most rewarding adventures, it can bring with it the deepest feelings of personal worth, of purpose and richness in living." Eda LeShan As a psychotherapist located in Burlington, Ontario, with three decades of experience, I am
Photo: We are Image "Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren't always comfortable, but they're never weakness." Brené Brown "You are so strong! After everything you went through, you must be such a strong person." How many times we've used those expressions,
Created with Image, Margarita. “The possession of knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery. There is always more mystery.” -Anais Nin. As a psychotherapist with nearly thirty years of experience, I became gradually more curious about the relationship between spirituality and mental health. The
Photo by Kid Circus. Childhood is often portrayed as a time of innocence, laughter, and boundless joy. Yet, for some, it can be a time of confusion, loneliness, pain, and emotional scars that linger into adulthood. Childhood relational trauma is a silent struggle that many individuals face. Still,
Photo: Margarita, 2012 -Image Remix from Original. "Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our
“Intimacy is not something freely given. It requires your attention, willingness, and intentional effort.” - Gillian Florence Sanger As a psychotherapist, I have witnessed numerous individuals and couples grappling with codependent relationships. Some share that they grew up in a home where parents were engaged in codependent dynamics. As a trauma
The main thing is this — when you get up in the morning you must take your heart in your two hands,” the poet and storyteller turned activist Grace Paley’s father told her in what remains the finest advice on growing older. “You must do this every morning.” A few
I first heard about the "sober curious lifestyle" during conversations with some clients about Depression, Anxiety, Sleep challenges and Alertness. Then, given my curious nature, I looked more in-depth into what that means and why many people concerned about their mental health are introducing this concept in their lives.
M. Nohassi We often encounter a wide range of personalities and emotional behaviours in our daily interactions with others. Some individuals demonstrate high emotional maturity, while others may exhibit of emotional immaturity. Even the more emotionally mature people can occasionally show emotional immaturity when under stress or
“Losing will not always amount to a loss, sometimes you have to lose those toxic relationships and bad habits to create a space for better things.” ― Gift Gugu Mona Toxic relationships can manifest in various aspects of our lives, from personal connections to the workplace environment. These detrimental dynamics
Pramod Tiwari “We need much less than we think we need.” ― Maya Angelou In pursuing a fulfilling life, we often chase happiness, believing it to be the ultimate destination. We yearn for the rush of excitement, the thrill of success, and the exhilaration of new experiences. Yet,
Alice Alinari “It is one of the great paradoxes of the human condition – we ask some variation of the question, “How are you feeling?” over and over, which would lead on to assume that we attach some importance to it, yet we never expect or desire or provide
Steven Smith "Grief is not a disorder, a disease or a sign of weakness. It is an emotional, physical and spiritual necessity, the price you pay for love. The only cure for grief is to grieve." Earl Grollman Grief is a complex and deeply personal experience that
Evgeni Tcherkasski Grief is a powerful and complex emotion that accompanies losing a loved one. It can leave us feeling shattered, disoriented, and uncertain about our future. However, amidst the darkness, there is an opportunity for growth and relearning. One of the complexities of grief is that the
Marek Piwnicki In the realm of relationships, boundaries serve as the invisible force that defines our emotional and physical limits, shaping the dynamics we share with others. The first and perhaps more meaningful stage in which we learn how to locate ourselves in a relationship is