Box Breathing
Associate Therapist, Madeline Kang, describes how to use box breathing to soothe anxiety.
The 5-4-3-2-1 Technique
Counselling for All Associate Therapists, Cassey, Jialin and Mariya explain the 5-4-3-2-1 technique as a grounding tool for anxiety.
Emotional Regulation with STOP
Many people come to counselling with concerns about anxiety. It’s such a common complaint, and yet the person experiencing anxiety can often feel completely isolated and alone.
Dealing with Resentment
Holding on to resentment can poison your life. Holding on to any negative emotions can shift your perspective about life. Combating that resentment can be very challenging, but it’s important to make changes for your own mental health.
Benefits of Group Therapy
One of the most important benefits of group therapy is the sense of community that is gained from sharing experiences. Those participating in group therapy can frequently find some comfort in the fact that they have not been the only one to experience a similar challenge or issue.
Learning to Set Boundaries between Your Personal and Professional Life
Boundaries are not only about knowing when to say “no”, but they are also about setting an expectation about the treatment you receive from others.
Binge Eating Disorder and Coping Skills
Understanding BED and adopting healthy coping skills are essential in overcoming this disorder and developing a healthier relationship with food.
Handling Grief: Losing a Loved One While Living Far From Home
Losing a loved one—whether suddenly or after a prolonged illness is never easy. The pain can be overwhelming, even more so when you are physically far from home and family.
Addressing Burnout from Informal Caregiving
Informal caregiving can be defined as providing care for a family member, friend or acquaintance without pay and often without any specific training in providing care.
Coping with Chronic Pain through Counselling
Chronic pain can begin in many ways, often with an injury that does not heal, or it can appear due to mental health issues.
Hyper Self-Reliance
Hyper self-reliance can be a trauma response. Sometime in the past, you have learned that you have no one else but yourself to rely upon so you do everything yourself.
Navigating a Career Change in Midlife
For many people, their careers carry more meaning than a paycheck, it can also mean a sent of identity which some are reluctant to change.
Coping with Workplace Stress
Workplace stress is something that affects many people in all types of working environments. However, the effects of workplace stress can be harmful and can be caused for several reasons
Helping Parents Support Children and Youth Who Self-Harm
As a parent, finding out that your child is self-harming can be difficult to accept and it is okay to feel powerless, anxious, and upset. This can be something very difficult to address with your child, but there are ways that you can support them.
Rumination
Thinking of negative experiences can re-traumatize us and make it more difficult for us to move on. So how do we stop ruminating?
Grief and the Latino/a/x Community
In Spanish grief is translated to pesadumbre, which is routed in the word pesado meaning heavy or weighty. This word reflects the burden of carrying your grief with you and living your life for those who have gone before you.
Self-Compassion
We have all had at least one no good, very bad day. The kind of day where you sleep through your alarm, you spill your coffee (usually on yourself), you can’t find your keys when you are already late,
Showing Yourself Compassion
Compassion is something that many people practice for others, but are unfamiliar with practicing for themselves. Self-compassion can be difficult to evoke for many people as they have had to be self-reliant and independent. It can be hard to trust a softer emotion. We are our own worst critics, often disparaging ourselves as we know all the things we do wrong.
Visiting Family; Preemptive Self-care
Oftentimes, society can influence us to think that we need to enjoy every moment with our families and feel excited to go visit them. This simply is not always the case. We need to know that it is okay if you do not feel that way.
How to Talk to an Adult You Trust About Your Mental Health
There is nothing easy about being a teenager. There are a lot of teens who want emotional support or feel that they are struggling with a mental health issue, but they aren’t sure how to tell their parents, or they are afraid to bring it up.
Preventing Burnout
After severe burnout, recovery can take years. This affects so many people and isn’t limited to one area of your life. You can be burnt out at work, or at home, with family or friends. You can be burnt out of any or all aspects of your life.
Rituals
Rituals anchor us to the person that we want to be. Routines are meaningful activities that support our mental, physical, and emotional health.
Creating a New Story Through Therapy
Have you ever had a painful memory that you just could not stop thinking about? It’s the kind of memory where all you can see is what you could have done differently or why you were at fault. Would you like to explore finding a way to modify the story, one where these memories can turn into something more tolerable if not more positive?
The Wounded Healer
The 'wounded healer' was initially based on a Greek myth about Chiron, a skilled healer who was ailed by persistent suffering. To tend to this eternal physical and internal wound, it was essential to foster his gift of being able to heal others.
Myths About Meditation
As I continued to develop my knowledge of meditation, I thought of misconceptions I had during my learning experience. As these myths may be shared amongst our readers, I aim to provide some insight.
The Benefits of Art Therapy
Creating art has always been something that has helped me through challenging times. Not only as a way of expressing emotion, but also to uncover hidden feelings. If we delve into the aspects of why art can have a positive effect on the mental health of individuals, it will become apparent why art as a therapeutic modality can benefit both children (Malboeuf-Hurtubise, et al., 2021) and adults (Moula, 2024; Sheridan & Van Lith, 2024).
Morning Routine
A morning routine refers to a habitual practice one goes through at the start of the day; it's the first hit of dopamine our brain receives. Dopamine plays a significant role in many areas of our human lives; as a hormone, a part of the brain's reward system, it impacts pleasure and drive.
Bridging the Gap: Self-Awareness
One of the most critical roles self-awareness plays is in helping us recognize whether our behaviors align with our values and long-term goals. When there’s a mismatch between what you truly want and how you’re behaving, it can lead to feelings of frustration, dissatisfaction, or even anxiety.
Recognizing Trauma in Children and How to Support Them
When a child goes through a traumatic event, they can experience very strong emotions and physical reactions. These reactions may resolve in the weeks that follow or they may be complicated by individual or situational factors such as family/peer support, personal coping skills, family history, or previous trauma.
Why Do We Mimic Facial Expressions?
Facial mimicry is an automatic response where we unconsciously replicate the facial expressions of those around us. This response is deeply rooted in the brain’s mirror neuron system.
Change in the Unknown
Recently I was asked if people could change. Certainly, I thought. I’ve changed this sentence structure to place the subject into anonymity; a passive construction that most people wouldn’t pick up on
The First Year of Life: A Journey of Mental, Physical, and Emotional Growth in Babies
The first year of a child’s life is an incredible period marked by rapid development across physical, cognitive, and emotional domains. Understanding this growth can help parents and caregivers suppor
Self-love is not Selfish
Do you remember being asked about things you love about yourself but having nothing or minimum things to say? However, you feel more comfortable counting things you love about others. Growing up in an
The Benefits of Counselling for Individuals with ADHD
The Benefits of Counselling for Individuals with ADHDAs someone who frequently works with young adults who have a disability, I have often encountered persons who have experienced challenges due to At
Navigating the Complexities of Modern Dating
Discover how to navigate dating and relationships with a grounded approach
Being Aware of Your Social Battery
Discover how to balance time for yourself and relationships
Overcoming Avoidant Behaviors Rooted in Anxiety
Avoidant behaviors often arise as a coping mechanism for anxiety, providing temporary relief but ultimately reinforcing the very anxiety they are meant to mitigate. If you're struggling with avoidant
Boundaries
Learn about boundaries and how they help maintain healthy relationships and personal well-being
Managing Burnout
Strategies you can learn from how Associate Therapist Breann manages burnout