Hi everyone, After much thought and consideration I have decided to re-shift my focus and cease writing new blog posts at this time. Truth be told doing a graduate degree has burnt me out from writing! And then I found podcasting! I am happy to continue to share my...
A Journey to the Heart
I attended a presentation entitled A Journey to the Heart. Not only can the language we use with our children be overlooked, the language can be overheard by our children and consequently misunderstood. We must speak to our children from the heart You may...
Parent Consultation
I am presently accepting new appointments for parent consultations. Note: the term parents also includes other adults in the life of a child or youth i.e. grandparents, foster or kinship careers etc. This service is great to do virtually anywhere and can meet your...
Mindfulness Starts Here: An Eight-Week Guide to Skillful Living By: Lynette Monterio, PhD and Frank Musten, PhD
Lynette Monterio co-founded the Ottawa Mindfulness Clinic with Frank Musten. These professionals are situated in Ottawa, ON and I like to support local resources. I picked this book up and quickly realized it would be a beneficial resource for my psychotherapy...
What Trauma Is and Why We Need to Understand It Better
Trauma. What comes to mind when you hear this word? Usually it is a thought related to a catastrophic loss or tragic circumstance. Usually. But what if today you worked with a definition of trauma that was different; that had you understanding trauma in a different...
Self-Care: Why We Need to Nurture Ourselves to be Better Parents
For me as a helper working with a highly vulnerable population the theme of encouraging healthy habits cannot be closer to my heart. As a child and youth care practitioner/registered psychotherapist it is virtually impossible for me to do my job well if I am not...
The Pause, the Notice and The Space in Between
In the world of Psychology, Mindfulness practice has grown into a recognized treatment for a variety of mental health issues and struggles. Dr's Lynn Monterio and Frank Musten are co-founders of the Ottawa Mindfulness Clinic in Ottawa, Ontario they describe...
Why We Sometimes Stay in Unhealthy Relationships: Looking at Early Caregiver Relationships
Staying in an unhealthy relationship may be out of sense of duty or obligation or maybe because you took a vow, you are married and it is until death do you part. Maybe you stay in an unhealthy relationship because you don’t view the interactions, the communication in...
Thinking About Quitting Therapy? Here’s What You Need to Know
Clients unless they are mandated to attend therapy can quit at any point. If you are in therapy and thinking about quitting, here is what you need to know. Do not to quit abruptly. Honour your therapy experience by talking openly and honestly with your therapist about...
How to Help Teens Manage Strong Emotions and Move to Acceptance
The teenage years are tumultuous at best; it is an in between period, no longer a child and not yet an adult. I talk a lot about this with the teens and families I work with. It is important I think to introduce this idea for teens and their positive adult support;...