Discovering that a friend or family member is suffering with clinical depression can leave us feeling scared, worried and unsure of how to help. Learning more about depression and its treatments can help you understand what your friend or family member is going through and how to best support them. Doing some research on the signs, symptoms and treatments of depression can also help you know … [Read more...]
Understanding Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is an evidence-based approach to couples counselling which focuses on understanding and managing the emotional states of clients. In particular, EFT looks at the attachment relationships that clients have with the people in their lives. This approach seeks to help couples understand their own emotions, as well as their relationship to their partner. At the … [Read more...]
Is this a Midlife Crisis or Depression?
Are you in your 40s or 50s and feeling empty and low for no apparent reason? If so, you may be in the throes of a midlife crisis. At times you may question whether this could be depression, however, what you are feeling is a normal shift in the aging process. Research tells us that midlife is the time when we are most likely to feel down. The Happiness U-Curve, taken from a collection of … [Read more...]
Attachment Styles: What Everyone Needs to Know
“We do as we have been done by.”― John Bowlby Have you ever noticed yourself repeating certain patterns of behaviour in your romantic relationships? Perhaps you wonder why you always attract the same kind of person, or why you often end up in the same negative cycle when you fight with your partner. Many of these behaviours evolve from your attachment style, a way of relating to others … [Read more...]
5 Ways To Feel Better Right Now Without Therapy: Part One, Cultivate Awareness
I'm a therapist, so believe me when I say that therapy is good and helpful and a lifeline for many people. If I didn't believe that, I wouldn't be in the field. However, therapy is not always accessible. Community services out there are growing, but unfortunately we have a long way to go before mental healthcare is available to all Canadians in the same way as physical healthcare. Thankfully, … [Read more...]
What to Do When You Can’t Change the Outcome
Have you ever felt powerless? As though you are no longer in the driving seat and not really sure if you ever were? No need to answer; it's part of the human condition. We like to be in control—to know that the small plot of land we are in charge of, namely our own lives, are ours to groom, pull out weeds and plant seeds as we wish. But our neat little gardens rarely stay well manicured—before … [Read more...]