For many people, this is a difficult time of year. Expectations around the holidays are often unrealistic – everyone should be happy and merry and bright and stuff. Regardless of how the holiday season is for you, perhaps the best approach is to keep everything simple. In that spirit, here is a short list of […]
Recently, my talented journalist friend Anne interviewed me for a piece she is working on about joy. This gave me an opportunity to reflect and do a little digging into what we mean by joy and where it lives. This feels particularly relevant as we head into December and its dizzying combination of commercialism and […]
Addiction Awareness Week: November 18 – 22, 2013 Here are some thoughts on how you can help a friend or family member who may be struggling with an addiction. “Struggle” takes many forms. The simplest way to look at it is that the substance use or compulsive behaviour is causing problems in some part of […]
A common theme among people who are challenged to make positive changes in their lives is an inability or unwillingness to accept what is happening now or what has happened in the past. People struggling with self-defeating behaviours are often described as being in “denial”. Acceptance is the way through denial. How does denial show […]
One of the things I like the most about being a counsellor is seeing clients find clarity and make choices based on what they already know. While I never know what the client’s answer might be, I am always confident that the client can find it. I believe that clients are the experts on themselves…my […]