Why Talking About Death in Therapy is Important

Death is a heavy topic, and for many people the fear of death is often so threatening or overwhelming that individuals avoid thinking or talking about it all together. This sometimes results in the outright denial of one’s mortality, making it that much more difficult to face death when it is time, whether of oneself or a loved one. Existential Therapists believe that death, and more importantly confronting it, can enrich one’s life and allow an individual to reach their full potential while living.

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Emma Getty, RP (Q)
The Connection Between Hopelessness and Trauma

Hopelessness is a common issue in therapy for those who experience depression or have experienced trauma in their life. Abramson et al. (1989) developed The Hopelessness Theory, which describes how hopelessness develops. In this article Aleena breaks down the components that can lead to feelings of hopelessness, and the impacts this feeling can have on a person - including feelings of depression and thoughts of suicide.

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Aleena Kazi, RP (Q)
The Benefit of Structured CBT Therapy

Research has shown that having structure in your CBT sessions, especially setting an agenda, is an important element to effective therapy. This skill of structuring sessions can be quite helpful to both client and therapist as it provides order and organization to the therapy session. It helps to ensure your goals are being met, and that your time in therapy is used effectively.

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How to Talk to Kids About Fear

Fear is a regular and common emotion - we might feel it when we have a presentation, when we meet a new person, or when we think we’ve made a mistake. Emotions can be felt in our bodies and influence the way we think and act. We can have positive or negative emotions, but all of them are useful. Emotions can tell us something about ourselves or tell us what to do next. They are here to take care of us! If you need help talking about this with your kids, Toni has some tips and information that might help!

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Toni Lui, MSW RSW
What's the Difference Between a Dietitian and a Nutritionist?

When seeking out support around nutrition and eating habits, you might notice there are a variety of professionals that advertise they can support you. Two of the designations we see most frequently are “dietitians” and “nutritionists.” What’s the difference? Is one better than the other? Who should you see if you’re looking for support? We’re here to help answer these questions.

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Katherine Hall, MSW RSW
The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Your Physical and Mental Health

There are several theories as to why getting adequate sleep is required: for body rejuvenation and repair, memory consolidation, and energy conservation and restoration. To put it simply, sleep is required to keep the body healthy and functional. In this article Aleena breaks down for us the impacts of sleep deprivation, and the importance of addressing it if it’s a concern you’re finding yourself dealing with.

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Aleena Kazi, RP (Q)
What Does CBT Treatment for Depression Look Like?

When clients come to therapy for the first time they can be uncertain of what their treatment might look like. One of the common reasons individuals seek out therapy at The Growth & Wellness Therapy Centre is to get support in managing their depression. This article will give you some more understand of what you might experience throughout the therapeutic process when seeking out support for managing depression with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

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How To Support Your Child on the Autism Spectrum

Having grown up with two brothers on the spectrum, autism has always been an important area of focus for me. From walking alongside my parents and facilitating a support group for families of children on the autism spectrum, I know that parenting a child on the spectrum can sometimes feel like an isolating experience, especially at the beginning when you are just beginning to learn about the world of autism. Here are four helpful pieces to remember along your autism parenting journey.

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Maria Pettigrew, MSW RSW
How Does Sour Candy Help with Panic Attacks?

Have you heard all the recent talk about how if you’re noticing a panic attack starting up, one of the things you can reach for in addition to breathing and grounding strategies is sour candy? Well, we’re here to let you know that the talk is true, this absolutely can be an effective strategy for some people! Read more below to learn how to use candy (and other grounding strategies) to cope with panic and activate your parasympathetic nervous system.

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Katherine Hall
Wellness Tip: How to Use CBT Thought-Stopping

Have you ever found yourself ruminating on negative thoughts, constantly worrying, or mentally creating false scenarios as if on autopilot in your mind? Negative thoughts entering your mind as if on a never-ending cycle, perpetuating your stress, is often referred to as intrusive thoughts. Learn here about a technique called thought-stopping which helps increase an individual’s ability to block a response sequence in the brain.

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Amanda Maitland, RP (Q)
What Does It Mean For Things to be Reiki Infused?

If you’ve been to our office, one of the things you may have noticed for sale in our retail section is the gorgeous display of cards described as being reiki infused. We get a lot of questions about what that means. So we’re here with Marie Tran RCST®, Reiki Master and Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapist to find out more!

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Marie Tran
What Does “Self Care” Mean?

Self care is a popular buzzword. Have you ever been confused about what it means? It can be hard to define because it means different things to different people. This article covers four pillars of self-care that can be considered and implemented into daily practice.  

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Alex Kobayashi, MSW RSW
Meet Alejandra - Our DBT and Narrative Therapist!

Alejandra offers Individual, Couples and Family Psychotherapy, as well as Clinical Supervision. Alejandra focuses on helping clients cultivate their own self love, collaborating with clients in find an approach that works for them which combines evidence based treatment, intuition and traditional wisdom.

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Katherine Hall
How to Prepare for a Therapy Consultation

Preparing for an initial meeting with a therapist might feel intimidating, especially if the experience is unfamiliar. Getting ready to reach out to a therapist is an opportunity to explore your ‘why’, your reason for seeking therapy and what you hope to accomplish, all while ensuring that you feel comfortable and emotionally safe. Check out our blog for some prompts to spark your brainstorming and help guide your thought processes!

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Understanding our Feelings of Anger

Anger is often viewed as a negative emotion; however, all of our feelings are valid clues to helping us understand our patterns as well as which of our underlying needs are not being met. Taking time to understand our feelings can help us learn what our underlying unmet needs might be. With this understanding, we can begin the untangling process of our emotionally reactive patterns, as well as develop coping strategies or tools to relate to and respond from.

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Amanda Maitland, RP (Q)