How to create a sustainable self-care plan that goes beyond bubble baths
Self-care refers to the idea of taking care of yourself so that you can be healthy and functional. When we think about self-care a lot of people immediately think of things that feel good or relaxing - taking a bath, having a snack, reading a book or lighting a candle and practicing mindfulness. While these can be components of self-care, there are other areas it’s important to focus on that attend to your overall wellbeing not just your state of happiness or calmness. In this article we are going to break these down into four domains of self-care to consider when making a plan to support yourself.
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What Does a Sandtray Worldplay Therapy Appointment Look Like?
Sandtray can be a way to process memories, dreams, experiences and goals in session with your therapist without (or in addition to) engaging in traditional talk therapy. It can be used with individuals of all ages and backgrounds, though tends to resonate most with clients who are open to connecting with their more child-like self, who are willing to let go of addressing issues purely on a cognitive level, and who are ready to follow their instincts and senses without needing to justify or intellectualize them. Click here to learn more about this approach!
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How to Talk to Kids About Anger
Anger is a regular emotion, one that comes out explosively for some people and slowly builds up and creeps out of us over time for others. Some people get angry because they are scared or don’t know what to do, others experience anger when someone is mean or hurtful to them. If you need help talking about this with your kids, Toni has some tips and information that might help!
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What is Narrative Therapy and How Can It Help Me?
Vaveena walks us through the theoretical principles and some of the basic interventions used in Narrative Therapy, an approach numerous clients find helpful for exploring issues of depression, trauma, complex grief, self-image and anxiety.
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Types of Exposure You Might Experience in ERP Therapy for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by recurring intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviours that attempt to alleviate distressing thoughts. Exposure and response prevention (ERP) is a therapy technique that has been found to be effective in treating OCD, which involves in part working to safely expose the patient to feared stimuli in a way that supports them to build up their tolerance to that stimuli, and reframe their related thoughts and fears. This exposure can be done in two ways: through in vivo exposure and imaginal exposure.
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Meet Chelsea - Supporting You with Self-Esteem and Confidence
Today we’re getting to know Chelsea Hack, MSW RSW. Chelsea is one of the newest members of our team, providing individual and family therapy both in office and online around issues including self-esteem, self-confidence, stress, life transitions and relationships.
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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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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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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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Getting to Know Heather Bray, Registered Dietitian!
Heather Bray, RD, is one of the newest members of our team! We sat down with her to understand more about her practice, her philosophy, and her experiences as both a human and a mind-body practitioner. Heather provides support around intuitive eating, nutrition planning, the intersection of nutrition and mental health, and more.
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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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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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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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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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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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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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Meet Our Life Coach, Mabel Vonk!
Meet Mabel, our warm and supportive life coach! Mabel helps individuals move from anxiety, stress, overwhelm, feeling stuck or in conflict to a life of well-being, connection, joy, and aliveness.
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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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