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Often when I’m speaking to my clients about the importance of certain values in their lives, the topic of spirituality or religion comes up. Many people say things like this, “Well, I was raised in the United Church.”  Often with a statement about how they no longer go to church and don’t feel they resonate with it anymore. Or “I’m a non-practicing Catholic.” Or “I believe in spirituality, but I don’t really know how to incorporate that into my life.” I see a pattern of a des

With the advent of COVID-19, it’s a wild time in the world and it’s absolutely testing our ability to cope. One thing that I’m struggling with is my ability to focus and be productive. I have so many thoughts about what I could be accomplishing, but I find myself zoning out on Instagram or binging on a new Netflix show. Then I see the people that are spending time organizing their pantries and teaching their kids to speak French and I feel even worse. I know that I just need

I had mostly written this blog post in February but just hadn’t had the chance to finish it up. Then, COVID-19 happened. And wow, did the world ever need the information here. So here it is…my 10 favourite tools for coping with stress that I use with my clients… I’m a clinical psychologist and many of the clients that I work with in therapy have been in treatment with a different psychologist in the past. I always ask them what they found helpful about therapy in the past (an

Teaching can be such a rewarding and wonderful profession, but it, unfortunately, comes with some inevitable stressors. Teachers work long (often unpaid) hours and have to manage many personalities and learning styles. There are huge increases in workload during certain times of the year (report cards for example) and by the time June hits, the kids are mostly checked out and not really listening. It’s not an easy job! I know for me, the day of my children's birthday parties

If you’re a parent, you might have wondered, how the heck do I not mess up my kids? Should I force them to go to this event even though they’re anxious about it? How do I teach them to stand up for themselves? Are they kind enough? Do they have friends? Are they working hard in school? How do I guide them and teach them what I need to know? So many decisions and many of them don’t have a clear right answer. Today’s blog is all about how to raise kids that are healthy, happy a

With the crazy pace of life these days, it’s easy to go through an entire day in a bit of a fog. I bet you’ve had days go by without once checking how your mind, body and spirit feel. Today’s blog is all about how to become more intentional about one important aspect of your day. This change can have a huge impact on your mood, energy and ultimately, the quality of your life. What I’m talking about is modifying your TRANSITIONS. Simply put, transitions are when you move from

Confession time: I used to be…well…kind of negative. I would focus too much on what was going wrong in my life. I complained. I wasn’t living the life that I knew I could. A number of years ago, I decided to make some changes. As a psychologist, I recognized that I needed to be the model of where I was guiding my clients. I started to consciously choose how I was living my life. It started gradually and before I knew it, things had shifted in a huge way. I was happier than I’

We all feel anxious sometimes and sadly some lives are ruled by anxiety. As a psychologist, I deal with anxiety on a daily basis. Anxiety can show up in different ways in your life. It can look like worry, panic attacks or feeling awkward in social situations. One thing you may find interesting is that no matter what type of anxiety you have, treatments for anxiety all have similar components. Knowing these can help to manage your anxiety and perhaps you can spread the word a

One lesson that I’ve learned myself, seen with clients and taught time and time again is that dark times almost always come to an end. The thing is, though, when you’re in the thick of it, it feels like it’s never going to stop. A great healthy reminder is to let yourself know that in a year from now, this issue will very likely not feel like a big deal anymore. It might be present, but less stressful. It might even be a blip on the radar. I remember when I was pregnant with

Do you ever feel like you’ve lost your zest for life? Sometimes things can feel monotonous: work, home, eat, sleep…repeat. One problem people can have is…what do I even LIKE anymore? Either life is too busy or maybe you’ve been feeling depressed or anxious and have just lost touch with the things that bring you joy. My favourite way reconnects with joy is to think….what did I used to love to do when I was 10? It’s a magical age where you’re old enough to know what you love, b