If you’ve considered contacting a counsellor or psychotherapist and then stopped before you booked in, this post is for you. Maybe you got busy and just forgot when the urgency of the moment settled. There can be a whole host of questions or thoughts that can come up for people when they consider booking a counselling appointment.
Losing a loved one is an indelibly painful experience that can feel like being submerged in the depths of an unforgiving ocean. Profound loss can cause you to question everything you know, or thought you knew. The world can feel surreal and you may experience intense waves of anger, loss of purpose or direction, and intense isolation.
How counselling can help with anxiety and support you to find a way to live in harmony and experience a more peaceful and satisfying life.
Maybe you’ve meditated before, maybe you’ve wanted to meditate, but didn’t know where to begin, or maybe you think meditation is some hippy, woo-woo, granola thing and you’ve rolled your eyes at it.
As a psychotherapist who specializes in sexuality, I have spent much time contemplating what is happening-- emotionally, physically, spiritually, relationally-- when our sex lives are thriving. Through my research, I have also talked to both men and women who have embraced their sexuality as an essential aspect of who they are.
The message that we ‘should’ all engage in self care is everywhere. This can leave self care feeling like one more thing to put on our to do lists. At every turn – be it magazine covers or blog posts - we’re promised happiness and contentment if we simply follow "these 4 simple steps".
If you've had one significant traumatic event, or several traumatic events occur in your life, finding a skilled trauma therapist is essential. This past week I have had the privilege of working with first-responder/military couples, in group format, where one partner has a PTSD diagnosis.
Stay Gold is defined by the Urban Dictionary as “being true to yourself, innocent, uncorrupted, unblemished”. Lavender Counselling is honoured to introduce the Stay Gold Ju Jitsu and Fitness Academy where they are deeply committed to destigmatizing mental health challenges and to helping those who train there ‘Stay Gold’.
What we know about trauma is that the body remembers some of the specific details in a concrete and tangible way. We cannot predict which ones it will remember and often people feel frustrated by the things that their system ‘on alert’ responds to.
Today, November 18th is International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day. It is a day where people from across the globe can come together to recognize the profound impact traumatic grief leaves in its wake. It is a time to remember those loved ones who have been lost and to support survivors who live on with this often unbearable weight.