How to create change without shaming yourself
July 05, 2021 | Anxiety, General, Therapeutic Process
When we’re interested in personal growth, we recognize that there are things about ourselves we want to change or improve: it could be traits, behaviours, attitudes, or mindsets we hold. However, sometimes, the way we approach this is by beating ourselves up for being who we are today. In the video below, I talk about…
How we can support Indigenous Peoples’ wellness
June 21, 2021 | General, Social Justice, Society
In honour of Indigenous History Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day, I wanted to talk about how we can support Indigenous Peoples’ wellness as healthcare professionals, and the importance of cultural competency. These dates aim to celebrate the culture, experiences and contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples and learn more about their history….
Basic Emotions: Their meaning and need
May 26, 2021 | Emotions, General
If you remember, we started off the month with Canadian Mental Health Week (in the US it’s Mental Health Awareness Month, too). The theme this year was “understanding our emotions” and, since that’s one of my favourite topics, I decided to talk about it all through May. In my last post, I told you what…
Understanding our emotions
May 03, 2021 | Emotions, General
It’s Canadian Mental Health Week! This year’s theme is understanding our emotions and we’re here for it. I love asking my clients, why do you think we have emotions? When I do, I get anything from a blank stare of confusion to very intuitive answers. As part of the ensuing conversation, we usually discuss how…
Negotiating between Authenticity and Attachment
April 14, 2021 | Connection, General
I attended a presentation once with Dr. Gabor Maté where he said something to the effect of, “we are always negotiating between authenticity and attachment”. It was a casual mention; a random thought in an larger argument: how our history influences not only our mental health, but also the health of our bodies. Although I…
Racial discrimination: What we can do
March 21, 2021 | General, Social Justice, Society
March 21st is International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. This date also kickstarts a Week of Solidarity with the Peoples Struggling Against Racism and Racial Discrimination. It commemorates the 1960 massacre in Sharpeville, South Africa, where police killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against the apartheid pass laws. Talking about racial discrimination…
What self-worth is really about
February 25, 2021 | General, Self-worth
In the world we live in, we typically equate our worth to what we can offer or achieve: the quality of our work, how much we do for others, our degrees, the number in our bank account. Seeing it that way, it’s easy to get confused. Our self-worth seems to depend on what we are…
HANDOUT: Using Love Languages for Self-Care and Self-Soothing
January 27, 2021 | General, Handouts, Self Care
Have you heard about the “5 Love Languages“, as developed by Dr. Gary Chapman? To be perfectly honest, I don’t know much about it, as I’ve never read his books. I recently learned that he’s a controversial figure, on account of using this concept to justify problematic behaviour in relationships. Please know that I don’t…
The traumatizing experience of systemic discrimination
June 29, 2020 | General, Social Justice, Society, Therapeutic Process, Trauma
I’ve always thought it strange that we have the “day of” or the “month of” in our calendars. I think it often ends up as a perfunctory exercise on performative involvement, or as a marketing strategy at worst. Despite this, today I’d like to choose a less cynical, more hopeful outlook, and focus on thinking…
On activism, race, and privilege
June 01, 2020 | General, Social Justice, Society
I am an immigrant woman; I have an accent. I’ve been told my skin is too light and I’m white passing. I’ve actually been told, “to me you’re white!” which hurt because, guess what, I am Latina. My experiences and background align with my identity of Latina, too. On the other hand, I’ve also heard…