Back to school is just around the corner, and emotions may be running high. Children and teens may feel excited, sad, anxious, nervous, afraid, stressed or a combination of feelings all rolled together. Sometimes this looks like increased crying or clingy behavior, temper-tantrums, irritability, withdrawal or acting out, stomach aches or headaches. Parents may [...]
A few days ago, my friend said to me "My body isn't bikini ready yet". My response? I told her that everybody is a bikini body. You have a body, you put a bikini on it, BAM: bikini body. This time of year we are inundated with messaging suggesting that all bodies need to look [...]
Vulnerability has a bad reputation. Most people will do what they can to avoid it at all costs. It is often uncomfortable, sometimes messy, and the outcomes are unpredictable. Yet, it is an inevitable part of life. It is also the pathway to our hopes, goals, and dreams. According to researcher and author Brené [...]
The landscape of fertility/infertility is vast and overrun with a complex, passionate story for many people. As therapists at Synergy counselling we are witnesses to the courage and humility involved in the living of these stories. The scope of fertility counselling/support is a wide spectrum and can include: supporting LGBTQ and heterosexual couples to prepare for conception [...]
Why journal: Writing can do wonders for your health and keeping a journal has great benefits you can enjoy immediately. Beyond keeping your creative juices flowing regular writing can give you a safe, cathartic release valve for the stresses of your daily life. In fact, there's so much data about the mental and [...]
Separation and divorce are not a new concept. Generally speaking, the divorce rate in Canada is roughly 40%. This does not reflect the diversity of relationships that end in separation. However, this is a high enough number to make the matter of separation one of public interest, particularly considering how many parents are concerned [...]
Not too long ago, couples didn’t look to each other to have many needs met other than raising children and seeking financial stability. Now, couples want their partners to be their predictable, secure best friend, and at the same time, their mysterious, sexy Hollywood lover. And, to add to this challenge, we live in [...]
Many people see the start of a New Year as an opportunity to make resolutions to better themselves or to work toward new goals. By the end of January, most of us have abandoned our efforts because we haven’t been perfect enough in our attempt. Perhaps we forgot about the resolutions for a couple [...]
Peppermint mochas have now officially surpassed pumpkin spice lattes. There's no denying it - the holiday season is upon us! As always, most of us can expect a busy season of friends, family, parties, shopping, decorating, cooking, baking, entertaining and so forth. And let's not forget about that controversial elf. Needless to say, the holidays are packed with extras. [...]
Parenting is hard. A common theme I encounter is parents’ desire to alleviate suffering for their child. Also most parents find it difficult to see their child hurting emotionally. In our well intentioned efforts to help, soothe, and reduce suffering we sometimes end up accidentally minimizing our children’s feelings leaving them with experiences of [...]
