As you begin the search for the right counsellor, you might be wondering how to get started, and what to look for. This blog will give you some tips on what to consider as you search for an in person or virtual counsellor near you.

As we are now heading in to fall, the days are slowly getting shorter with us having less day light. Have you experienced any change in mood? Perhaps not wanting to go for that morning walk, or perhaps not wanting to meet your friend at that patio to have a barbeque?

When you begin the counselling process you might have a specific concern to address or maybe you just want to be proactive about your wellbeing. As your counsellor it is my job to help you clarify what it is you want to get from attending. It is always good to start off with a short term and longer term goal so that you can measure the benefits of coming with clear targets.

We are excited to announce that we are opening a second clinic in Surrey, BC! If you are new to Panorama Wellness Group, you may be wondering who we are, and what kind of services we provide. So I thought I’d take an opportunity to share our vision with you here.

Sometimes when your “to do” lists feel unending, the idea of connecting with your partner can feel like one more thing on that list. You would love to just float away to some tropical island and have unlimited time to focus on your relationship, but when you wake up to a blaring alarm, complaining kids, or a snoring partner, the reality of life sets in. You go from task to task only to discover you are two ships passing and some days you might start to wonder, is this is all there is?

Learning what healthy love, attachment and relationships look like in a safe and ongoing context can help you adjust your attachment style.

As we start on the 3rd year of this global pandemic, it feels like we are all stuck on a treadmill of doom and gloom. We have survived two years of tremendous uncertainty and upheaval to our way of life. What was supposed to be a short-term problem has become a weird new routine that involves much loss. This is traumatizing.

The idea of gratitude is that it’s not just available to us when everything is going well, but even despite things not going well, we can still feel or embody it. That, to me, feels hopeful. If we had to wait until the choppy seas of life calmed entirely to feel grateful, we may be waiting a long time. Gratitude is a powerful emotion that actually has the ability to change your brain... It’s true!

Before you start counselling work with any practitioner, it is your right to know about the possible risks and benefits of receiving counselling. It’s so important to explore what you can expect, or need to be aware of, in order to set yourself up for success and make an informed decision about whether counselling is right for you.

You’ve made the decision to get some help with an area in your life that you’ve been struggling with, but you’re a bit anxious about what counselling will look like. Lisa Catallo shares her experience of meeting with a counsellor for the first time to help answer some of your questions.

Is EMDR therapy for you? Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is one approach to doing counselling that was developed about 30 years ago as a way of helping you process traumatic experiences or memories. EMDR is evidence-based and proven to be very effective in helping people find help dealing with anxiety, panic attacks, disturbing memories, performance anxiety, sexual and/or physical abuse, complicated grief and stress.

When you picture going to a counsellor what comes to mind? Laying on a couch? Crying uncontrollably the whole session? Maybe you picture it being hard work because of the things that you need help with or have been putting off for so long. So what is counselling actually like?

Each therapist has their own unique way of running their sessions, but at Panorama Wellness Group there are some key core elements in how the counselling process works.

You’ve decided that talking to your friends and your hairdresser isn’t giving you the help you need. You want to find someone who is purposeful about helping you find solutions and healing and has the proper training to do so. So you start your search for a counsellor to help you reach your goals for a healthier you. But how do you know what you’re looking for?

You have had friends tell you that you might benefit from some counselling, but you’re not really sure what to expect. Lisa Catallo shares some information about what counselling is…and isn’t.

If a loved one is suffering from an injury, it may be difficult to navigate the ways that you can support them as they recover. Serena shares a few helpful suggestions for ways that you can support that person.

When you have a family member who has been injured, it can often feel like you’re going through some things that others don’t understand.  You now have a role to fill, and you might be wondering how best to do that. Serena Graf shares some practical ways of navigating this.

These are memes and sayings that you might see on Facebook, and let’s face it, some of the beliefs of your current clients.  They come in for a haircut and leave feeling lighter not only because there’s less hair, but because they got to unload.  On you.

The setting that you provide primes your client to feel like they can share what’s going on for them…

You’re sitting in class, or at your computer, waiting for the teacher to begin the lesson. You forgot to complete the assignment that was due today because you felt tired for “no real reason”. Or you tried looking at it, but then nothing made sense, so you closed your computer.

You know that you will have to try and explain to your parents or teacher (or both!) of why you can’t “just do it”...

As the months have dragged on, you may have noticed your mental health is starting to struggle a bit as a result of the pandemic we are experiencing. Lisa Catallo shared 5 ways that you can practically take steps to care for your mental and emotional health during this difficult time.