During Suicide Prevention Week, we are reminded of these Canadians: our friends, family members, colleagues, and others who struggle with suicidal thoughts. Even though there are many people who struggle with suicidality, there are steps that you can take to assist a suicidal person through their crisis.

Chances are that when you think of trauma, you think of it as something that happens to other people. Or that what you have experienced isn’t nearly as bad as someone who has been raped or lived through war, so it can’t possibly be something you can complain about or have to heal from.

And yet this pandemic has likely been overwhelming for you at times, and has changed how you operate in the world.

At Panorama Wellness Group, we see social media as being a good tool for letting you know that we exist, the services we provide, and so that you can get a sense of our personalities. That being said, as therapists, it is important to each of us that we handle this responsibly and in a way that protects you and the relationship that you have with whichever practitioner you are seeing at Panorama.

All of us have been affected by Covid in one way or another. We have all had to adjust how we cope in life and interact with others. I believe that our teenagers’ experience has a few more nuances added to it. It’s important that we acknowledge the loss and grief that some teens have experienced and that they will never be able to experience school the way it was. This article was written to help them navigate the anxiety that this might be producing as they return to school this year.

There is scientific evidence to suggest the importance of a number of additional dietary factors in the management and prevention of anxiety, which include the following. To that end, I’d like to share some ways that you can manage anxiety through nutrition.

Learn more about anxiety this Fall through a series of workshops with specific topics in mind, ranging from a general introduction to what anxiety is, and progressing through specifics like the “high functioning” anxiety myth, how to use mindfulness with anxiety, and strategies and tools you might find helpful to manage your symptoms. These workshops are designed to equip you with general knowledge, but also prepare you to be curious about your experiences of anxiety.

Some of us easily connected with friends prior to COVID-19. Yet after the onset of the pandemic many of us felt disconnected or estranged from them. You may have sensed that some friends devolved into acquaintances. Other friendships may have become lackluster or stagnate. When you are feeling that a friendship has fallen on hard times, you may be frustrated, hurt, angry, or unsure how or if the friendship should continue.

Take a deep breath and have no fear. That friendship of yours that you sense has an end date may have some hope in it yet. Here are 5 ways to improve your friendships.

The word trauma often causes people to think that we only deal with the really big stuff, so you might think that what you’re dealing with isn’t really big enough to go to counselling with. And yet nothing could be further from the truth.

In counsellor-speak, we understand that there is what we call big “T” trauma and little “t” trauma, and all of it matters.

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.

Although often overlooked, more and more research is finding evidence to support a strong link between dietary habits and symptoms of anxiety. Your diet may not be the underlying cause of your anxiety, however, there is evidence to support that adjusting your eating habits can play a significant role in the management of your anxiety symptoms, in turn enabling you to lead a more meaningful and fulfilling life. Learn how your nutrition can impact your anxiety, and which foods to limit or avoid to help manage your symptoms.

As we in BC move towards lessened restrictions and our communities opening up again, you probably feel a mix of emotions: apprehension, excitement, relief, frustration, grief, and maybe even disbelief. So, what can we do to help ourselves as we figure out how to return to “normal”?

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’ve likely heard the terms trauma, trauma-informed, PTSD and trauma responses. The words fight, flight or freeze are used a lot in our culture to describe how we respond to different traumatic events. Learn how they might play out in your life or the life of a friend who has survived a traumatic event(s).

As a first responder, you are taught to control your emotions while facing difficult situations. You are also taught to be strong, to diffuse high conflict circumstances all while being stoic. And then at the end of shift, you are expected to go home and be a loving father, mother, partner, friend and live life as if nothing happened during your shift. Over time this can affect your mental well-being causing anxiety to show up in your daily life.

The word anxiety is used a lot in our society, and everyone defines it a bit differently based on their experience of it. Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress. It works as an alarm system to let you know that things aren’t quite right. It serves a helpful purpose in our lives.

When that alarm is no longer serving its purpose, you might want to consider using acupuncture to help with the symptoms.

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.

Are you wanting to build your friendship with your spouse? Start by asking questions that help you get to know each other again.

It takes an average of six years before couples look for professional help for their relationship. By that time things are pretty rough. What if you considered looking into counselling for your relationship before things get too bad?  What would do you think marriage counselling do for you then?  How can marriage counselling help you?

Research shows that pursuing your partner in marriage leads to a lower chance of divorce and increases the perceived quality of the relationship for both partners. One study done by the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia showed that dating your partner at every stage significantly improves essential components of a relationship such as commitment, parenthood stability, happiness, and communication. Whitney Regan provides four dates that consist of purposeful connection opportunities with your partner.