Many people, teens in particular, can feel less connected to their friends and community over the summer. Due to differing vacation schedules, not seeing friends at school and less extracurricular activities. Managing a lack of connection over the summer can be challenging, but there are several strategies you can try to make the most of your time and stay connected.

You can probably imagine that since my grandfather’s passing, Father’s Day hasn’t really felt the same for me. Even though I have found ways to honour him including taking a nature walk and lighting my grief candle, this day can feel more difficult than others without him. However, in this post, I wanted to extend a massive thank you to my Dad.

Taking some time to reflect on the fathers in my life

Father’s Day has always been a day I’ve anticipated without much emotion – you could say I was (and am!) neutral towards it. My memories and experiences are neither overwhelmingly amazing, nor terrible. Growing up, I recall this day to be full of gifting my dad with his favourites…like Pringles or Licorice Allsorts. Those snacks, to this day, remind me of my dad. (I notice a smile, even as I write those words.)

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.

Your child is no longer a child. Your child is a full-grown human. They have a long way to go in the world of development and growth. But you are now the parent to a graduate. An adult. Today you are more of a consultant. Your child will come to you for insight, wisdom, a shoulder to cry on and sometimes even because you are a safe place to blow up in – they know you can hold space for them in this. Wow. What a privilege.

Art has been recognized as a powerful form of self-expression and a therapeutic tool for managing anxiety. Anxiety is a common mental health challenge that can affect individuals of all ages and backgrounds, often leading to heightened stress, worry, and discomfort. However, art can offer a unique and creative way to cope with anxiety.

I will never forget the first time I read Elizabeth Stone’s quote on becoming a parent, “Making the decision to have a child - it is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.” When I read this quote I was stunned..

We recently opened a second office based in the Panorama neighbourhood of Surrey, BC. This has been a super exciting, and at times overwhelming, adventure. You never know how a new space is actually going to feel until you get in there. And at the same time, we have had a few questions asked about this decision that I thought it might be good to take some time and answer them here.

Moving into this year’s celebration of Mother’s Day I find myself surprised at how at my age I still need the affection and nurture that my mom offers. You may feel the same way when you are faced with life’s inevitable twists and turns. Or maybe when you think of a mother’s love all you feel is a pang in your heart from not ever experiencing this in your own life.

Mother’s Day brings with it such a mixture of emotions, thoughts, expectations and perhaps even triggering memories. You might notice you feel light and tingly excitement – maybe you’re even anticipating your first Mother’s Day. (If so – congratulations!!) There may be a part of you that cringes a little. You’d like the day to pass without a word, without a social media reminder, without interaction with others.

I find Mother’s Day to be a bit of an enigma to me.

As a woman, I wear many different hats when it comes to Mother’s Day. I am a daughter, mother to adult children, step-mother, mother to a teenager and a grandmother. Mother’s Day brings up a whole bunch of things for me!

Welcoming our first two grandchildren and watching while my son becomes a father has been an unexpected, delightful epilogue to motherhood. On the one hand, the love poured into my internal vessel labelled Mom feels full and rich. But there is more to motherhood that I am keenly aware of and particularly sensitive to especially relating to the work I do with clients.

Most of us, at some point in our life, have engaged in emotional eating. This most often happens when we feel anxious, worried, stressed, sad, or nervous. Once in a while, this is not an issue, but if you are constantly eating in an attempt to mask your feelings it can be problematic. We often reach for food when we are experiencing these emotions because food can provide short term relief

In counselling not only noticing positive moments but also spending focused time on what it’s like to feel them, experience them physically and pausing to really experience that positiveness – those are all powerful in healing.

When you spend time focused on, or privileging the positive, you can begin to create new neural pathways in your brain. These new pathways are supportive strength factors. They help you to experience yourself, others, relationships and experiences in positive, newfound ways.

When we are met with loss in our life, we are overwhelmed with a wave of emotions. The time proceeding a death is filled with immense sadness, confusion, frustration, anger and sometimes regret. In addition to this, some people may find that they are experiencing anxiety but it’s a symptom that is more often overlooked.

You might wonder at times why you struggle to want to get together or hang out with friends. It could seem strange (frustrating, even!) that you feel both lonely and anxious at the same time.

Your loneliness leads to some feelings of isolation, maybe sadness or what feels a bit like depression. You can’t seem to shake it or “get over” it.

You may be considering couples (or marriage) counselling for you and your partner. Perhaps you’ve been together for what feels like a hot second. Maybe, you feel you’ve been together forever and the relationship is feeling a little stagnant. Conflict may be high, or it could be the mundaneness of your relationship that you’re finding makes for a feeling of being stuck. And you’re wondering if marriage counselling can work for you.

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.

It is totally understandable to react with shock or unease to an unexpected event that you were not prepared for such as when a loved one gets seriously ill, or you are in a car accident. You may connect the word trauma to an experience like this. Other common events associated with the word trauma could be war, assault, or abuse. You would be correct in thinking that these things embody the word trauma, but it only represents a small percentage of what is actually experienced as traumatic in our lives.