Having trouble being Empathetic?

Empathy, it’s definitely something I know how to do very well when I’m seeing clients in my Kanata office. But when I’m off duty from my work as a therapist and on Mom duty, well I don’t always earn high marks in being empathetic towards my partner or my children.  We’ve  all make mistakes and been

Is Step-Parenting Getting You Down?

Being a stepparent is hard work You feel in love and decided to get married or move in together. Congratulations! How exciting! But now after the wedding, the honeymoon, the move, trying to merge your stuff with his or her stuff comes reality. Just when you want to settle in for a nice quiet evening

Your Bounce Back Ability

BAD THINGS HAVE HAPPENED: NOW WHAT? At different stages of our lives, we must face challenges that we never imagined.  Major life changes, whether they are positive or negative, like getting married or going through a divorce,  or losing your job, can pose serious adjustment struggles. Changes that are unexpected or painful pose additional problems

Is Your Past Holding you Down?

Do you sometimes feel stuck with an old hurt, or feeling of guilt or fear from your past that holds you down? That makes is hard for you to engage fully with your present moments? Sometimes, old wounds and hurts seem to have a life of their own, surfacing once in a while and interfering

When a Child Dies

A Child’s Death When a child dies, your family is dealt a significant blow. The family may seem to break down as roles start to shift. Parents may be at a loss as to what their roles are now that they have lost a child. How do you see your identity in the family? How

Is it Possible to Save your Marriage?

5 Quick tips to Saving your Marriage 1) Accept Responsibility for Yourself You and only you are responsible for your actions or inactions. This can be a real tough statement to accept, because it means you need to look at yourself, your words and your behaviours and see how they have impacted your partner and

How to know if it’s time to get professional help?

The quality of our emotional and mental health is not tangible – it is mostly invisible: you feel, experience and live with it. Sometimes you might wonder if therapy may be right for you. You’ve tried your best, you have read self-help books and you’re still having emotional pain or relationship difficulties. You may be

Letting Go of Poison

In life, we are bound to feel let down, betrayed, lied to and host of other things that leave us feeling resentful or disappointed. Letting go of resentment can free us from a sense of powerlessness and make the way for us to experience the joyful side of life. You may often hear things like