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April 26, 2013

Please Tell Me What to Do!! The Role of Advice in Counselling

The Motivation to Seek Help Most people enter counselling during a period of distress in their lives. Usually every effort is made to cope until… (more)

Addictions

Help for Substance Misuse: Why Willow Tree Counselling?

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It’s one thing to recognize that you want help for an addictions issue; it’s another to know where to get that help. The choices for… (more)

Anxiety

Phone Counselling

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When face-to-face counselling is not an option or, does not appeal as an option, phone counselling can be a viable alternative. When many people hear… (more)

Coping With Loneliness and the Holiday Season

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It’s all around us, come holiday time: messages of togetherness, harmony and family closeness. For some of us, this is reflective of our family ties… (more)

Change!? Why Change?

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In last month’s Listening Ear, I made the announcement that my office was moving from its current location at 1271 Howe Street, down the road… (more)

The Sad Little Poinsettia

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I recently took some time off for the holiday season and returned to find a scraggly little poinsettia in my waiting room, reminiscent of the… (more)

Perfectionism and the Holiday Season

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When it comes to holidays, there are a lot of ideals out there, messages that come at us in both subtle and obvious ways. Sometimes… (more)

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

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I utilize Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), a research-based method for treating specific symptoms of anxiety, depression and other life issues, unless my clients are seeking a… (more)

Panic Attack Tips

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If you’ve ever experienced a panic attack, chances are you may have wondered if you were going to die, or your symptoms may have completely… (more)

Postpartum Tips

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There is no “one size fits all” for what works. Strategies that some women have found helpful, that you can mix and match, depending on… (more)

The Benefits of Anxiety

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Anxiety’s Reputation Let’s face it, anxiety has a bad rap. It’s well deserved: according to the Anxiety Disorders Association of Canada, anxiety is the most common… (more)

Surviving the Holiday Season

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Expectations ‘Tis the season to be jolly! Or is it? Our society is steeped in expectations about the holidays, both religious and secular: Being home… (more)

Counselling

Please Tell Me What to Do!! The Role of Advice in Counselling

–

The Motivation to Seek Help Most people enter counselling during a period of distress in their lives. Usually every effort is made to cope until… (more)

Your Counselling Bill of Rights

–

If you are attending counselling with a sincere heart, this is an act of emotional vulnerability; you are trusting in the counsellor to help you… (more)

Phone Counselling

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When face-to-face counselling is not an option or, does not appeal as an option, phone counselling can be a viable alternative. When many people hear… (more)

Intermittent Therapy: Is it For You?

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Many times people ask me what my counselling approach is. Sometimes what they mean by this is “Are you going to analyze me like Freud… (more)

Cracking the Code: A Guide to Understanding Counselling Credentials (Or, What Do All Those Letters Behind Their Names Mean, Anyway?)

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I have a huge amount of empathy for anyone trying to find a counsellor in the Vancouver area. Vancouver’s most notable counselling directory, Counselling BC… (more)

Helping the Helper

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Over the years, I’ve had the privilege and honour of welcoming a number of health and mental health professionals to my counselling practice. I’ve met… (more)

How To Fire Your Therapist

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I work in a profession where my goal is to repeatedly get myself fired by my clients. If I’ve done my job correctly, I will… (more)

Therapist Burnout (And Why it Matters to Clients)

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There is a lot of information available for counsellors encouraging their self-care. Wouldn’t this come naturally for therapists? Oftentimes, the answer is no. Sometimes therapists… (more)

Are You a Counselling Virgin? – What You Need to Know About Starting Therapy

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So you’ve gone to all the hard work of finding a therapist. Now what? Some of the most common questions I hear from people new… (more)

Assumptions for Therapy: Can You Relate?

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Setting the Stage Occasionally people are surprised when I ask what they want out of counselling, telling me that they’re keeping an open mind and… (more)

Counselling vs. Psychotherapy: What’s The Diff?

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I am sometimes asked how counselling and therapy differ from one another. It’s a confusing thing; they’re similar and the terms are often used interchangeably,… (more)

Counselling the Counsellor

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Counselling Works! One of my favourite subjects is counselling. Probably an obvious point, since I’m a counsellor. I live the experience with my clients and… (more)

Ten Tips For Getting the Most Out of Therapy

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I am sometimes asked whether there are specific things that can be done to help augment the experience of coming for therapy or to maximize… (more)

Finding A Therapist

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Choosing Counselling The decision to enter therapy often comes at a time of crisis: either something significant has occurred in your life to bring you… (more)

Depression

Phone Counselling

–

When face-to-face counselling is not an option or, does not appeal as an option, phone counselling can be a viable alternative. When many people hear… (more)

Coping With Loneliness and the Holiday Season

–

It’s all around us, come holiday time: messages of togetherness, harmony and family closeness. For some of us, this is reflective of our family ties… (more)

Top Tips for Eating Well When You’re Depressed

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Eating well when you’re depressed: it sounds like an oxymoron and some–who have experienced the darkest nights of the soul–would say it is. I won’t… (more)

The Sad Little Poinsettia

–

I recently took some time off for the holiday season and returned to find a scraggly little poinsettia in my waiting room, reminiscent of the… (more)

Perfectionism and the Holiday Season

–

When it comes to holidays, there are a lot of ideals out there, messages that come at us in both subtle and obvious ways. Sometimes… (more)

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

–

I utilize Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), a research-based method for treating specific symptoms of anxiety, depression and other life issues, unless my clients are seeking a… (more)

Social Signs of Depression

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Symptoms of depression do not occur in a vacuum. Much of the information on depression highlights its signs and symptoms. While important, what is often… (more)

Depression: Help and Treatment

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Treatment options for depression abound, particularly when one looks at both traditional and alternative approaches. The most important factor in considering treatment is starting with… (more)

Depression Tips

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The best strategies for dealing with depression often come from the trenches—those that have lived through depression and have wisdom to share. Some professional tips… (more)

Postpartum Tips

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There is no “one size fits all” for what works. Strategies that some women have found helpful, that you can mix and match, depending on… (more)

The Seasonal Blues: Understanding and Helping Seasonal Affective Disorder

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What is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)? SAD is a mood disorder which, according to the online resource Here to Help BC, affects 2-3% of Canadians. … (more)

Surviving the Holiday Season

–

Expectations ‘Tis the season to be jolly! Or is it? Our society is steeped in expectations about the holidays, both religious and secular: Being home… (more)

Grief and Loss

Coping With Loneliness and the Holiday Season

–

It’s all around us, come holiday time: messages of togetherness, harmony and family closeness. For some of us, this is reflective of our family ties… (more)

The Sad Little Poinsettia

–

I recently took some time off for the holiday season and returned to find a scraggly little poinsettia in my waiting room, reminiscent of the… (more)

Life Transitions

Intermittent Therapy: Is it For You?

–

Many times people ask me what my counselling approach is. Sometimes what they mean by this is “Are you going to analyze me like Freud… (more)

Change!? Why Change?

–

In last month’s Listening Ear, I made the announcement that my office was moving from its current location at 1271 Howe Street, down the road… (more)

The Sad Little Poinsettia

–

I recently took some time off for the holiday season and returned to find a scraggly little poinsettia in my waiting room, reminiscent of the… (more)

Parenting With Consistency

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“You gotta be consistent,” might just be one of the most oft-repeated parenting phrases out there, second only perhaps to “sleep when the baby sleeps.”… (more)

Personal Growth

Your Counselling Bill of Rights

–

If you are attending counselling with a sincere heart, this is an act of emotional vulnerability; you are trusting in the counsellor to help you… (more)

Coping With Loneliness and the Holiday Season

–

It’s all around us, come holiday time: messages of togetherness, harmony and family closeness. For some of us, this is reflective of our family ties… (more)

Change!? Why Change?

–

In last month’s Listening Ear, I made the announcement that my office was moving from its current location at 1271 Howe Street, down the road… (more)

Listening 101

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“When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” ~Ernest Hemmingway I can’t count the amount of times I’ve heard people devalue the contribution of… (more)

Helping the Helper

–

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege and honour of welcoming a number of health and mental health professionals to my counselling practice. I’ve met… (more)

Counselling vs. Psychotherapy: What’s The Diff?

–

I am sometimes asked how counselling and therapy differ from one another. It’s a confusing thing; they’re similar and the terms are often used interchangeably,… (more)

The Sad Little Poinsettia

–

I recently took some time off for the holiday season and returned to find a scraggly little poinsettia in my waiting room, reminiscent of the… (more)

Perfectionism and the Holiday Season

–

When it comes to holidays, there are a lot of ideals out there, messages that come at us in both subtle and obvious ways. Sometimes… (more)

Parenting With Consistency

–

“You gotta be consistent,” might just be one of the most oft-repeated parenting phrases out there, second only perhaps to “sleep when the baby sleeps.”… (more)

The Joy of Letting Go

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As some of you may remember from last month’s article I had the experience of moving after many years in the same home. There is… (more)

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

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I must confess. This is not an article about a trip to Paris or lying on a beach in Hawaii. It’s about how I… (more)

Making New Year’s Resolutions That Stick

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The Vision Hope. Promise. New beginnings. The New Year is a time when many of us take stock of our lives and, with renewed vision… (more)

Relationship Issues

Listening 101

–

“When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” ~Ernest Hemmingway I can’t count the amount of times I’ve heard people devalue the contribution of… (more)

Perfectionism and the Holiday Season

–

When it comes to holidays, there are a lot of ideals out there, messages that come at us in both subtle and obvious ways. Sometimes… (more)

Parenting With Consistency

–

“You gotta be consistent,” might just be one of the most oft-repeated parenting phrases out there, second only perhaps to “sleep when the baby sleeps.”… (more)

Dealing With Difficult Co-Workers

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Ah, the joys of the working world. Many of us wouldn’t choose to work if we won the lottery; for most of us it’s a… (more)

The Power of a Smile

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Today on the bus, I found the extraordinary within the ordinary. It was the busy number 20–a bus known for its diverse ridership on a… (more)

Children and Failure: Risk or Benefit?

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A friend of mine recently posted a comment on Facebook: does she risk harming her child’s self esteem if she allows her to fail at… (more)

Therapy & You

Please Tell Me What to Do!! The Role of Advice in Counselling

–

The Motivation to Seek Help Most people enter counselling during a period of distress in their lives. Usually every effort is made to cope until… (more)

Your Counselling Bill of Rights

–

If you are attending counselling with a sincere heart, this is an act of emotional vulnerability; you are trusting in the counsellor to help you… (more)

Phone Counselling

–

When face-to-face counselling is not an option or, does not appeal as an option, phone counselling can be a viable alternative. When many people hear… (more)

Intermittent Therapy: Is it For You?

–

Many times people ask me what my counselling approach is. Sometimes what they mean by this is “Are you going to analyze me like Freud… (more)

Cracking the Code: A Guide to Understanding Counselling Credentials (Or, What Do All Those Letters Behind Their Names Mean, Anyway?)

–

I have a huge amount of empathy for anyone trying to find a counsellor in the Vancouver area. Vancouver’s most notable counselling directory, Counselling BC… (more)

Helping the Helper

–

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege and honour of welcoming a number of health and mental health professionals to my counselling practice. I’ve met… (more)

How To Fire Your Therapist

–

I work in a profession where my goal is to repeatedly get myself fired by my clients. If I’ve done my job correctly, I will… (more)

Therapist Burnout (And Why it Matters to Clients)

–

There is a lot of information available for counsellors encouraging their self-care. Wouldn’t this come naturally for therapists? Oftentimes, the answer is no. Sometimes therapists… (more)

Are You a Counselling Virgin? – What You Need to Know About Starting Therapy

–

So you’ve gone to all the hard work of finding a therapist. Now what? Some of the most common questions I hear from people new… (more)

Assumptions for Therapy: Can You Relate?

–

Setting the Stage Occasionally people are surprised when I ask what they want out of counselling, telling me that they’re keeping an open mind and… (more)

Counselling vs. Psychotherapy: What’s The Diff?

–

I am sometimes asked how counselling and therapy differ from one another. It’s a confusing thing; they’re similar and the terms are often used interchangeably,… (more)

Counselling the Counsellor

–

Counselling Works! One of my favourite subjects is counselling. Probably an obvious point, since I’m a counsellor. I live the experience with my clients and… (more)

Ten Tips For Getting the Most Out of Therapy

–

I am sometimes asked whether there are specific things that can be done to help augment the experience of coming for therapy or to maximize… (more)

Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Health Care Experience

–

Whether you are seeing a physician, counsellor, physiotherapist or other health professional, here are my tips for getting the most out of your visits: If… (more)

Finding A Therapist

–

Choosing Counselling The decision to enter therapy often comes at a time of crisis: either something significant has occurred in your life to bring you… (more)

Trauma

Your Counselling Bill of Rights

–

If you are attending counselling with a sincere heart, this is an act of emotional vulnerability; you are trusting in the counsellor to help you… (more)

Uncategorized

Coping With Loneliness and the Holiday Season

–

It’s all around us, come holiday time: messages of togetherness, harmony and family closeness. For some of us, this is reflective of our family ties… (more)

Cracking the Code: A Guide to Understanding Counselling Credentials (Or, What Do All Those Letters Behind Their Names Mean, Anyway?)

–

I have a huge amount of empathy for anyone trying to find a counsellor in the Vancouver area. Vancouver’s most notable counselling directory, Counselling BC… (more)

Addictions

Anxiety

Counselling

Depression

Grief and Loss

Life Transitions

Personal Growth

Relationship Issues

Therapy & You

Trauma

Uncategorized

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