What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)? I like this overview of Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) from verywellmind.com: Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)is a type of psychotherapeutic treatment that helps people learn how to identify and change the destructive or disturbing thought patterns that … [Read more...] about What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and How Can it Help me?
Increasing Happiness
The New Diagnosis for all of us- “Hurry Sickness”
My clients love to diagnose themselves as do most of us. For a funny treatise on this, please read this article: https://www.estherkane.com/what-you-get-when-you-mix-hypochondria-with-technology-googlechondria/ Recently, a client of mine self-diagnosed herself with something she called, "Hurry Sickness". … [Read more...] about The New Diagnosis for all of us- “Hurry Sickness”
In a Foul Mood? Embrace Your Inner Crab
As I sit down to write this, I am feeling CRABBY. As you can see from the photo above of me at age three, I have never been very skilled at hiding my emotions. This was unpopular with many of the adults in my life when I was a child who kept trying to 'cheer me up' or convince me that I would rather be … [Read more...] about In a Foul Mood? Embrace Your Inner Crab
Post Traumatic Growth
“I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become.” - Carl Jung In the therapy community and in general circles, there is a lot of talk about trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It seems to me that these days, especially after two years of COVID, extreme political polarization and an … [Read more...] about Post Traumatic Growth
QTIP- Quit Taking It Personally
I was working with a male client recently who has a very difficult in-law to contend with. I kept reminding him that her behaviour towards him wasn't personal which he found helpful. He shared an acronym with me he had learned about in a business seminar called QTIP which stands for: QUIT TAKING IT … [Read more...] about QTIP- Quit Taking It Personally
How Can I Make Myself Feel Happier?
My New Formula for Becoming Happier My husband and I own an old house which was built in 1910 (see photo on right). When we bought it over five years ago, we had extensive renovations done including new light fixtures. We bought what we thought were the appropriate bulbs with the right wattage and suffered … [Read more...] about How Can I Make Myself Feel Happier?
How to Protect Yourself from Emotional Vampires
What is an Emotional Vampire? This is a topic very near and dear to my heart. And based on how often it comes up in therapy sessions, I thought you might find it useful to have a primer on how to deal with emotional vampires (now referred to as EVs throughout the rest of this article). To test the waters … [Read more...] about How to Protect Yourself from Emotional Vampires
What Can Grandparents Teach Us About Global Crises?
During this long-term COVID-related isolation phase, I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on how to best cope with all of the restrictions we’re currently having to navigate. It seems that all of the things we used to do in order to find joy and satisfaction in our lives are temporarily on hold. Here is a list … [Read more...] about What Can Grandparents Teach Us About Global Crises?