8 Good Reasons to See a Counsellor

There are many ways to increase health in our lives. Seeing a counsellor can play a unique role in your overall wellness plan. I recently heard someone liken going to counseling both to going to the doctor’s office and to taking a class. Counseling has the unique capacity to help relieve negative symptoms by addressing something that is already going wrong, while bringing in something new to enhance what is already there.

As you consider your options for good health here are 4 reasons you might want to see a counsellor.

4 Common Questions About Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is a term I hear many people use conversationally or as slang, without understanding what it means. But bipolar disorder is more than just wide mood swings. Learning accurate information about this disorder is the first step to getting help for yourself or others who may suffer from it.

Here are some experiences or characteristic feelings often reported by people with bipolar disorder.

What to Say (and Not to Say) to Someone Grieving a Suicide

What to Say (and Not to Say) to Someone Grieving a Suicide

Suicide can leave the survivors with anger, confusion and guilt, and even well-intentioned words can cause pain.

New Study: How does Screen Time Affect Grades?

What effects can phone screen time have on students? At first glance, it may seem harmless but when we decided to take a closer look, we found a strong correlation between too much phone time and lower grades.

6 Practical Ways for Treating Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

6 Practical Ways for Treating Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Every winter, approximately 5 percent of Americans come down with seasonal depression, also known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). The onset of SAD typically occurs between the ages of 18 and 30, and four out of five people who suffer from it are women. While more research needs to be done to figure out the causes, it’s widely considered that the decreased amount of daylight during the winter months plays a role.

Some symptoms of SAD include:

• Chronic fatigue 
• Trouble sleeping
• Lack of interest in activities you typically enjoy
• Cravings for junk food
• Irritability
• Feelings of hopelessness
• Suicidal thoughts

Does your child need therapy? Thoughts on parental fears and why we need you involved

Historically, psychiatry has not been kind to mothers. Early (and mostly wrong) ideas about what ‘caused’ emotional/behavioral difficulties and psychiatric disorders made it easy for clinicians to blame parents for all childhood conditions. Autism is a classic example. In the 1940s Leo Kanner, one of the most influential child psychiatrists of the time, stated that children with autism were kept in “refrigerators that did not defrost.” By refrigerators, he was referring to mothers, who he believed were emotionally and interpersonally distant. As most of you likely know by now, Kanner was wrong.