The Nuanced Divide: Unpacking Psychotherapy vs. Counseling As a practising therapist and supervisor, I’m frequently asked to clarify the distinction between psychotherapy and counselling. While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, there are distinct differences in each approach’s training, theoretical foundations, and overarching aims. At their core, counselling and psychotherapy both involve a trained professional … read more

Celebrating Mother’s Day with a Different Perspective Mother’s Day is a time for celebration and gratitude, but for many, it can also bring complex emotions to the surface. Not everyone has a positive relationship with their mother, and others may be dealing with the pain of loss. If you find yourself in one of these … read more

Orthorexia rates are on the rise. Wellness habits are meant to result in a healthy overall lifestyle, but for some, it sends them along a dark and dangerous road of disordered eating, as psychotherapist Andrea Szasz explains. 

Working in the mental health field may be very fulfilling at times, but also quite taxing. It may be quite taxing on the mental and emotional health of mental health practitioners to give assistance to those at their most vulnerable. In the mental health field, burnout is frequent and may devastate the therapist and their … read more

Dear Brave Therapy™ Friends and Clients, The floods devastating our country are unprecedented, the word I am growing tired of. But unfortunately, the horrors happening in Ukraine have precedent, and therefore hard to believe they are happening again. My heart breaks watching people, animals and the earth suffering. Watching the news and doom-scrolling can put … read more

I am very excited to introduce Anita Whelen Somatic Experiencing Practitioner who joined my practice in January. While we practice in different ways, our work highly compliments each-other. Anita’s background is in body work, while I am a psychodynamic and somatic psychotherapist. Here is a conversation I had with Anita about her work. As a … read more

How to BRAVE the Holiday Season   The holiday season is the time of the year when there might be some extra relational demands of us. While the festive season is generally a happy time, the reflections and celebrations can also be challenging. There are expectations; from family members with whom we may share some … read more

One of these mornings I woke up with a sense of dread. Feeling the stresses of our ‘new normal’; the way we have to think about wearing masks and hand sanitizers. Feeling the pain of lack of real, face-to-face connection with loved ones. Dealing with the general ‘I am over it’ attitude from basically everyone. … read more

Hello Brave Friends, Our relationships give us most of our joys – and most of our sorrows. They can comfort and lift you, and they can stress and hurt you. As we deal with the coronavirus, it’s more important than ever to have solid, healthy, fulfilling relationships . . . and to mend and resolve … read more

Strange times we live in. Waking up each morning, listening to the birds, whom are becoming louder as the traffic reduces, I am thinking the same as many of you: and other day in the lock down….. It has been not easy to try to find the new rhythm of things. What I have learnt … read more

How to BRAVE the Holiday Season   The holiday season is the time of the year when there might be some extra relational demands of us. While the festive season is generally a happy time, the reflections and celebrations can also be challenging. There are expectations; from family members with whom we may share some … read more

Psychotherapy helps us to develop a positive outlook for the future. Resolving past traumas, less then nurturing experiences and attachment disruptions is the main aim of therapy. Being heard, seen and supported in emotionally sensitive way can help to connect to our positive sense of self (Meares, 2000). Learning to relate via the safe containment … read more

We’ve all had moments when our mind is calm, loving, happy, present, and awake to stillness and possibility. But for many of us, that quickly gets covered over with daily stresses, distractions, fears, and regrets. In Dr. Rick Hanson’s new online program, Neurodharma, you’ll explore seven characteristics of the wisest people who’ve ever lived, and … read more

Mental health issues are constantly in the news. We are suffering  from relational problems, depression, anxiety, eating disorders and so on. These ‘disorders’ or other mental health diagnoses are often stem from untreated traumas in our life. Our government and the media only seem to know about one way of treating these life challenging issues … read more

How to BRAVE the Holiday Season   The holiday season is the time of the year when there might be some extra relational demands of us. While the festive season is generally a happy time, the reflections and celebrations can also be challenging. There are expectations; from family members with whom we may share some … read more