Blog

As a somatic grief counsellor, I know in my body and mind that grief is unpredictable and shows up for us in the classic moments of a special holiday or date and also in the normal moments of daily life. It could be the smell of a blanket, someone’s voice, the quiet of sitting together, the taste of a soup or a feeling you have that awakens the memories. The rhythm of ordinary days continues even when remembering or experiencing a goodbye. In my own life, loss ebbed and flowed. I carry the grief of losing a sibling, my father, my cousin, grandparents, friends, and people I’ve walked alongside…

I love working with families. I never thought this would be something that I could fully with all my heart be in, but this work is where I witness beautiful, deep changes in families and the children, couples or throuples, mothers, aunties, fathers and grandparents. Families are our roots, sometimes providing support, love, and a feeling of belonging. However, many families face challenges and stressors that strain relationships, communication and connection. Family counselling can be a support in restoring, healing and strengthening relationships. In this blog, I explain how family…

Childhood heart surgery is not just a medical procedure; it can profoundly reshape a young person’s connection to their body and movement. For many, finding a pathway to physical activity can feel emotionally challenging. https://www.handstoheart.online/ This piece was inspired when I was in yoga the other day and I had a physical memory of how I felt swimming as a young person who had had ongoing medical interventions including assessments, surgeries and procedures. I didn’t know in my 10 year old brain that my experience of noticing and worrying about every little sensation in my body was…

Ever since my early teens, poetry has been a place of healing for me. I found kinship in the darkness of the words of poets like Sylvia Plath and Adrienne Rich. They were writing what I felt deeply in my heart and couldn't say. Throughout my life, I have held the words of poetry tightly. Pages full of poetic feels have held me in my own dark aloneness, rage and fear. Many points of my lifespan have been void of poetry. Maybe I was going too fast with all the things in my life, like thinking about what to feed the kids or whatever else is on my list of overwhelming to dos. It was a good friend…

As a child with congenital heart disease, I had big feelings about how different I was from others at school—not just because of my surgical scars and very tiny body, but something inside me. I remember so clearly an experience when I was 5 and back to school from open-heart surgery, where all the other children in the classroom seemed to know what they were doing on a math sheet, except me. It didn’t make sense to me. The numbers wobbled all over the page and I could feel myself going into my imaginary world. In my imaginary world, I didn’t feel my panic, uncertainty and confusion. At around…

"I find too often we just go from one thing to the next without pausing to integrate along the way. " Lisa Dion The constant rush of daily life often leaves little time for introspection although there is a hum of conversation on social media to make resolutions and set goals for the new year. I read a blog by Lisa Dion the other day where she articulated the importance of what she called 'conscious endings'. This inspired to be to think about how many times I don't take a moment to breath before jumping back into the rush of my own checklist. This blog post is an invitation for you and I to…

Being open hearted means something very different to me after my last week's therapy session. I work with a somatic therapist and I had been working through early medical trauma coming up as fear and terror deep inside my chest. Being with this feeling without dissociating through coming back into my over chattering mind was a challenge. It is so much easier to just go into the stories I tell myself instead of being there with this cold discomfort. With the presence and witnessing of my therapist, I continued to stay with this feeling that felt older than my language. It came as an emptiness…

10 Cents to See My Chest: Building Pride and Confidence in Children with Surgical Scars As a parent, it can be a courageous challenge to be present for your child when they are born with medical challenges. I cannot imagine what this was like for my family when their first child was born with ten toes, a big smile and a blue skin tone. Right after I was born, I was whisked off and my family was broadsided with the news of my congenital heart deformities. I was blessed to have a strong family and a mother and grandmother that knew how much a child needed closeness and presence. They knew this…

This week, I had the most beautiful experience that resonated deep down to my toes. I was reminded that shared stories weave a tapestry of belonging, kinship, and the knowing feeling of being truly seen. As a counsellor who specializes in supporting children, youth, and families who have experienced medical trauma, I have walked alongside many who struggle with anxiety, dysregulation, disconnection, overwhelm and other mental health challenges. I know how important community and connection to others is, but this week it truly came home to my own heart. There is something uniquely powerful…

My Heart Story Every life tells a story, and mine begins by being born "blue" with Tetralogy of Fallot, a complex congenital heart defect. As a newborn, I quickly learned how much strength I needed, even to breathe, move and eat. I was born with a mountain to climb for even simple human experiences. As I grew up, I learned to to hide my scar, both the physical one on my chest and the emotional one in my heart. I longed to blend in, to be seen as 'normal' and brave, but the truth is that my hidden story was far too powerful to remain silent. Like many others with congenital heart disease, my…