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“Being validated by feeling heard and seen is a precondition for feeling safe, which is critical when we explore the dangerous territory of trauma and abandonment.” – Besser Van Der Kolk

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…

Wondering what happens in your first therapy session in BC? Learn how the counselling process works, what questions to expect, and how to feel prepared. Starting Therapy in BC? You’re Not Alone. Many people feel nervous before their first therapy session, especially if they’ve never worked with a counsellor before. Whether you're struggling with anxiety, trauma, burnout, or just feeling stuck, that first step can feel overwhelming. This blog will walk you through exactly what to expect in your first counselling session in British Columbia, including common therapy questions, how the intake…

Addiction—whether to substances or behaviours—isn’t simply a matter of bad habits or poor choices. At its core, addiction is about the brain. Specifically, it’s about how the reward and pleasure system, driven largely by dopamine, gets rewired in ways that make stopping incredibly difficult. In this post, we’ll explore how both substance use and behavioural addictions affect the brain’s reward circuitry, and why understanding this can change how we approach healing. What is Dopamine, Really? Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, a chemical messenger in the brain that helps neurons communicate. It's…

Most people don’t know this, but if you've been in a car accident in British Columbia, ICBC will cover the cost of counselling from a mental health professional. That's 12 sessions, fully paid for, with no doctor’s referral required. It doesn’t matter if it was a small tap or a major collision, if you were the driver, a passenger, or even at fault — you still qualify. Why do so many people hesitate to get help? Because we’re conditioned to minimize our pain. “It wasn’t that bad.” “I’ll get over it.” But here’s the truth: Your nervous system remembers the accident - even if you try to forget…

I get a lot of people who come into therapy and ask me this question: "Do you think I have ADHD?" It usually comes after describing months or years of feeling disorganized, distracted, overwhelmed, or burned out — but also smart, creative, driven, and exhausted by how much effort it takes to function. We’re hearing more about ADHD than ever before. It’s in our feeds, on podcasts, in conversations with friends. The language around attention, focus, and executive function is everywhere, and for some, it can feel like someone finally turned the lights on. Maybe you relate to things you never had…

You were probably praised for being “so easy to get along with.” So agreeable. So accommodating. So… nice. But somewhere along the way, that niceness started to feel like a burden. Your chest tightens before saying “no.” You apologize when it’s not your fault. You leave conversations feeling resentful, drained, or invisible. Sound familiar? Here’s the uncomfortable truth: People-pleasing isn’t kindness. It’s self-protection. It's a coping mechanism born from fear. Let’s get into it. What People-Pleasing Really Is (and What It’s Not) People-pleasing is often misunderstood as being kind…

Today I will dance with destiny !! I will continue my initiation into the complex world of flamenco !! My Solo Skills class will perform at Folktoria in Centenail Square at 4:00 pm. Full of colour and love of flamenco. This morning I added a piece of magic, a ritual to enhance my experience. Wish me luck and call if you want to know more about this. Phone 250-208-4071