A Place to Heal | A Place to Grow
Our team of experienced, dedicated St. Albert therapists and counsellors are here to help you heal and grow through some of life's toughest challenges.
In this talk, you will learn about self-care: What is it, why is it important, different ways to practice it, and common misconceptions. You will learn how to adapt self-care based on your life, taking into consideration busy schedules, no motivation, kids, etc.
Boundaries are the limits that we set with others. The limits we set are based in behaviours that we find acceptable or unacceptable when directed towards us. There are many kinds of boundaries, including emotional, physical, spiritual, intellectual, and more. The boundaries we create are based on self-worth, values, and personal histories.
In this talk you will learn:
The different kinds of boundaries that exist
How boundaries are defined
The main reasons why boundaries get off track
Exploring your own boundaries and how to take back control
Facilitated by: Allison Paré
Read MoreOur values contribute to what is personally meaningful to us. They can be motivating and grounding. Values help to make sense of ourselves, the way we think and act, and the different events and relationships we experience. As important as values are, we often do not spend time consciously considering what ours may be. Without clarity around what our values are, anxiety and stress can occur as a result.
In this talk, you will learn:
What a value is.
The importance of identifying your own values as they relate to personal meaning.
What it might look like to be disconnected from your values.
Strategies to help guide your own values exploration and identification
Facilitated by: Ashlyn Demers
Read MoreCelebrating/Understanding IntrovertsDespite the fact that just over half of the population are introverts, our society tends to favour extroverted ways of being in the world. Consequently, many people end up feeling like something is wrong with them or their personality, because they are quiet, shy, or prefer solitude to parties. This can result in feelings of depression, exclusion, marginalization, and pressure to conform. Once people understand their personalities within the introvert spectrum, they can begin to experience themselves from a place of compassion, acceptance, and celebration of their unique abilities and gifts. Whether you are a seasoned introvert, someone just starting to identify yourself as an introvert, or an extrovert trying to understand an introvert in your life, this session will offer insights to support you on the journey.
In this talk, you will learn:
Characteristics and Types of Introverts
How Introvert Brains Differ from Extrovert Brains
Surviving and Thriving in an Extroverted World
Gifts of Introverts
Self Care for Introverts
Facilitated by: Rebecca Bonham
Read MoreEveryone experiences stress. It is your physical, emotional, and mental response to life. Your body experiences hormonal changes and physiological responses when you are faced with a stressor. This is known as the stress response. The way you view stress has an impact on your wellbeing and ability to cope and learn from stress. Learning new coping skills and habits will help you get better at stress and build resilience – or the ability to survive, thrive and bounce back from more challenging times. In this talk, we explore:
What is stress? Types of stress, the causes, and symptoms of stress.
Coping with stress
What is resilience?
Resilience factors & developing a resilience plan
Facilitated by: Sasha Seliga
Read MoreTrauma can disconnect us from our body, mind and spirit. Yoga is a practice of bringing the elements of body, mind and spirit into connection. This talk dives into the ways yoga as a physical and spiritual practice can offer a pathway to healing from trauma.
In this talk, you will learn:
- ways that trauma and chronic stress show up in the body
- calming the body and mind through breathing
- establishing presence and finding a sense of grounding through physical postures
Read MoreEmotions can be a complicated mess that doesn’t seem to make any sense at all. Fortunately they’re not magic or random. We can make sense of our emotions, and in the process understand our experiences and ourselves in a much deeper way. In this talk you will learn:
What makes emotions an essential part of being a person
How to be aware of and identify emotions
What causes emotions
What emotions tell us about ourselves
How emotions can help us meet our needs
What a healthy & unhealthy relationship with emotions looks like
Sleep is vital to our mental, physical, and emotional health, yet so many of us aren’t getting enough of it. Whether that be due to lifestyle, stress, pain, or any other of the myriad of factors that can impact sleep, we will discuss coping strategies for improving the quantity and quality of sleep you get.
Read MoreDid you know that close to half of the population struggles with low self-esteem for the majority of their life? This is unfortunate considering self-esteem is a basic domain of our everyday functioning that impacts the way we interact with others, our mental health, and our overall well-being. Research has even shown that low self-esteem is the source of many negative life outcomes such as unemployment, earning less than peers, sexual dysfunction, substance abuse, eating disorders, suicide and suicidal ideation, and dysfunctional behaviours in relationships. As such, having a better understanding of one's self-esteem and acquiring the tools to enhance it, is fundamental in achieving a healthier, happier, and more fulfilling life.
Read MoreIn this experiential workshop (webinar), you are invited to listen, breathe and move gently as we discuss the meaning of embodied self-care. Self-care is an important concept but also a common saying. Come to learn a deeper understanding of what self-care can mean to you personally. In this talk, you will learn: body basics of stress and self-care simple movement and breath for grounding ideas for somatic self-care
Read MoreIn this talk, you will learn what holds us back from talking to our kids and reflect on your own beliefs and values around sexuality. We will explore the why, how and when to talk to our kids about sex and sexuality. By the end of the talk, you will have a better understanding of sexual development in pre-teens, consent, body safety rules, healthy relationships and gender. Let's meet and build our knowledge together with the aim for our kids to have a healthy relationship with their sexuality.
Read MoreThis is a relaxed evening to explore tapping into your resources to support you in tough times like COVID-19. This Wellness Webinar uses objects, drawing, and various forms of exploring our inner resources. We will begin by exploring and reflecting on our inner qualities by exploring them, building reminders through art. To attend this webinar, you do not need to be an artist, nor do you need any unique supplies. Let loose, allow creativity to flourish, and enjoy the exploration of self.
Read MoreDeath is something that all living beings have in common and yet it’s amazing how rarely we talk about it. In Western cultures, especially, the reality of death can seem too much to contemplate. However, the more we avoid our thoughts and feelings about death, the greater our fear of it can become. When facing our own or a loved one’s mortality we may then find we lack the language, skills or resources to support ourselves or each other during this important time of life.
Read MoreAnxiety impacts us all, especially during the past year’s challenges and changes. Although anxiety can be normal and at times even a helpful reaction, it can also cause problems and over-activate a stress response in our bodies. Teens experience anxiety in unique ways and often need support to identify their experiences. As parents and caregivers, we hope to help our teens find healthy ways to manage and deal with their symptoms. Join us for an evening of learning and discussion on anxiety and your teen.
Read MoreA large number of individuals have some relationship with music. Perhaps you currently sing or play an instrument, or have enjoyed a live concert in the past. Maybe you remember dancing to your favourite bands in highschool. Even if your only connection with music is your daily routine of singing in the shower, music plays some role in your life.
Read MoreThis talk will educate and support helping professionals by highlighting the importance of self-care. We will examine compassion fatigue and burnout, learn self-care strategies, and develop a self-care plan. Participants will learn useful strategies including how to effectively transition from the workplace into the home environment.
Read MoreIn this webinar, Julie Ketel explores the relationship between creative expression and human resilience. Learn more about establishing your own creative practice to deal with the challenges and setbacks that life has to offer. In this Wellness Talk, participants will: Review historical and cultural connections between creativity and wellbeing Receive a brief overview of the field of art therapy Dive deeper into the concept of resiliency, why it is so important, and what is required to nurture it Receive practical creative strategies to practice nurturing their own resiliency from the comfort of their own homes
Read MoreThis webinar will look how a sense of overwhelm, or having “a lot on your plate" so to speak, can develop in our nervous systems. Though trauma can be experienced from a one-time event at any point in our lives, this talk will look at how it can develop in our childhoods from a body-centred, emotional perspective to cause what we typically refer to as developmental trauma and then effect us in later life. In this webinar, you will learn:
Read MoreSo, you have depression. Or does depression have you?
Even after you have successfully navigated your way through your first bout of depression, there is a pretty good chance (50% actually) you will experience depression again and again throughout your lifespan. Because depression is a highly recurrent disorder it is important to learn how to manage the symptoms during an episode, learn from the experience, build resilience, and develop healthy coping skills to prepare and brace yourself for the inevitable future episodes. In this webinar, Ramona explores the definition and diagnostic criteria of depression. Current trends and best practices in the treatment of depression will be discussed. Understanding the disorder better and gaining knowledge of available self-help treatments will empower participants to live well with
Read MoreFrom smart phones and social media, to video game consoles and even online classes, technology has become an often inescapable necessity in our lives. But has the proliferation of devices in our homes, schools, and workplaces become problematic? Is our increased dependence on technology changing our brains and the brains of our children? This presentation explores the compelling nature of digital technologies, how to reduce the risks of their potential negative impacts, as well as what to do when screen use becomes problematic.
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