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.
Recently, I have been reading, reflecting and conversing about our human experience of hope and its role in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and approach to life’s challenges. I have witnessed academics and Facebook bloggers, philanthropists and tragedy survivors debate whether hope is a belief or an emotion, an attitude, or a divine connection.
Read MoreIs stress your friend? This seems like a crazy question to those of us who have spent our lives (and careers) talking about the detrimental effects of stress on our emotional, mental and psychical well-being. But Psychologist Kelly McGonigal points to new research that suggests stress is only detrimental to your health if you believe it to be so. This challenges decades of research and public opinion that slates stress as our enemy.
Read MoreJust like adults, children experience stress at various stages of development. It could happen when they are transitioning to a new school, their parents are going through divorce or they experience the death of a close family member. The good news is there are things we can do to help as their parents. You may not be able to eliminate the stressful factor, but we can certainly do more than assume that it will go away on its own.
Read MoreThe holidays bring many expectations. Sometimes these expectations are fulfilled and we are left feeling touched by hope and joy. Other expectations are left unfulfilled and leave disappointment and sadness in their stead. The days leading to the holidays are so often marked by a stressful and almost manic desire to control the outcome - to secure some of the joy and avoid the opposite. But if this approach worked for us at the holidays, it would surely work better the rest of our days!
What if the holidays were simply an invitation?
Read MoreIt can be very easy for parents to overlook the fact that their children can get stressed just as easily as the adults around them do. This stress manifests itself in a great many ways, and can be very difficult for parents to deal with. One of the greatest tools a parent has in their arsenal when it comes to dealing with any type of stressful situation which affects their child is to talk and keep those lines of communication open. This will not only give your child mild exposure to their stress (a necessary step in overcoming any obstacle), but will also reaffirm your support for them and provide that valuable comforted feeling.
Read MoreAffairs happen for many reasons, and while some involve physical intimacy, others do not. However, all involve a level of secrecy and a betrayal of trust which become life-changing events creating significant stress and trauma for those involved. If you are struggling to cope with the after-effects of disclosure, here are a few things to keep in mind:
Read MoreWe have so many preconceived ideas about what mindfulness is and how mindfulness may change our lives. But, perhaps those very preconceived ideas are our blocks to understanding and practicing ‘mindfulness’.
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