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It's time for you to get unstuck and feel better.
Anxiety.
Everyone worries and feels uncertain at times in their lives. It's a normal part of growing, changing, and learning. But worry and anxiety can also become powerful and restrictive, disrupting life, impacting relationships, and taking away the parts of life that used to seem normal or enjoyable. If left unaddressed, anxiety takes control and leaves you breathless, telling you to avoid things or people, stealing your confidence, and leaving you to feel panicked and alone.
The information and skills we teach go after patterns that keep anxiety and worry in charge of adults, teens, families, and children, sometimes for many generations. Our work together will help you understand anxiety and the cognitive and physical patterns keeping you, or your loved one, stuck. By working with the brain, nervous system, and the body, we will guide you to restore your belief in your abilities to handle whatever comes your way and move forward with ease.
You are not alone, and we are here to help.
ADHD.
Neuroscience, brain imaging, and clinical research are telling us more an more about ADHD. Here are a few important things:
ADHD is not a behavior disorder.
ADHD is not a specific learning disability.
People with ADHD are not lazy.
People with ADHD can't just try harder.
ADHD is a delayed development of the brain’s self-management system - the frontal lobe which affects executive function and self-regulation. Both adults and children can be diagnosed with ADHD. It is not caused by bad parenting, too much sugar, or too many video games.
Despite its name, ADHD doesn't actually cause a deficit of attention - it actually makes it difficult for ADHD'ers to direct their attention on purpose. People with ADHD often say they “get in the zone” or “hit a groove” and can describe a state of hyperfocus. This state is not activated by a teacher’s assignment or boss’s request. It's created by a momentary sense of interest, competition, or urgency (like a deadline).
Knowing what ADHD is and how it works for you or your loved one is an important part of feeling understood, creating boundaries, and making your relationships last. If you have ADHD, if you understand it, then you can own it, and then you will be able to manage it with strategies and tools that will make life easier. Whether you are a parent, partner, family member, or the one with the diagnosis, take the steps that will make all the difference, now... and for the future.
Trauma.
Trauma is a long journey, isn’t it? The research shows unhealed trauma is stored and relived in your body. You experience this through reactions, sensations, behaviors, feelings, and thoughts. When you are activated, there are parts of your brain that go offline, so you can't talk yourself out of these experiences, and this may
cause you to feel so… out of control and stuck.
When you know what is happening, why it happens and how it happens, you can rely on yourself to overcome the symptoms that often take over, establish safety, and take steps to integrate your life into a healthy present and healing self.
How you think, feel, and act is definitely part of what we talk about in counselling. However, it isn’t always enough. When addressing trauma, another question to ask is, “Notice…” and “What happens next? Creating awareness of patterned responses leads to making sense of yourself, decreases shame, and paves the road to self-compassion and acceptance. The past and the present no longer get mixed up, and there are more opportunities for self-regulation.
Our approach involves treating the "here and now experience" of those events from the past that we cannot change. How do we do that? A combination of approaches that are always dictated by what YOU need: Psychoeducation, Somatic Therapy, Attachment Therapy, and Polyvagal Theory are a few examples. By recognizing the role of "triggers" in the symptoms you experience, you can start to differentiate between the past and the present. With more self-awareness and a language to describe what is happening, with nonjudgment and compassion, you can forge a new relationship to your Self.
You can create a deeper understanding of patterns that keep you stuck, build a relationship between the mind and the body to address the legacy of trauma, relate to yourself with kindness and compassion, and then delight in the ripple effects in other areas of your life.
Relationships.
While the need for human connection is neurologically wired in our brain, the ability to form healthy, loving, loving relationships is learned through life experiences, beginning in childhood. These early years can directly affect how you show up in your adult relationships with your Self and others.
Healthy, loving relationships are the foundation for connection and meaning in our lives – we need them! Yet, Self-love and loving relationships are rarely as perfect or problem-free as we would like them to be. The ability to have thriving, respectful relationships, amidst difficult times or challenges, is possible! You do not have to be stuck in the chaos of hurt feelings, misunderstandings, and communication breakdowns.
We help individuals, parents, teens, and families identify the problems, create a deeper understanding, and learn strategies and tools so that you can connect and rebuild your relationships.
1-1 Counselling
1 - 1 COUNSELLING
The setting in 1-1 counselling sessions allows a special relationship to develop between you and the therapist. They can be very thorough in understanding the specific problems you are facing and develop an individualized approach to support you and your specific circumstances. The level of analysis and treatment can be much more intense and comprehensive. 1-1 counselling allows the pace of the therapy to be tailored; It can be sped up in times where clients can handle more focused and intense interventions, or can be slowed down when clients need time to adjust and move slowly. 1-1 counselling is a space for just for you: to learn, understand, shift, and implement strategies to work on yourself, your relationships, and improve your life.
Group Workshops
GROUP WORKSHOPS
Group workshops are not only cost effective, they offer an opportunity to connect with others who are facing the same obstacles. To feel reassured you are not alone is one of the most validating experiences, and you can offer this to others through your experiences. Groups cultivate a feeling of being connected, seen, and heard and are a safe place if you are hesitant to discuss and share. You can listen and learn from others who have gone through similar experiences and take away the insights. For busy schedules, the convenience and accessibility of workshops is easier than the schedule of 1-1 sessions. Groups may be offered online and in person. Online groups make access to mental health support easier for those in rural, remote areas or who are unable to attend in person.
Where attention goes, neural firing goes. And where neurons fire, new connections can be made in the brain.
Dan Siegel
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