Articles & Events

With Kate

Loss is an unavoidable part of life. Whether it’s the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship, health issues, or a significant life change, loss can be a painful experience, and the impact can feel overwhelming. Loss can disrupt our sense of normalcy, leave us feeling alone or vulnerable, and can challenge our identity. For some, it can force us to question our beliefs and priorities. 

Loss is tightly linked to our love, our caring, and our hopes for the future. The more we love someone, the greater our pain will be when they are gone. The more of ourselves we invest in our jobs and care about the work we do, the more of an impact losing that job will have on us. Often, the meaning that the loss holds for an individual will have the greatest impact.  

Healing from loss is a long process filled with emotional ups and downs. The handout below, showing the stages of loss and healing, looks like a steady process from the initial shock and denial to renewed hope, reconnection, and affirmation. But loss and healing are never linear.  Sometimes it will feel like taking one step forward and then three steps back. That’s to be expected. There is no right or wrong way to go through this process, and there is no timeline.  And then, just when you thought you were doing better, you can get triggered, sometimes by the most insignificant connection to the loss.

As time passes, we do progress through the stages. The emotional intensity begins to soften and there is more space between moments of grief. Eventually we find ways to hold our loved one in our hearts, forgive or forget about our ex, or accept our new situation and begin to move towards our future. 

Loss can disrupt our lives, challenge our beliefs, and change how we see ourselves or our world.  Healing from loss can also bring about a profound shift that can have a huge impact on an individual’s life. These internal changes are often hard to describe but are deeply felt. People who have gone through a significant loss often discover a renewed sense of self in which they may redefine their identity, adjust their priorities, or they may be inspired to live more authentically. For some, the experience of healing from loss can also foster resilience, empathy, and a deeper appreciation for life and relationships. Healing from loss can change people in ways that lead to personal growth, clarity about their values, and a better sense of who they are and what is important to them, which can lead to a more purposeful and intentional life.  Like the mythological Phoenix, loss can bring renewal and transformation. 

With Karen

Grief manifests in many forms, each rooted in the loss of something or someone meaningful. 

One type of grief centers around the loss of normalcy—the feeling that what was once familiar and stable is no longer present. This could be the loss of a routine, a way of life, or even the future we envisioned. Grieving the loss of what could have been, or the “what ifs,” can feel particularly overwhelming, as it forces us to confront the absence of possibilities. Alongside this, there is often a sense of longing—the yearning for wholeness, the return of understanding, and the restoration of meaning in our lives. This longing is not just for the person or thing lost but also for the sense of completeness, we once had.

The process of grief also brings with it a sense of feeling lost. This phase demands that we reorient ourselves in every aspect of our being: physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. It’s a time of deep self-reflection, where we must ask who we are now and how we move forward without what we once had. To navigate this, we need to share our stories—to speak our pain and be truly heard. Meaning-making is another critical aspect of grief, where we begin to actively reshape our narrative. This process involves finding ways to integrate the loss into our life story, transforming the pain into wisdom and growth. It requires rewriting our future chapters—defining what matters to us now, who we are, and what we believe. In doing so, we embrace vulnerability, accept the loss, and, ultimately, make peace with it through reflection, conversation, and mutual support. Karen

Pink Shirt Day -February 26th

Secure attachment when we are young and dependent on our parents is crucial for our development and our sense of security. Later, we develop attachments with friends who know us and accept us. Feeling that connection cultivates a sense of belonging and safety. But for those who struggle to fit in, who feel different, or who are ostracized, they can feel lonely, vulnerable, and unsafe. These are the kids who can become easy targets.

Bullying is very real and can happen to children, teens, adults and seniors. It can happen at home, school, online, work, and within institutions. 

In February 2007, in a high school in Nova Scotia, two students, David Shepherd and Travis Price, noticed a younger student being bullied for wearing a pink shirt. The next day, they bought and distributed 50 pink shirts to classmates, encouraging them to wear them to show their support and acceptance of the bullied student.  That simple act turned into an international movement. inspiring schools, workplaces, and communities worldwide to adopt “Pink Shirt Day.”  

The last Wednesday in February is the day we remember the need to show those who those who are being unfairly treated that they are supported and are not alone.  But we need to remember that bullying is not always loud or obvious.  Sometimes, it’s the silence that hurts the most, the whispers behind someone’s back, the exclusion, an online comment. We’ve all seen it.  So this Feb 26th, let’s not just wear our pink shirts, let’s commit to standing up against bullying in all forms and showing our support to those who are being bullied, harassed, put down or isolated.  Let them know you see them, that you support them, and that they are not alone. 

Let’s make every day a pink shirt day where kindness and standing up for each other is what we do.  Kate

With Natasha

Secure attachment is a healthy and balanced way of relating to others. It develops when a person experiences consistent love, support, and emotional security from caregivers in early life, and these early experiences often shape how we relate to people throughout our adult lives. In counselling, understanding secure attachment can help people build stronger, more fulfilling relationships and develop emotional resilience.

People with secure attachment typically:
– Feel comfortable expressing emotions and needs
– Trust others and form stable relationships
– Balance independence with emotional closeness
– Communicate openly and effectively
– Handle conflict in a healthy way
– Have a strong sense of self-worth and the skill to regulate emotions

Can Secure Attachment Be Developed?

Yes! Even if you did not experience secure attachment in childhood, we can work toward developing it through:

1. Self-Awareness – Recognizing past attachment patterns and how they affect relationships.
2. Therapy & Support – A counsellor can help process past wounds and develop healthier relationship skills.
3. Emotional Regulation – Practicing mindfulness, self-compassion, and coping strategies.
4. Healthy Relationships – Building trust with supportive, secure individuals.
5. Effective Communication – Learning to express emotions, set boundaries, and resolve conflicts in a positive way.

Healing Through Counselling

Counselling can provide a safe space to explore attachment styles and work toward security. Together, we can understand past experiences that shaped your attachment style, work towards developing self-confidence and emotional security, learn how to form and maintain secure relationships and seek to heal from past attachment wounds. Secure attachment is key to healthy relationships and emotional well-being. Whether you naturally have a secure attachment style or are working toward it, counselling can help you build stronger connections and lead a more fulfilling life.

With Shannon Cowan

No one likes to see their child in distress. As humans, we’re wired to detect fear in our children and to provide regulation and soothing that help alleviate that fear. This instinct to protect is part of our mammalian biology. But when you’re parenting a child who feels chronically anxious, that instinct may inadvertently maintain, rather than reduce, your child’s distress. 

Instead of getting lost in the demands of your child’s anxiety, you can learn to support your child through empowering treatment. SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) is a parent-focused program that helps you become more supportive while gradually reducing accommodations for your child’s anxiety or OCD. Through careful planning, you can shift from the role of rescuer to the role of supporter—while helping your child find new confidence in themselves. Research suggests SPACE can even be as effective as treating children directly.

Shannon is an intern trained in SPACE and other counselling theories. She is a firm believer in empowering children to meet life’s challenges through compassionate and informed parenting. In addition, Shannon is passionate about supporting clients with individual concerns ranging from depression to grief to life transitions. Book a complimentary session today. Shannon