What A Typical Therapy Session Looks Like
Anxiety and What Your First Therapy Session Looks Like Over the course of our lives there could be many circumstances that might cause you to seek out therapy. You or someone you know may have been recommended therapy or considered going to therapy for help. But the unknowns that arise
Not All Therapists Are The Same
There Are Many Types of Therapists When seeking out help for your mental health, a psychiatrist or psychologist may be the first professional that comes to mind. While only a psychiatrist can prescribe drugs, a number of other designations also serve to work with you through other methods to improve
Therapist Spotlight: Jacqueline
It is an important part of therapy to connect with your therapist and to have your therapist able to connect with you. Studies show that therapy is more beneficial when you have a good relationship with your therapist. At West Wellness we would like to help facilitate better relationships with
ADHD Affects Productivity
ADHD and Productivity Everyone may experience the inability to focus: feeling impulsive and hyperactive can affect productivity at some point in your life. It doesn’t automatically mean you have ADHD. However, when these behaviors are present, persistent and causing disruption in the daily on goings of your life, there may be
Transitioning Seasons & Mental Health
How Mental Health is Affected By Transitioning Seasons We all have a season we favor and look forward to each year. Most people, when asked, will say they have a favorite season. Usually it’s followed with all the reasons why. For those that love Spring reasons might be because the
It’s Ok If Therapy Doesn’t Work Out
Establish Expectations That It’s Ok If Therapy Doesn’t Work Right Away When clients seek support for their mental health it’s important for the therapist to establish realistic expectations. Immediate relief is often expected but therapy doesn’t work that way. It’s important to emphasize that it’s ok if therapy doesn’t work
Navigating The Symptoms of Depression
Understanding the Difference Between Sadness & Depression It’s important to understand the difference between experiencing normal emotions and navigating the symptoms of depression. Feeling depressed is a phrase that a lot of people throw around casually in conversation to describe negative feelings. An unhappy event has occurred. You’ve gotten some
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
What is PTSD? Most of us are familiar with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) mainly in reference to soldiers that have fought in wars and experienced horrific things. The truth is PTSD can take a number of forms and can affect anyone. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a mental health
The Struggles of Body Image.
The Struggles of Body Image. Body image and self esteem has been a hot topic for well over a decade. In recent years we have seen an increase in the variety of people we see online, in magazines, and in various forms of media. Body Image Starts Young A study
Feeling Left Behind by Peers
Feeling Left Behind by Peers When was the last time you felt behind your peers? Like everyone was achieving their goals and gaining traction and you were just barely past the starting line. While some are gaining promotions, or having babies, getting married, moving to a new city for their
What is Gaslighting and What are the Signs
Gaslighting or to be gaslit has become popular terminology in recent years. In 2018 it was among the runners up for Oxford dictionaries word of the year (the winner ultimately being ‘toxic’).
Losing it all. Job Loss.
Losing it all. Job Loss. You can lose virtually anything, things, loved ones, friends, your wifi password. You can lose things for a short while like your car keys, or forever, like a loss of a life. Some of these things we lose are mere inconveniences, car keys, wallet, your
Setting Boundaries in Relationships
Setting Boundaries in Relationships Setting boundaries can be one of the hardest things you will ever do. They can also be the best thing you can do for your relationship. Relationship with your parents, partner, children and the relationship with yourself. Why is setting boundaries so difficult? When it comes
10 Things to do While Grieving a Loved One
Grieving is a complicated process (as we looked at in our previous article) and can be difficult to navigate. There are lots of things you can do to help with processing a loss. Finding what works may be difficult, it may bring up emotions that are difficult to feel.
What Grief looks like.
It’s loud, and it’s quiet. It comes in waves, and can knock us down when we least expect it.
Is medication right for me?
Is medication right for me? – Steps you can take to find out. Often when we talk about medication it seems rather obvious. You have an infection therefore you take antibiotics. You have high blood pressure, or diabetes, or even just a cold. It is easy to decide to take
High Functioning …
What does it mean to be High Functioning? We hear this term “High Functioning” quite a bit when it comes to anxiety, depression, addiction, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), ADHD…
Burning the Candle at Both Ends
Burning the candle at both ends. Your alarm bursts to life at 6am each morning you hit snooze and roll over, but the amount of sleep you are getting never seems to be enough. You wake up exhausted no matter how early you go to bed. No amount of caffeine
When Work Comes Home with You
We all need balance, between work and home. Career and family. That balance can look different for everyone.
Finding Red Flags in Your Therapist
Finding Red Flags in Your Therapist It is a growing trend – a meme even – to call out red flags. Red flags in people, red flags in relationships, red flags in strangers, in situations. You name it, people are throwing out red flags, for things as silly as how
Tips for finding YOUR Therapist
Tips for finding YOUR Therapist Improving your mental health is not a one size fits all scenario. As such, finding the therapist that works for you is key to aiding your journey. There are plenty of qualified and educated professionals out there ready to help, but what makes one counsellor
Finding Time For Self-Care
This list has tasks that can take as little as a couple of minutes to as much as a day. Self-care is not meant to be a chore or to be stressful, and it also is not one size fits all. It doesn’t have to be complicated, we hope this list can make it less so.
Therapy Is Not for the Weak of Heart
It seems scary because it is, and society and media has told us for years that getting help and seeking out therapy makes you weak. However, just like anything in our body your brain deserves to heal and you along with it deserve to heal physically and emotionally.