Each person is valuable here and now, just as they are. Period. We often struggle with feeling valuable or lovable based on things from the past. Mistakes and bad choices,…
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Life gotten too busy? No time or energy to connect with friends and family? This society makes it easy to become disconnected and isolated. The demands of work, family, finances,…
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Feelings come and go like waves. They are emotional responses to what we are thinking about, believing and experiencing. Emotions are neither right or wrong. For example, there is no…
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As humans we don't like unknowns! In fact, some of us hate them and really struggle if things are unknown. Yet life has so many unknown components. When we get…
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First, let's differentiate between hope and optimism. “Hope focuses more directly on the personal attainment of specific goals, whereas optimism focuses more broadly on the expected quality of future outcomes…
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Have you been dealt some unfair blows lately? Has your life been impacted by grief and loss? Has trauma blown your life apart? If you answered 'yes' to one or…
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We all felt a certain amount of anxiety when the COVID 19 pandemic started. So many unknowns were infiltrating our lives. What was going to happen next? What if... Now…
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Many of us were shocked and distressed to learn of the death of Naomi Judd one day before her induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. To quote her…
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It's interesting how many people have a workout program for their bodies but no focus on managing their mind. Why is it that we can prioritize physical fitness and not…
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Although this is known to be a joyous season it doesn't mean that it is. The Holidays can cause a sore spot to fester even more. Perhaps you are experiencing…
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I keep hearing about people having 'impostor syndrome.' I guess it's become a thing. Actually it was first referenced in 1978 followed by research done in 1985 by Dr. Pauline…
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Our world has become a place of distraction. The internet has shortened our attention spans and trained us to distract and detach. All these 'time saving' inventions have left us…
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If you are wondering if you are a narcissist, here's a simple test put forward by Scott Barry Kaufman, Writer and Psychologist: Step 1: Take a moment to think about…
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The pandemic has caused a tsunami of mental health impacts, including a huge increase in depression. Whether or not it is clinical depression, it doesn't feel good. Depression is a…
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Restrictions, lockdowns, frustrations galore...but you know what? I can do this because I am! This is a statement I learned many years ago during my Graduate Studies. I hit points…
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In most eating disorders there is a pendulum that swings from restriction (not eating enough) to binging (eating a large quantity of food in a short period of time). Although…
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We are very pleased to welcome Annika Schaefer to our Fresh Hope Counselling team. With all the stress, uncertainty and struggles intensified by the pandemic, requests for counselling help have…
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Retirement is a definite transition time, especially in the age of COVID-19 and it's impact on social interactions. When you have worked most of your adult life, the work you…
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Most of us are glad to see 2020 coming to an end! This has been quite the year -- full of unpredictable dynamics and lots of things that have been,…
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Healthy habits and daily rituals are two ways to help overcome emotional/mindless/stress eating. Unfortunately the term 'healthy' has even become an eating disordered term on some occasions. Foods are not…
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We are excited to bring on another Registered Psychologist to Fresh Hope Counselling's West End location, Ms. Daisy Lee! Daisy is a transplant from Calgary but don't hold that against…
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Wearing a mask is highly recommended these days due to this unprecedented pandemic we are experiencing. I thought I'd take advantage of the whole mask thing to talk about the…
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New Growth is something most of us would like to have. This is our Christmas cactus, Six Fingered Sam. He was left in a vacant office for months with no…
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We are so excited to have found a Registered Dietitian who is an Eating Disorders Specialist, joining our team at Fresh Hope Counselling. Kathleen McDavid is one of the leading…
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