Imagine you are you working out with a new trainer at the gym. You don’t know one another well yet, and the trainer is still trying to get to know what your body can and can’t do. She tells you to get down onto all fours for some bird dogs. Now, you know that your […]
I often hear clients with complex trauma and borderline personality disorder (BPD) describe feeling “too much.” In therapy, we explore what this means, how they interpret it, and how their past may have shaped this perception of human distress—a struggle to regulate their inner world. Although being “too much” can be linked to invalidation, rejection, […]
Queer adults often search for sex therapy because intimacy, desire, and relationships are shaped by experiences that many therapists overlook. Queer people regularly navigate identity based stress, cultural rejection, internalized shame, and relationship structures that fall outside heteronormative expectations. These pressures affect the nervous system and directly influence sexual desire, emotional closeness, and relational wellbeing. […]
For many LGBTQIA+ people, “conversion therapy” wasn’t therapy at all—it was a betrayal of trust. Survivors describe it as a form of psychological and spiritual abuse that left deep wounds long after the sessions, prayers, or programs ended. Over the past two decades, research from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the U.K., and the U.S. has […]
As a Licensed Professional Counselor, I fully support the American Counseling Association’s reaffirmed stance against conversion therapy. The ACA’s recent statement, issued alongside its participation in Chiles v. Salazar before the U.S. Supreme Court, makes something very clear: efforts to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity are not therapy. They are harm disguised as help. […]
Classrooms are more than places of academic learning—they are emotional ecosystems where children bring their full selves, including anxiety, anger, sadness, or fears. When a child struggles to regulate emotions, it can affect not only their own learning but also the classroom environment. Teachers often find themselves managing emotional outbursts without the training or support […]
Anger, excitement, sadness, and frustration are all normal emotions in childhood. But school-aged children don’t instinctively know how to manage these big feelings. Emotion regulation—the ability to monitor, evaluate, and modify emotional reactions—is a crucial skill they must learn from the adults around them. As art therapists, caregivers, and educators, we play a critical […]
Belonging is more than just being part of a group—it’s the deep feeling of being accepted, valued, and understood. It often forms through shared experiences, interests, backgrounds, or identities, such as age, culture, faith, or sexuality. For many, it’s where we feel most at home with ourselves and others. Why is it so important? Because […]
At the Montreal Art Therapy Centre, we are dedicated to supporting the well-being of children and youth, particularly those under the care of Youth Protection services, Batshaw Youth and Family Centres or under the care of foster families. Art therapy offers a unique avenue for healing and self-expression, addressing the complex needs of […]
You may have heard the term eating disorder – and perhaps you know someone who lives with one. Eating disorders are serious mental health conditions marked by disrupted eating patterns and a harmful impact on both physical and emotional well-being. In this blog, we aim to shed light on what eating disorders are, explore several […]
