International students face a range of challenges when they first arrive in Canada, especially in a bustling city like Toronto. Some of the common difficulties they might encounter include: Cultural Adjustment: Adapting to a new culture can be overwhelming. Differences in language, customs, social norms, and even weather can create a sense of isolation and…
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based model of therapy that aims to teach people new skills and strategies that can enable them into creating fulfilling lives.1 What is DBT? Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is a type of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). DBT is designed to help manage emotional dysregulation, increased distress tolerance, and improve…
What are the mental health issues of indigenous people in Canada? Indigenous mental health issues in Canada have been a significant concern for many years. Indigenous peoples in Canada, including First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities, experience disproportionately high rates of mental health challenges compared to the general population. These issues are rooted in a…
What is Trauma? Trauma is an emotional response to a deeply distressing or disturbing experience that can have lasting effects on an individual’s mental, emotional, and physical well-being. In 2020, the American Psychological Association described how trauma can result from a single event or ongoing stressors, such as abuse, accidents, natural disasters, or violence. Coping…
September is dedicated to suicide prevention. Therefore, I decided to write this article. As a psychotherapist who treats teenagers, I work with many parents who are worried that their teenager is depressed and may be suicidal. Many parents worry because suicide is a mental health issue for children and teenagers that often is ignored. In…
Art therapy and Trauma informed art therapy Art therapy is a combination of psychological approaches and art to address psychological, psycho-social, emotional, and behavioral issues. The goal of art therapy sessions is often to improve the individual’s overall well-being and reduce the negative symptoms of disorders. According to the American Art Therapy Association, “art therapy…
What is art therapy? Art therapy is a modality, in which art and psychology are combine to address the presenting emotional and behavioral difficulties. The focus of art therapy sessions is often on exploring emotions, thoughts, and behaviors from a symbolic way, in which clients are not obliged to verbalize their thoughts or how they…
https://www.pbs.org/video/hiding-plain-sight-youth-mental-illness-101/
September is suicide awareness month. Many parents of teenagers ask me, if their child could be suicidal and what to do if their child is suicidal? I have been getting this question even more now that the pandemic has lasted so long. As a result of teenagers and children having to stay in the house…
More and more people seem to be burdened with some sort of mental illness or condition. The medical industry, where much of the psychotherapy is conducted, seems hooked on palliative ‘solutions’ such as medication and curtailed programs of manualized ‘sausage-machine’-style psychotherapy which assume that every patient is the average patient. There’s no time to actually…