Getting to know Sheila & Acceptance and Commitment Therapy 16 February 2022 Bliss Team No comments Categories: Communication, Events, Individual Therapy, Inspiration, Relationship Therapy, Self Care, Therapy, Uncategorised, Workshops Sheila McDonough is one of our very own therapists at Bliss Counselling + Psychotherapy!. Sheila earned her undergraduate degree with a Major in Social Development Studies and a Certificate in Social Work from Renison University College at the University of Waterloo. Sheila is a Master of Social Work with a Degree from Wilfrid Laurier University in the individual, couple and family stream. Sheila specializes in individuals and relationships and is a Registered Social Worker and a member in good standing with the Ontario College of Social Worker and Social Service Workers and the Ontario Association of Social Workers. Where it all started: In her early 20s Sheila experienced delayed grief, which led her to engage in psychotherapy. Through this experience Sheila realized the value of psychotherapy. Following this experience, Sheila began her journey to become a psychotherapist. Sheila had been working in marketing and sales. Sheila realized her natural skills and talents were useful in developing the therapeutic alliance which is the curative factor in psychotherapy and in all helping professions. This shift in career focus has led Sheila to a very meaningful and satisfying career. She feels very honoured to walk with people as they reflect and work towards making meaningful changes in their lives. Sheila has worked as a Registered Social Worker for the past 15 years primarily in the areas of trauma and mental health. In those 15 years, Sheila has spent more than 10 years in a hospital setting providing outpatient mental health services, emergency mental health services and acute trauma treatment in the areas of sexual assault and domestic violence. In the last 2 years, Sheila has really enjoyed working more with couples. She loves helping couples improve their communication and create more loving and meaningful relationships. Sheila aims to hold each person in esteem, while challenging them to look at how they can change to improve the quality of their relationship. Sheila’s primary approach to working with individuals and couples focuses heavily on incorporating mindfulness. Sheila has studied and practiced mindfulness for more than 25 years. It is the cornerstone of the therapeutic approaches Sheila uses in her therapy sessions. Sheila is a lifelong learner and has postgraduate training in the areas of mindfulness, DBT (Dialectical Behavioural Therapy) and ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). Sheila believes present moment awareness is essential to making meaningful changes in our lives. Sheila uses an eclectic approach in therapy. This is why she values the ACT model. ACT embodies the main elements Sheila uses in her sessions (i.e. mindfulness, DBT, and compassion). ACT provides a framework to help people ground themselves and increase psychological flexibility. The approach allows a person to recognize a choice point to work towards meaningful change in their life. What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: ACT helps people open up and respond more effectively to difficult emotions and thoughts. ACT helps a person to recognize their personal values and to move toward more value based behaviours. When using ACT a client will be able to see how small subtle challenges in life can be traced to a conflict in their own value system. This increased awareness then helps the client with unhooking themselves from the negative cycle so that they may move toward who and what is important to them. Sheila loves the following quote and feels it embodies the essence of the ACT model: “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” – Viktor E. Frankl We wanted to unpack the positive impacts of using ACT as an effective and evidence-based approach to therapy, so we interviewed Sheila to learn more. Here’s what she shared: How is ACT used in a therapy session? People will often want to get rid of unwanted thoughts and emotions. But, that’s not entirely possible. Instead, in an ACT session, clients are encouraged to accept these unwanted thoughts and behaviours, to cultivate present moment awareness, to learn how to recognize cognitive distortions and work towards value based and committed actions. How many sessions will it take to notice a positive change? The number of sessions will depend on each individual. Typically clients benefit from 6-8 sessions. Some clients may wish to pursue while others may wish to receive ongoing sessions (16-24), over several months or years. Some clients will attend a few sessions, then return in the future to explore their life in greater depth. Who would benefit from ACT? People with a wide range of challenges may benefit from ACT treatment (i.e. depression, anxiety, Borderline Personality, post traumatic stress symptoms stress, substance use and chronic pain) How might ACT be incorporated into a person’s life outside of the session? Clients learn how to ground themselves, to become an observer of their thoughts and feelings and how to work on committed action so that they may move toward who and what is important to them. Goals are set at the end of each individual or group session. Does ACT sound like an approach that you might like to explore? Look no further. Find out how to join our upcoming ACT Group Therapy! Sheila McDonough (MSW, RSW) and fellow Bliss expert Valentina Messier (RP,) are hosting an upcoming Acceptance and Commitment Therapy workshop series. This workshop series will be held virtually from the comfort of your home via Zoom. Heal through the power of connection in a small group setting! Prepare yourself to engage in group activities and discussions for 120 minutes, once a week for five weeks starting Saturday, March 26th and ending April 30th (excluding Easter weekend Saturday, April 16th). Are you ready to join Bliss Counselling + Psychotherapy’s 5- week virtual ACT workshop? Click here to take the next step in securing a spot in this upcoming group or to be added to the waitlist for future groups. Written By: Sheila McDonough (MSW, RSW) Edited By: Candice Mason (Customer Care Specialist) & Jess Boule (Clinic Manager)
Getting to know Valentina and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy 23 December 2021 Bliss Team No comments Categories: Communication, Events, Inspiration, Self Care, Therapy, Workshops WHO IS VALENTINA: Valentina is one of our very own therapists at Bliss Counselling + Psychotherapy practicing individual therapy. For as long as Valentina can remember, people have felt comfortable opening up to her. She has frequently had strangers join her while sitting on a park bench or at a coffee shop. Valentina feels a sense of value in being able to give others a safe space to listen and to understand them and their story. One day, Valentina connected with a person experiencing Schizophrenia, who shared more with her about their life and the challenges they had been facing. This conversation sparked a curiosity within Valentina that led her to pursue Psychology as her major. Her curiosity to truly see, understand, and accept people as they are, continued to grow and ultimately, lended to her pursuit of a career in Psychotherapy. Valentina obtained her undergraduate and graduate degrees in the United States, at Marquette University and Cardinal Stritch University, respectively. In addition to being a Psychotherapist in Ontario, Canada, Valentina holds a License of Professional Counselling in the state of Wisconsin. During her Clinical Psychology Master’s program, Valentina co-facilitated a Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) group at Aurora Psychiatric Hospital in Wisconsin. This experience further stoked her interest in mindfulness and radical acceptance. She felt motivated to approach those around her with a sense of compassion in order to validate lived experiences and to support them in identifying their own strengths. After graduate school, Valentina began working with marginalized populations in Milwaukee, WI. As part of an interdisciplinary team piloting the CORE (Coordinated Opportunities for Recovery and Empowerment) Program, she actively supported those living with psychosis with the goal to improve the quality of their lives. Through a coordinated effort, Valentina was able to help foster independence for many young adults facing Schizophrenia. She and her colleagues approached hallucinations and delusions with acceptance, rather than dismissal or disapproval. With compassion, Valentina and her team validated their clients’ realities. She offered psychoeducation for families, created strength-based treatment and crisis plans, which incorporated both formal and informal support systems and strategies. Valentina hosted monthly meetings for each client and their circle of care, utilizing open communication and problem solving across the health care team to ensure that the client was well supported, and that ultimately their needs were prioritized. After a move to Canada, Valentina began providing psychotherapy online. It was during this time that she first heard of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Not knowing what it was, Valentina chose to dive into courses and literature. WHAT IS ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITMENT THERAPY: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an evidence-based approach to therapy that uses Mindfulness to build awareness of our thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. With this awareness, we are able to observe patterns in our behaviours and thoughts. This then gives us the information we need in order to reflect on whether how we are operating in the world is meaningful and working for us, as well as how we might be able to add value to our lives. Rather than reviewing the content of our thoughts and feelings, we analyze their usefulness. For example, we may encounter a situation where we think, “I’m not good enough.” Instead of asking ourselves, is this thought accurate, ACT encourages us to ask ourselves: Am I placing my focus on one particular thought and is this helping me in some way? By placing my focus on this particular thought, is it bringing me closer to who I want to be? Are my patterns of thoughts and behaviours working for me? Certain therapeutic approaches, such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), ask us to seek out evidence for why we ARE good enough, that is, to consider alternative examples that could counter the negative thought pattern. For some, this is really effective. But, sometimes, there is no amount of evidence that can truly convince us that we are indeed good enough. This is why Valentina loves ACT; it looks at the function of thoughts and feelings rather than their accuracy. When we think, “I’m not good enough,” and then ask ourselves how that thought pattern is working for us, it’s easy to see that it isn’t. Our minds generally want to protect us from pain. Unfortunately, thoughts and feelings are often out of our control; there is no “Delete” button in the brain to get rid of them for good. So while it is important to acknowledge unwanted thoughts and feelings, expending too much of our energy analysing them will not actually change our lives for the better. Ultimately, we may not feel closer to achieving our goals or the life we want, so what could we do instead? Build self-awareness. When we are self-aware, we are able to acknowledge that something is not working. When we realize that something is not working, we can then begin letting go of the unhelpful thoughts and feelings that hook our attention. Mindfulness is incredibly useful for “unhooking” these thoughts. Not only does it bring us into the present moment, but it reminds us that we are not defined by our thinking or our emotions. We are simply observers of our experience. Through Mindfulness, we build flexible attention and foster acceptance of our experience. This approach is liberating and compassionate, it acknowledges and validates the painful experiences in our lives while at the same time giving us our power back. While it is natural for us to allow emotions to dictate our actions, we do not have to let them dominate our lives. Whether in the therapy room, or outside of it, we can approach life through this framework. We can practice mindful awareness in any setting and reflect on our values. The therapy room provides a safe, nonjudgmental space to open up about the painful experiences we encounter. As a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) with almost a decade of experience and a fellow human, Valentina acknowledges everyone’s emotions as valid and offers understanding and compassionate support. We collaborate as a team to help take steps towards changing life for the better. Change can be intimidating, by having someone along for the journey, to offer encouragement, guidance and reminders of your strengths, can be incredibly helpful. Does ACT sound like an approach that you might like to explore? Then, join Valentina Messier (RP, Qualifying) and fellow Bliss expert Sheila McDonough (MSW, RSW) in our upcoming ACT Now For A New You In 2022 group workshop. The workshop will be held virtually from the comfort of your home via Zoom. Heal through the power of connections with up to ten other like minded individuals! Prepare yourself to engage in group discussions for 90 minutes, once a week for five weeks starting Saturday January 15th and ending February 12th. We’ve got all the information we need, we are interested so just click here to make the next step to booking into our group. Who is ready to join Bliss Counselling + Psychotherapy’s 5- week virtual ACT workshop? All the information is outlined and the interest has been sparked! Just click here to take the next step in securing a spot within the group. Written By: Valentina Messier Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) & Candice Mason, Client Services
You are Getting Very… Misinformed? The Truth About Clinical Hypnotherapy 27 August 2021 Bliss Team No comments Categories: Book Recommendations, Communication, Events, Grief, Individual Therapy, Inspiration, Life Coaching, Self Care, Therapy In your classic portrayal of hypnosis, you might find yourself staring intently at a swinging pendulum, and listening to a series of repetitive phrases until you are lulled into a state of suggestibility. In this state, a hypnotist could make you sing opera or cluck like a chicken. This isn’t a new idea – hypnotherapy has a long history of being falsely represented as a form of mind control. Clinical hypnotherapy, however, is quite different. Clinical hypnotherapists use hypnosis as a therapeutic tool. Hypnosis, a state of deep relaxation and heightened awareness, opens up the unconscious mind to suggestions. Unlike pop culture hypnosis portrayals, in clinical hypnotherapy, the client is always in control. The client’s brain is just more receptive to imagery, creativity, and new ideas. Clinical hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool for breaking habits, promoting relaxation, and even relieving pain. Hypnotherapy has a long history, and in the 1960s, it gained medical recognition as a legitimate form of treatment. Hypnotherapy is currently not regulated by a medical board, but most clinical hypnotherapists are well-trained and hold Master’s degrees or higher. I sat down with one of our practicing hypnotherapists, Stacey Fernandes (she/her/hers), who discussed with me the roots of clinical hypnotherapy, its applications, and misconceptions. What is Clinical Hypnotherapy? Like all legitimate therapeutic approaches, clinical hypnotherapy is grounded in scientific research. Clinical hypnotherapy has been proven to improve anxiety and depression, with or without adjunct treatment. It is thought to be most effective when combined with other talk therapy approaches such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Hypnotherapy can be used in an individual or group setting. In both settings, hypnotherapy can be used to gain insight into one’s life, habits, and values. When hypnotherapy is done in an individual session, it is more tailored to the client, and parts can even be recorded and played back after the session is over. Often, participants in hypnotherapy groups will pursue individual hypnotherapy later. The typical trope of a client getting very sleepy before slipping into a trance is misguided and misinformed. In fact, Stacey notes that clients often feel re-energized following a session. Depending on the goals of the client, a clinical hypnotherapist can tailor the session to renew energy or restore peace. Each clinical hypnotherapist has their own style. Stacey shares that her own is very imagery- and nature-based, often involving meditations of forests, hammocks, or beaches. Some clinical hypnotherapists have more colour-based hypnotic scripts. Each hypnotic script is designed to evoke a feeling, action, or emotion. How Does One Become a Clinical Hypnotherapist? Stacey obtained her Master of Social Work degree before furthering her education as a hypnotherapist. It was through her college that she learned of a hypnotherapy training course in Costa Rica. The course was centred around “Breaking the Worry Trance” and was revelatory for Stacey. It was imagery-based, and has since informed Stacey’s own practice. To become a clinical hypnotherapist, Stacey did over one hundred hours of clinical training in Ericksonian hypnotherapy. Ericksonian hypnotherapy uses techniques such as metaphor and imagery to alter behavioural patterns. There are other types of hypnotherapy, which combine other therapeutic approaches, such as psychoanalysis or solution-focused therapy. How Does Clinical Hypnotherapy Work? Clinical hypnotherapy taps into our subconscious mind, moving us away from our analytical brain and into our receptive, creative mind. Often, our brain can meet new ideas with resistance or skepticism. Clinical hypnotherapists ask us not to ignore or avoid these feelings, rather to observe and normalize them. Stacey borrowed a metaphor from renowned hypnotherapist, Grace Smith, to describe how hypnotherapy works: “Picture a bouncer (conscious mind) at a nightclub (subconscious mind). Inside the club all the people are smoking cigarettes and a non smoker approaches the bouncer stating ‘I can help, I’ve read lots of books on wealth.’ The bouncer denies the request because they are unfamiliar, despite this person being safe and offering valuable information. Everyone in the club is very familiar with each other despite it being an unhealthy behaviour. Anything new gets blocked. The non smoker tries to tip the bouncer $100 and gets into the club. The person interacts with everyone by speaking on the microphone and engaging them to drink water instead and providing the benefits of hydration. Eventually everyone starts drinking water and feeling much healthier. Now if a person who smoked tried to get into the club the bouncer would deny them – they are unfamiliar!” This helpful metaphor illustrates how clinical hypnotherapy can be helpful for opening up and expanding our minds. Clinical hypnotherapy can be effective where other therapeutic approaches are not, and can be used to calm and alleviate anxiety. However, it is often met with resistance due to preconceived notions as well as unconscious biases. Yet, with an open mind and commitment to heal, clinical hypnotherapy can be incredibly effective. What Should I Know Before Seeking Clinical Hypnotherapy Treatment? I asked Stacey the question, “What would you tell someone who is thinking about starting clinical hypnotherapy?” and she had some great ideas. First of all, do your research. Since clinical hypnotherapy is not regulated the same way social work and psychotherapy services are, literally anyone can claim to be a hypnotherapist. You want to seek out someone who has other credentials, such as a Master’s Degree in Social Work, or Registered Psychotherapist status. Ask questions about your potential clinical hypnotherapist’s background, training, and experience. Many training courses have a required number of hours of practicing the craft; ask if your therapist has completed these, how many, and where. Inquire about their specialties, style, and interests. Book a consultation with the clinical hypnotherapist to see if you two are a good fit. Like any therapeutic relationship, you want to ensure you have similar styles, goals, and interests. If something feels off, or you don’t feel comfortable opening up to this person, consider looking elsewhere. Remember that clinical hypnotherapy is scientifically-backed, and evidence-based. Your clinical hypnotherapist should be adequately trained and qualified. Treat this like you are finding a new healthcare provider; you want to be confident that the provider has the skills and expertise you are looking for. If you are a beginner to clinical hypnotherapy, consider looking for a practitioner trained in Ericksonian hypnotherapy; this is listed as one of the therapeutic modalities in Ontario, along with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS). This means that it is recognized as effective by the regulatory board of Ontario for psychotherapy. Most importantly, approach clinical hypnotherapy with curiosity, open-mindedness, and willingness to learn. Embrace and question your skepticism, and move towards healing with patience and wonder. Interested in partaking in clinical hypnotherapy as part of your healing journey? Bliss is offering a virtual hypnotherapy group workshop this Fall, with the aim to Re-Charge and Re-Energize after a year and a half of pandemic life. Run by Bliss therapists, Stacey and Lindsay, it is an excellent opportunity to engage in clinical hypnotherapy. Are you interested in joining the workshop? Sign up today! . Contact community@blisscounselling.ca or call us at 226-647-6000. __________ Written by: Catiyana Adam and Stacey Fernandes Catiyana is Bliss Counselling’s Office Strategist, a music enthusiast, and avid writer. She has a keen interest in mental health, illness, and treatment, and is aspiring to be a therapist. Catiyana graduated from McMaster University in 2021 with a Honours Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. She focused on courses in health and illness, as well as families and feminist studies. She hopes to pursue a Master of Social Work at Wilfrid Laurier University next year. Stacey is a Registered Social Worker, traveller, and adventurer at heart. She is dedicated to learning and advancing her knowledge through workshops, courses, and travel. Stacey uses EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) as well as Hypnotherapy and other therapeutic methods in her sessions. She believes in communication, reflection, and slowing down.
Bell Let’s Talk 31 January 2018 Bliss Team No comments Categories: Events In 2010, Bell created a nationwide campaign to raise awareness and reduce stigma surrounding mental health. This January marks eight years of the momentous Bell Lets Talk campaign, which has profoundly impacted Canada and access to care and research from governments and supporting corporations. With the support of everyone across Canada, Bell has donated over 86 million dollars to mental health initiatives. On Bell Let’s Talk Day, Bell will donate five cents for: Every text message sent through their network (this means turning off iMessage); Every phone call, both local and long distance, made through their network; Every view of their Bell Let’s Talk video on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter; Every Facebook profile picture updated with the Bell Let’s Talk frame; Every snap sent with the Bell Let’s Talk filter on Snapchat; and Every tweet using #BellLetsTalk on Twitter. Every interaction counts. Let’s show our support again and make this year’s impact even greater! #BellLetsTalk What can you do to make a long-term impact? As Mahatma Gandhi said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Here are five ways you can start making a change today: Choose your words carefully: The words you use make a difference. Educate yourself: Contribute to ending the stigma by knowing the facts and myths surrounding mental illness. Be kind: Simple acts of kindness, such as smiling or inviting someone for coffee, can initiate a conversation and let someone know you are there for them. Listen and ask: Be a good listener and ask how you can help. Talk about it: Break the silence by challenging stereotypes and talking about it. If you need someone to talk to, we are here for you! Click here to book your consultation. With Love, Your Bliss Team
Giving Thanks in Socktober 9 October 2016 Bliss Team No comments Categories: Events Gratitude is a powerful determinant of mental health, so it really isn’t surprising that we have an entire holiday dedicated to giving thanks. More than just a day off, Thanksgiving was created in order to encourage people to appreciate the bountiful harvest that typically occurs around this time of year. While the tradition of feasting on the seasonal goodness that October brings is still an important part of the Thanksgiving ritual, it is also an important reminder of the kind of gratitude that we should be practicing year-round. In her book “The How of Happiness”, Sonja Lyubomirsky writes that, “…50 percent of individual differences in happiness are governed by genes, 10 percent by life circumstances, and the remaining 40 percent by what we do and how we think -that is, our intentional activities and strategies. The secret of course lies in that 40 percent.” There are many ways that we can take advantage of that 40 percent – we may create and work towards goals that are important to us, seek out new experiences, or try to change negative thinking patterns. Negative thinking patterns can be difficult to alter, but one of the best strategies to that end is practicing gratitude. Regularly reminding yourself of the things that you are grateful for will reduce stress and ultimately make it easier to establish a more positive or optimistic mindset. Whether you mentally prepare a list of things to be grateful for during quiet moments in the morning or before bed, write them down in a journal, or outwardly express gratitude to important people in your life, if you are consistent chances are that over time you will notice those negative thinking patterns that were holding you back have started to disappear. At Bliss we have a lot to be thankful for, but we are especially thankful for the supportive community that has allowed us to flourish these past three years. That is why this year we will be participating in Socktober, an initiative created by SoulPancake and Kid President in order to help people who find themselves living on the streets. Over the course of the next month we will be holding a sock drive for local shelters in an effort to try to keep our neighbours and community members who are homeless a little cozier this winter. If you would like to participate, feel free to bring in a few pairs of socks to your next appointment and add them to our collection. Or, better yet, start a sock collection yourself with family and friends, or at work! Ariel Benwell For more information on the Socktober initiative, and gratitude, feel free to check out the links below: http://soulpancake.com/socktober/ http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-11819/scientific-proof-that-being-thankful-improves-your-health.html http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-22302/so-this-is-why-gratitude-makes-us-happier.html
Bliss Therapy Celebrates Two Years of Counselling 23 November 2015 admin No comments Categories: Events, Relationship Therapy Two years ago we opened the doors to our boutique style private practice in Uptown Waterloo. Since then our mission has been to help the people of Kitchener-Waterloo through the various challenges of love and life, and to develop and enjoy the fulfilling lives we know that they deserve! We are Bliss Individual and Relationship Therapy, and over the last 24 months our eight specialized therapists have counselled over 1000 amazing people. Reaching this exciting milestone has us all reflecting on anniversaries and relationships in general. No relationship is without work, and as therapists our first instinct is always to help, so to mark our anniversary we have put together the following eight tips for building strong partnerships and relationships. Eight Tips for building blissful relationships. 1. Toast the past and make goals together for the future “An anniversary is a time for celebration! Look back and reflect on the accomplishments and periods of growth. No matter what happened… you made it through. It is also an opportunity to set new intentions going forward in your relationship! Take a pause, take a breath, enjoy and celebrate this milestone!” – Kelly McDonnell-Arnold | Sexologist 2. Your relationship is unique. Don’t compare! “Sex means something different and is different for everyone. Try not to compare your sex life to things you see or hear about from other people.” – Lindsay Kenna | Relationship and Sex Therapist 3. Talk to your partner and share! “The best way to keep a relationship going strong is to invite your partner on your journey. Communicate your wants and needs clearly, share your fears, and be vulnerable.” – Tammy Benwell | Therapist 4. Trust each other. “Trust is the backbone of any relationship. If you can develop trust in yourself, you will be able to listen to your feelings and share them with your partner. There also has to be trust that your partner will be able to manage their own feelings in response to yours. With this trust, couples can learn from each other and grow together, rather than apart.” – Heather Anderson | Psychologist 5. Be awesome alone, be awesome together. “It is important to give one another space inside of your relationship. The word space often scares people because they think their partner is unhappy. The reality is that you are hurting your relationship if each of you does not have the space to be an individual within your partnership. Having space creates healthy relationships. When you take the time to emotionally recharge as an individual, it takes the stress off your relationship and allows you to enjoy each other more as a couple.” – Tonya Beattie | Therapist 6. When you encounter difficult times, trust in each other and the relationship you have built. “When tremendous loss is experienced in a relationship, such as the death of loved one, it can be difficult, even painful to support or be supported by your partner. Our inclination when someone is in pain may be to try to “fix it”. The reality of grief is that it cannot be fixed; it is our natural response to the loss of someone or something we loved, and therefore it will be experienced. First, recognize that you and your partner will experience grief in your own unique way and it is important to honour that in one another. Provide space for your partner to experience and express their feelings without judgment or the desire to make it better. Finally, turn toward one another rather than the often-easier response, which is to turn away from the pain and hurt, and the relationship. Marriages and partnerships can survive profound loss, and it will take empathy, compassion and mutual respect for each other’s experience of grief to help that happen.” – Melissa Reid | Grief Therapist 7. No one wins when you keep score. “I think that many busy couples struggle to avoid ‘keeping score’ of who is doing more than the other. Try to consider that even though you may be working at very different things or in different settings, you might both be working as hard as you can and doing a great job with your respective responsibilities.” – Heather Stuart | Therapist 8. Know that you are both right and both wrong. “In a relationship, both people can be exactly right and exactly wrong at the same time. Try to focus less on being “right” and more on understanding the space in between. You might ask yourself, ‘How can I better understand why my partner feels this way?” When we give up a little bit of power we have the opportunity to gain a little bit of compassion?'” – Jenna Luelo | Therapist As we here at Bliss head into our third year, our goal is to continue to grow and develop as a practice in order to best help you navigate through the challenges of life, both in your relationships and in your individual journeys! Want to know more about Bliss Individual and Relationship Therapy’s team and journey? Check out our infographic!
Happy International Women’s Day! 6 March 2014 admin No comments Categories: Events In celebrating this years theme for International Women’s Day- EQUALITY FOR WOMEN IS PROGRESS FOR ALL- I would like to ask you to contemplate that thought for a moment… What would equality look like in your everyday life; in your significant relationships; in your community; and in your world? By taking time to be mindful of how we operate in the world- in how we treat ourselves and others- we can help this theme move from an ideal to a reality. In therapy it is often said that the only real change that we can create is change within ourselves. In honour of International Women’s day I would urge you to look at how you treat significant women in your life and consider what you can do for them on March 8th to show your appreciation for the important roles that they play in your life. Sincerely, Jess Crowe MSW RSW Bliss Specialist To read more about about International Women’s Day please follow the links below: http://www.kitchenerpost.ca/whats-on/international-womens-day-2014/ http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/international-womens-day http://www.canadianwomen.org/node/1939
An Introduction Written by Owner and Founder of Bliss 23 November 2013 admin No comments Categories: Events I believe that our struggles are simply part of the human condition, everyone struggles with issues related to self-esteem, identity, navigating relationships, coping with various life traumas, managing stress or challenges in creating the life we want. Therapy is a healthy and proactive approach to dealing with challenges. There are hundreds of reasons why I love what I do. I have seen what perseverance mixed with enthusiasm can accomplish and I feel honoured every day that I am able to support my clients in gaining clarity, feeling more confident and finding full satisfying relationships. My primary goal in developing Bliss Counselling was to establish a premier resource in the KW community for relationship and sex therapy and tailored counselling services. This specialized therapy model provides support to individuals and couples while they work towards personal fulfillment and healthy relationships. In the development of Bliss Counselling, I pulled together like-minded therapists who were passionate about specializing in their designated areas of focus. I believe Bliss therapists offer clients a more tailored, engaging and enriching experience with therapy. Any persons wanting to improve the quality of their lives will benefit from Bliss Therapy. The specialist’s at Bliss are committed to quality therapeutic practices provided in a collaborative effort with clients to improve emotional, psychological and relational wellbeing. I am committed to the continued development and enhancement of services offered by our confidential and comfortable boutique style practice. Bliss Therapy will effect change by demystifying the stigma associated with counselling services and sex therapy. Bliss is about helping our clients to cultivate their emotional resilience, and resourcefulness, capacity to cope with stress and catastrophe. Bliss Therapy will help individuals to develop the strengths and virtues that make life more fulfilling, enabling our clients to thrive. It’s not about curing mental illness. The specialists at Bliss use evidence based practices to help individuals, families and couples to navigate crossroads to enhance health by reducing anxiety associated with relationships, illness, grief and loss, life stressors and life transitions. I welcome you to get in touch with Bliss to book a free consultation today! Sincerely yours, Kelly