Areas of Exploration

Having disabilities, hidden or otherwise, physical or mental may pose unique challenges that others may not see or understand.

Women’s issues are issues many women or woman-identified persons experience as a result of acute or insidious mental or physical “assaults” that result in feeling inherently “less-than”. Many symptoms include low self-esteem, self-destructive behaviours such as “cutting”, and self-destructive cognitive tendencies such as self-judgment.

GLBTQ stands for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Questioning or Queer and describe one’s identity based on their sexual orientation. Many people do not fall squarely in the box of being one hundred per cent heterosexual and as a result, may experience mild to extreme prejudice and misplaced, misguided hatred directed towards them.

This may result in a loss of sense of self, loss of faith in society, and a loss of close relationships. Therapy may be helpful when one is trying to figure out who they are and where they fit on the continuum of sexual identity.

Depression can be quite a debilitating illness. One way to describe it is that it may feel like a heavy wet blanket weighing one down at all times. Sometimes people think there is something inherently wrong with them or judge their self for experiencing the symptoms that they feel.

There are many possible factors that may be the culprit for the cause of this condition. Sometimes it is a manifestation of anger turned inward.

Anxiety can manifest in a variety of ways. For example, sometimes people experience it when they have to take a test or perform in some way. Sometimes it is expressed in the social milieu, or around making life decisions. It can vary between mild and extreme. Sometimes it is directly related to a person’s expectations of self-perfectionism or perceived expectations to be perfect. Or it can be a way to mask or cope with fear. There are a variety of ways to manage this mood disorder which we can explore in therapy including addressing the belief of upholding perfectionism, if applicable.

The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy that I practise can be quite effective in changing one’s thoughts about oneself. It is not uncommon for people to have low self-worth or to not place much value on themselves in certain areas or as a whole. Feeling self-conscious can develop and can get in the way of being free to live in the moment and becoming one’s true authentic self. Low self-esteem can hinder relationships and one’s performance at work or school. It is unfortunately a necessary ingredient for unhappiness. In therapy with me, we will work on increasing one’s value of oneself in a variety of ways.

Anorexia and Bulimia are eating disorders whereby a person develops an unhealthy relationship to food and their own body. This usually begins as a way to feel a sense of control in one’s life during a time when one is living in an unhealthy chaotic environment that feels overwhelming, whether or not it can be expressed in words. If one is able to limit their food intake – anorexia – one can feel that at least in this area s/he can feel a sense of control, order, and accomplishment.

Another way an eating disorder is expressed is to gorge on an extreme amount of food at one time and then purge it to prevent weight gain or to lose weight – bulimia. Eating disorders often involve body dysmorphia, where one has a distorted view of their body thinking it is unacceptable the way it is. In the therapy I offer, a way to address these issues is to develop other healthy ways in order to acquire a sense of control of one’s life and a more accepting, loving orientation towards oneself and one’s body and thereby begin the process towards true self-empowerment.

Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder that encompasses cycles of depressive and manic states. Oftentimes, when in a manic state, the individual feels great, having lots of energy, being productive, having fun, and feeling a measure of indestructibility. However, a person’s inhibitions are also lowered and this can easily become self-destructive to one’s life, if not destructive to others as well.

In addition, what goes up must come down, and the manic phase cannot be sustained indefinitely. So, depression ensues and most people do not enjoy being depressed.

From the point of view of the ones witnessing the manic states, the person may appear to be illogical, have magical thinking, have hyperactive behavior, and/or engage in risky behaviors, for example, speeding while driving, shopping sprees, and others.

Relationships can be complicated and challenging, yet we need them to be mentally healthy given that humans are social animals. Therapy can be a useful exercise to promote intra and inter-psychic wellbeing, whether it be addressing issues in relationship to a significant other, a family member, friend, boss or co-worker.

Communication skills, for example, are very useful and can be learned in individual therapy and/or in couples or family therapy.

Childhood is a very significant time in everyone’s life. As we are growing our brains are developing and we are actually forming our sense of ourselves and the world. Children have a slew of needs and it’s true that it takes a village to raise a child. Most of us have not had the fortune of having a healthy village available to us throughout our childhoods. The areas where we did not get needs met or where we were harmed, get “stuck” and we have extra challenges in moving through our developmental stages; and, whether we are aware of it or not, affect our adult lives in a host of ways. Often, people choose to work on their childhood issues in therapy as a way to get at the root of their problems.

Life transitions are really about dealing with any big or difficult change in your life, e.g., moving away to college, marriage, divorce, a new addition to family, a new job or a career change. Change is often stressful even if it is a change for the better. A lot of adjustment needs to take place and one has to move out of their comfort zone.
This can be difficult in and of itself, but it can also trigger past unresolved issues that compounds the situation and one’s relationship to it.

Grief and loss is an emotional process one goes through when faced with the termination of someone or something that holds a significant place in one’s heart or life. Grief and loss is most commonly understood in relationship to the death of a loved one, which can be devastating. It also may be applied to the breakup of a significant relationship or the loss of one’s health, home, community, or pet, for example.

Trauma occurs after exposure to an event where a person experiences a life-threatening event or is a witness to a life threatening event. It may be a recent event or an event from the distant past.

It may be fresh in one’s memory or it may be “blacked out” where one has no conscious memory of it. It can affect many aspects of one’s life anywhere from having a sensitive startle response to having nightmares. If you have symptoms, I recommend that you seek therapy where you can have a safe place to attend to and heal these emotional wounds.

Addiction can generally be identified as continued use (of anything) despite adverse consequences. Drugs, alcohol, food, gambling, shopping, video games, online surfing, and even books are a few examples of behaviors or substances that one can get addicted to. It’s a way of escaping uncomfortable feelings or problems in one’s life, an unhealthy distraction.

Whether experiencing difficulties with falling asleep, staying asleep, or both, sleep is becoming more elusive for many, many people. It could be due to stress, poor diet, environmental pollutants, or internal ailments. Physical, mental, and/or spiritual issues may be the cause and/or the result of sleep disorders.

Panic attacks are similar to acute anxiety only physical symptoms occur along with the anxiety. Most prominent is the symptom of difficulty breathing which can make a person fear for their life because they can’t breathe fully. It can be confusing because the person may believe that the underlying problem is a physical one – it can mimic symptoms of a heart attack.

Self-harm doesn’t solve one’s problems, it adds to one’s problems. Therapy, individual and/or group, provides a way for people to explore their emotions in a safe environment and offers more healthy ways to cope with pain.