Sarah Murray–Psychology Today Sex Expert

Our therapist, Sarah Murray, is now a columnist with Psychology Today as a sex expert.  Her first article was published recently: Sarah focused her doctoral dissertation on men’s experience of sexuality, looking at the connection between sex and belonging/connection/relationship. There is no shortage of stereotypes about men’s sexuality.  There is much bravado and “locker room …

I love the ready tears of strong men

“Courage. Scared. Grace, too” On Gord Downie, vulnerability and men.

Like millions of Canadians, I can’t stop thinking about the Tragically Hip’s incredible performance on Saturday night. It wasn’t just Gord Downie’s sparkly tracksuits and feathered hats, his uniquely quirky dance moves, or the dozens of poetic songs he and his band so perfectly performed. For me, the most profound moment was during his performance …

Misconceptions: Men and Sex

Another of our colleagues has entered the blogosphere. Sarah Hunter Murray has been on our therapy staff for several years…during her first year with us, she was doing research and writing a thesis looking at the male perspective of sex.  She is passionate about helping people explore and understand sexuality…and in her gentle way, encourages …

A Bittersweet Legacy

 Carolyn here: Michael Quiring, one of the therapists here, is one of my favourite people. His dad has been struggling…I’vbeen asking him about his dad’s health for years. Michael’s dad became acutely ill a few weeks ago. I spoke to him early last week…the situation was grave, and the odds were stacked against recovery, but his dad …

Before it’s too late

I was talking recently to some of my colleagues about couples therapy. One of the topics that came up was the reluctance of one partner to hear the other spouse’s pain…and do something about it. Sometimes, when couples come to therapy, we ask the couples which one is the “draggee” in therapy, and one the …

Poster of one man helping another over the wall..."We don't have to do it alone. We were never meant to" Brene Brown quote

A letter to a potential client: Yep, therapy is hard

If you find this article helpful, might I invite you to consider reading the book? It’s a big decision to decide to go to therapy, and so don’t dismiss (or grab) it lightly. Make a thoughtful decision–notice your resistance and be curious about it. Work it through thoughtfully. Available on Amazon in softcover and kindle …

Comforting Power of a Parent

So,  parenting is hard, eh?  Brutal. Some days, you gotta wonder if all your efforts matter.  If you matter. Some days, we as parents mess up, screw up, yell too much, micro manage, over-parent, under-parent, can’t-play-dressy-up-even-one-more-time, or use the screen as a babysitter in an all together unsatisfying way. But we always got something our …

Hump Day Nudge: Great Dads

“My name’s dad…and proud of it…all dads should be.” {! social/video/youtube?url=http%3A//youtu.be/6GYxH2-WeZY !} I love peanut butter. But I’m not at all sure about mixing peanut butter and Cheerios. I am completely sure that this is the sort of dad that is inspiring… I think it’s something about the encouragement, empowerment, boundaries, playfulness, affirmation towards his …