As a therapist, I help people notice the patterns of the things that aren’t working in their lives…that helps them to see the way they tend to make things happen. Once people are able to see their responsibility in the process, positive change is much more likely to occur. Sounds easy. It is not. It’s …
Barbara Walters: Struggling to Believe in Herself
I thought I’d try listening to a book on CD while I was driving in the car. The library had “Audition” by Barbara Walters I’ve been listening to Audition by Barbara Walters on CD while I’ve been driving in the car lately. I was struck by how ordinary some of her story was, even amongst …
Anxiety–A Strategy Gone Wrong Part III
My cat needed a bath…she’s getting older and less able to look after the hard to reach parts. What does this have to do with anxiety—trust me, LOTS!! You shoulda seen her. Her style…frozen while she knows she’s trapped, and then lightening quick at the first opportune moment. And oh, lots of crying…Lily can sound …
Anxiety–A Strategy Gone Wrong Part II
Imagine this, if you can (and if you can remember high school, you can): Two girlfriends, wired and getting more wound up by the moment, in that high school, hand flapping (picture Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality ) sort of way: The first one says: I called my new boyfriend, and he didn’t answer the …
Anxiety–A Strategy Gone Wrong
I remember when I first graduated from Occupational Therapy school…I was working in an outpatient department with patients with workplace injuries. I was inexperienced in many way, and had much to learn. I was embarrassed one day when a patient (not my own) pulled me aside and said, “You know, your client doesn’t speak English …
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Years ago I happened to be at the school yard in the morning on the first day of school in September. The bell had rung about 5 minutes before…the excitement of the first day of school that had the hard top vibrating only a short time ago was now in the school. However, the fire …
The Walking Wounded
I was having a conversation today about the news story of Stephen and Isabelle Allison, a young couple moving to Winnipeg with big dreams and ambitions. They happened to sit towards the rear of a certain Greyhound bus last summer and their move to Winnipeg hasn’t been anything like they expected. They witnessed the brutal …
An End Run on Anxiety
It seems like man’s best friend is also a kid-who-is-struggling-to-read’s best friend, too. I heard an interview today with someone from the Humane Society describing a program where dogs help kids learn to read. I perked my ears up when I heard this…cuz dogs can’t read! The guy says, “It’s hard for some kids to …