I’ve known Sabrina for years…since around the time she started her Master’s in Counselling. I’ve heard about her papers and her practicums and her arduous adventures of being a counselling student, as an acquaintance already in the field who followed her aspirations with interest. Even before she had all the training, I just had a …
Peeking behind the Curtain
Remember that scene towards the end of the movie, The Wizard of Oz…where Dorothy and her crew are Terrified with a capital T of the threatening, booming, deep voice of the wizard….when the little puppy, Toto, peeks around the curtain, and we find out that the wizard is a little man who feels vulnerable and …
I hate vulnerability too!
We all do. Therapists explore matters with clients all the time that, when discussed, are deeply exposing and revealing of deep parts of the client. Some clients come in…ready to let a stranger-therapist in on those deep, hidden parts, because as hard as it is to talk to a stranger, it is infinitely easier to …
The Hairbrush Blues
Sometimes, a strategy to solve one problem works really well, but, over time, creates another problem. Let me illustrate. For the past several months, when I get into the car, I put the key in the ignition and hope it will turn. Sometimes it does. Sometimes it doesn’t. When it first didn’t turn.–like it doesn’t …
Hope
November upon us…it’s getting darker and colder. Not only is the season a difficult one, but it’s a difficult life season for our team too. It’s piling up, where members of the Bergen and Associates Counselling team are being hit by deaths of friends, aging and dying parents, health challenges, terminal illness of family members, …
Crying
If I had a dollar for every time someone apologized to me for crying, I just might be able to retire as independently wealthy. Crying is so often seen as a sign of weakness, or something to feel bad about…like somehow watching someone cry might be offensive to me. It seems almost automatic for most …
Making an Appointment
People trust their hairdresser to cut their hair, and their mechanic to fix their car, Bergen points out. Why wouldn’t they trust a counsellor with the things that are troubling them? “It’s okay to seek help and to seek resources from somebody who knows something about an area that you don’t,” says Bergen, who …
Bravely Exploring One’s Story
From Brene Brown, an expert on shame, vulnerability, authenticity, and joy:
Aargh…Blossom pinching season
I worked hard on my flower beds this weekend…given the rain we’ve had the last couple of days, it seemed like this would give them a good soak right after they got planted…and if I waited for the sunshine, it might be a long while before I could get into the dirt, given the rainfall …
One woman’s counselling diary
Going to counselling is tough. In fact, so tough, that many people avoid it as long as possible. For many, that means counselling happens once things are “past the point of no return”. It’s unfortunate…because that actually can give counselling a bad rap…when people go only as they are already packing their bags to leave …