Relationship versus Task?? It Depends

It’s a delicate balance—relationships. In lots of ways. I’ve spent a coupla weeks talking to first year Master’s level Occupational Therapy students–teaching them how to interview clients. So, after I talked to the students about these things, they had a chance to go to the Clinical Learning and Simulation Facility at the University of Manitoba …

Uncovering the Sting

The sinister creep of self doubt has a firm hold on me…whether I want it or not (and, for the record, I don’t). Had a conversation a few days ago. A well meaning colleague decided she should set me straight on a few things. In other words, she gave me some advice on how I …

Expectations after Failure

The implications of “knowing” what to expect after a mistake ripple. All this blogging about mistakes reminded me of an incident that occured some time ago. I realize that most of life isn’t this obvious, and that the back and forth of relationships produce much more subtle exchanges, but it will allow me to illustrate …

When Mistakes Strengthen

The handling a mistake is often more remembered than the mistake itself. It was a beautiful day yesterday morning…and my first class of the year at University. I’ve taught this class before, but it was still hard to “get into it” when finally the weather seemed summery. I rode my bike to school to enjoy …

Candid Honesty-A Gift

No one likes being challenged–but not being challenged can be incredibly dangerous. Research is showing that the trend towards celebrity status CEO’s of companies can potentially lead to their downfall. As a CEO become a celebrity and an increasingly powerful head of the organization, the realtionship with the Human Resources department changes–the amount of discretion …

Step mothering in the headlines

I realize it is after Mother’s Day, but I came across an article today about step mothers. Carolyn McTighe interviewed me a while back about step mothering, and how step mothers can handle a tricky day like Mother’s Day. Mother’s Day is a tough one for step mothers…step mothers care about the kids, but the …

Marketing Industry meets Therapy

I was at a conference today, entitled: “Stay Ahead of the Electronic Curve: Digital Marketing, the Changing World of Targeted Communication”. There were some really interesting, energized (and energizing!) speakers. Rahaf Harfoush publishes a book next month about her experience of helping Barack Obama’s campaign. She said lots of interesting and fascinating things, but what …

I love you

Being a therapist, I find ways to expose myself to different ideas, so my home page on firefox has a variety of news feeds and quoteable quotes.. This one caught my eye: I love you. It’s not a weight you must carry around. I love you. It’s not a box that holds you in. I …

In Praise of Gangs

There’s been talk in the news lately about money in the government budget to fight gangs. Gangs are seen as the source of much crime including the proliferation of drugs, financial crime with money laundering, and violent crimes against each other, where innocents can get caught in the crossfire. I’m all about reducing crimes, but …

Respect by bullying?

An odd thought, right? Maybe even repulsive? Christopher Nolan, a renowned Irish author, died last week. Christopher wasn’t just any author…he had to write because, he said, “my mind is like a spin-dryer at full speed; my thoughts fly around my skull while millions of beautiful words cascade down into my lap.” Christopher wrote his …