I come from steady, stable, secure stock. My parents both worked hard within the same organization their entire careers. We lived in only two houses when I was growing up. They looked–twice (very carefuly)–before they leaped. I was taught to always pay one’s credit card bill at month’s end, never spend what you didn’t have, …
The cost of the beauty brainwash
Our culture today has made it hard to see true beauty. Folks are literally bombarded with thousands of images per day of “beautiful women”. Problem is, those beautiful women in the ads don’t exist. The women that posed for those ads, wished they looked like the women in those ads. Beauty that is unreachable and …
Meet Deanna Carpentier
Vulnerability sucks. No getting around it. It’s hard to be vulnerable. However, as a person who witnesses the courage of folks who daily choose vulnerability, I also see the incredible rewards of folks who choose to dare to be vulnerable. It’s good to be smart about vulnerability…to choose a place that is safe. Counselling can …
Do we treat addiction?
Often on our contact page, or on the phone, folks ask us, “Do you treat addiction?” Sooooo many folks struggle with extreme and disordered behaviour, when spending too much, working too hard, eating too much (or not enough), drinking too much, using and abusing street drugs, abusing prescription medication, or consumed with electronics…facebook, gaming, …
Taking the Mask Off
There is the very real dilemma and tension of needing to put on a mask and to armor up against fear and vulnerability on the job, and then find ways of reversing that to be emotionally available to his family: The brain is affected by trauma…we know what the names of the brain are …
The Truth about Guys
I’ve been reading The Power of Why by Amanda Lang lately…an interesting, creative book laced with interesting stories that encourage curiosity, risk taking, adventure and even mistakes as ways of developing the human spirit and furthering human development. One of the stories this book follows is Canadian Tire’s year long exploration to find out why …
Let’s talk: Internet Porn
Let’s be honest…it’s the epidemic no one talks about…but shapes our culture more than we care to admit. The availability of pornography on the internet is staggering…the ease with which anybody can access pictures of a pornographic nature is frighteningly easy. It’s an unspoken factor in many relationships…women feel ugly and fat and unloved when …
Hump Day Nudge…Say Yes!
Last May, I saw this video and blogged about it…LOVED the joy, the silliness, the hope, the giggles it stirred inside…it was a tribute to life! Isaac and Amy released a new video that honours family…their heritage, their courage, and the leap that their grandparents and parents took to embrace love and life and the …
Do we let men be real?
What happens when a guy gets tired? What happens when a guy loses someone important to him? What happens when a guy gets betrayed, disappointed, loses out, gets shafted, is ambushed, has one thing after another not go his way? He experiences life as hard, that’s what. And while we might let him cuss, yell, …
Avoiding Goodness for Fear’s Sake
Even good things can feel scary. Good things can have us feel vulnerable. Vulnerability can feel scary…and so we avoid taking risks…even when the risk means a good thing. Like: applying for a desired program handing in the paper you worked hard on accepting the invitation to the party being the first to smile to …