Seaglass Psychology
10171 Saskatchewan Drive T6E 4R5 Edmonton, AB, Canada

When I first introduced myself here, I shared something I call the Plenitude Wheel. I want to reintroduce it, not only because it got a new design, but also in case you missed it the first time! I see myself both as a feminist and holistic therapist. The word holistic associated with wellness seems to be everywhere on social media these days, but what does it mean? When I asked this to myself, I kept thinking about the relationships among the parts of the self and how they'...Continue reading

Mental health care matters: it’s an investment in our future. Talking about our mental health is always relevant, but it becomes even more so in difficult times. It’s been several months since our daily lives changed dramatically, in one way or another. With more or less resistance, we’ve had to adapt. We’ve built new routines, modified our customs, found new ways to connect with our loved ones. Whether we notice it or not, this has probably had an impact on our psychological... wellbeing. While we worry when we sneeze or have a fever, we tend to downplay the signs that might indicate a mental health affliction. We need to remember that seeking psychological support shouldn’t be a luxury, or reserved for those with a diagnosed mental illness. Therapy can be a safe place to talk about how you feel; it can be what you need in times like these. I’m leaving the link to a post I wrote a while ago about adapting to change: https://www.seaglasspsychology.ca/blog/adapting-to-change/ How are you taking care of your mental health? {ID: Two pictures with a background of light blue wood boards, a centred square in a light colour with a dark blue stripe at the bottom and the Seaglass Psychology logo in white on the right. In both pictures, the text is aligned to the left and in brown and light blue colours. In the first picture, the text reads: "October 10, 2020" and "World Mental Health Day". In the second picture, the same text is in Spanish.} #mentalhealth #mentalhealthday #WorldMentalHealthDay2020 #WorldMentalHealthDay #mentalillnessawarenessweek #therapy #psychology #edmontonpsychology #edmonton #alberta #yeg #wellness #latinapsychologist

Since I’ve been sharing a variety of really good posts for #SuicidePreventionAwarenessMonth in stories, my contribution is this: three things about #suicide that you might not know yet. A series of crisis resources for Canada are available in my Instagram highlights {ID: All the pictures have a light background, the text is centered and in brown. There are decorative spots in yellow and the Seaglass Psychology logo is at the bottom right corner. 1: Suicide Prevention Awaren...ess Month. Three things on suicide. 2: #1 People don’t commit suicide. The way we talk about suicide matters. By saying someone committed suicide, we are criminalizing the act and condemning the victim, which has an isolating impact on those dealing with suicide ideation. Instead, we should update our vocabulary and say someone died by suicide, a more compassionate and non-stigmatizing expression. 3: #2 Suicide ideation is not uncommon. Suicidal thoughts can be active, when someone thinks of steps to end their life, or passive, when the person wishes that they would stop existing somehow. Suicide ideation of both kinds is a lot more common than death by suicide, but it should always be taken seriously. 4: #3 A means to end pain. Typically, suicide-related thoughts and behaviour are not about wanting to die but needing to escape a painful or overwhelming situation for which the person doesn’t see a way out. On top of this, many people are discouraged from seeking help due to the stigma associated with suicide and mental illness. 5: Remember: there is always hope, and you are not alone. In the next five pictures, the same text is in Spanish.} See more

In a recent post, I talked about being pleasantly surprised with #telepsychology. Since moving my practice to the online medium, I have come to appreciate the positive things that virtual #therapy can bring to me and my clients. I had some concerns about how it would look like to incorporate the body into therapy in this format. While in-person sessions let me pay attention to my client’s whole body language, I was able to adapt quite quickly and now my clients help me do the... noticing. The face and voice are so expressive, too, that I still get a good idea of what's going on for someone based on that alone. I actually think that I have the same rate of accuracy tracking experience as I did in person! Have you tried telepsychology? How do you feel about it? {ID: All the pictures have a light beige background. The title is at the top in green-blue, separated by a yellow dotted line. The items are in brown, separated in two columns and marked with a yellow lightbulb symbol on the left. The Seaglass Psychology symbol is in the bottom right corner. 1st image: Positive things about telepsychology. Convenience: No commute, no traffic, and the comfort of your own home! Long distance: I can provide therapy to people living all through Alberta and in Chile. If you have a good internet connection and enough privacy for a call, you can do telepsych! Research suggests it’s as effective as in-person therapy, and that it’s generally well-accepted by clients. 2nd image: What somatic work looks like in telepsychology. Tell me if your hands are doing something: Helping you do your own tracking. I show how to do an exercise on the camera and ask the client to mirror me. For example: I wrap my thumb with the fingers of my free hand and tell the client to squeeze. Many of the same questions also work online: What do you notice? How would you describe it? The next two pictures have the same text in Spanish.}

We need to talk about suicide. Raising awareness, learning to recognize the symptoms and how to help our loved ones, and fighting to change the systemic problems that contribute to mental health issues are essential points in #SuicidePrevention. Remember, #YouAreNotAlone (You can find some crisis resources for Canada in my Instagram highlights.)... {ID: Two pictures with a background of sunflowers, a centred square in a light colour with a yellow stripe at the bottom and the Seaglass Psychology logo in white on the right. In both pictures, the text is aligned to the left and in brown and yellow colours. In the first picture, the text reads: "September 2020" and "Suicide Prevention Awareness Month". In the second picture, the same text is in Spanish.}