Adrienne Johnson Counselling and Consulting
#202, 5085 48th Ave V4K 1W1 Delta, BC, Canada

With a watch for mental health

Thinking about Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision today on his birthday. I know I have so much to learn as a white woman. My goal is to listen, to be uncomfortable, to address my own bias, to raise up BIPOC voices, to speak up, and to grow. As a person-centred therapist, I will continue to respect each BIPOC’s experiences when they come to me for counselling. Understanding there are deep inequalities woven into our society that I can barely grasp from my place of privilege... ...but I will try to understand. Thank you @iamhayleykaye for this great graphic #mlkday #bipoclivesmatter #blacklivesmatter #alwayslearningalwaysgrowing #therapistsofinstagram #counsellorsofinstagram #ladnercounselling #tsawwassencounselling #whiterockcounsellor #whiterockcounselling #cwladner

A new year, and a new introduction. For this introduction, I’d like to answer a question I often get asked: So why did I choose counselling as a career? First of all, hi my name is Adrienne Johnson and I’m a Registered Clinical Counsellor running my private practice out of Ladner and White Rock, BC (both suburbs of Vancouver, BC in Canada). Many years ago I started my journey to where I am now by studying to become a Unitarian minister.... At that time I had recently completed a BA in English and Creative Writing, travelled around Europe solo for a few months (a story for another time) and loved meaning making and helping others, and spirituality was a rich and essential part of my journey. Halfway through my Masters of Divinity I went through a crisis - I no longer felt a strong pull to be in front of a congregation. Instead, I started to feel a rightness in doing one-on-one work helping others. This was cemented for me when I completed a unit of chaplaincy training at Vancouver General Hospital where I felt honoured as each patient shared their individual story with me. From these experiences I decided to work towards my Masters of Counselling Psychology. I didn’t forget my spiritual background however and my masters thesis was on the role of spirituality in the healing from trauma by survivors of domestic abuse. I now have been a registered clinical counsellor for almost 10 years and my diverse background and experience feeds into my work with clients. I only work with spirituality and religious experiences with clients when it’s something they feel they need - I would never push for clients to address spirituality if it wasn’t what they wanted. However, I do often bring mindfulness into our work, and believe that this is an important means for psychological healing and is for some a way to add spiritual depth. See below for a little more... If my story resonates with you in some way, let’s chat.

Are you struggling with the transition from the holiday season? I had been resisting putting away our Christmas decorations. I took some time to ponder why - I realized that our holiday had been missing some key ingredients, such as our traditional family visit to Bright Nights in Stanley Park and numerous evenings with family. I realize now that part of me was still trying to grasp for these missing parts, with no means of being able to fulfill these eleme...nts of a full holiday season. So when it came time to put away the Christmas tree, it was hard to accept that the season was ending while it still felt so incomplete. Sometimes things end even when we’re not ready for them to. Sometimes we need to shift gears, before we feel prepared. I gave myself a moment to feel some sadness over the season ending, before I turned toward the potential of a new year and the inevitable shift into spring. Taking moments to pay attention to the things I love about this season, the hope, the growth (our snowdrops are starting to come up, and soon the crocuses will too). The new life that’s just beneath the leaves strewn across the flower beds in my back yard. If you’re struggling with the transition from the holiday season, check in with yourself as to why. Give yourself a moment to feel whatever you need to feel - breathe into it. Then shift your attention to what feels good about now, where you can see some glimmer of hope or joy. If you feel like you’d like more support with transitions, let’s chat. Sent via @planoly #planoly #2021hopeful #Counsellorsofinstagram #Therapistsofinstagram #ladnerbusiness #ladnercounselling #ladnerisaplace #ladnerisawesome #tsawwassenisawesome #whiterockcounselling #whiterockcounsellor #womeninbiz #cwladner See more

This has been my experience during the pandemic - if I can get my daily 30 min walk in it makes such a difference to my mental health. What daily practice have you found helps your mental health?

Do you do any regular breath work practice? Today I had the awesome experience of joining 890 fellow yogis from around the world for a live yoga class - Anchored in Love- put on by @AdrieneLouise Mishler (Yoga with Adriene) and @PracticeYogaAustin. I cried at the end after experiencing such a beautiful connection over the course of the 90 minutes. Part of the event was at least 10 min of just breathing together, and it was incredible. A short recap of my ...experience with yoga: I started with Yoga back on Jan 2, 2019 by attending Yoga with Adriene’s 30 day challenge ‘Dedicate’ (free on You Tube) and from that time I’ve been hooked. I have now completed over 700 days of consecutive yoga since - some days are only 10 minutes of gentle movement and breath, other days are almost an hour. Often I’ve done my practice at 10pm, because kids. This regular practice has resulted in lowering my anxiety and providing a wonderful mental space between what I’m experiencing internally and my reaction. In other words, this regular practice has helped me develop my sense of internal calm. My clients hear this from me often: everyone can benefit from including a regular breath and/or breath/movement practice into their life. Research supports the value of adding these simple practices (think yoga, meditation, tai chi, Qi Gong, etc.) as regularly as possible. These small moments of being present with yourself and your body can have profound impacts on your overall mental health and happiness. If you’d like to learn more, let’s chat. #yogawithadriene #yogaeverydamnday #yogaforanxiety #yogaformentalhealth #yogaforall #therapistsofinstagram #counsellorsofinstagram #ladnercounselling #ladnerisaplace #ladnerisawesome #ladnerbc #ladnertherapist #counsellorladner #tsawwassenisawesome #whiterockcounselling #whiterockcounsellor #mompreneur #Ladnermoms Sent via @planoly #planoly See more

Does online counselling make you a bit nervous? Do you wonder if your counsellor or therapist will really be able to connect with through a screen? I have been conducting online sessions with clients for the past 5 years with very few challenges. Often clients are a bit nervous at first, wondering how well we will be able to really connect over an online platform. Interestingly, after a couple of sessions those same clients often choose online as their main... means of meeting. I’ve heard a variety of positive feedback for counselling online - clients start to realize that there are many benefits to conducting therapy this way, including being able to meet from the comfort of your own home, no commute time, more flexible session times, and at the moment the benefit of not having to wear a mask. If you’re looking for therapy and are curious whether online sessions will work for you, I suggest reaching out to a local counsellor/therapist to try it out. If you’re living in B.C and wondering if online counselling with me might be a fit for you, let’s chat. PS. I offer phone sessions for those who aren’t able to use an online platform, or for whom phone conversations are more comfortable! #counsellingonline #trysomethingnew #onlinetherapy #onlinetherapist #onlinementalhealth #therapistsofinstagram #counsellorsofinstagram #ladnercounselling #ladnerisaplace #ladnerisawesome #ladnertherapist #counsellorladner #tsawwassenisawesome #whiterockcounselling #whiterockcounsellor #cwladner @collaborative_wellness_ladner Sent via @planoly #planoly See more

When did you last take a moment to really feel into your body? Yesterday, I was lucky enough to engage in a zoom training on using Focusing-oriented Therapy with trauma. I have been training in focusing-oriented therapy, a somatic therapy, since February of this year and have found it life changing. For most of my life, I struggled to get in touch with my body - I was much more comfortable sticking with my thoughts, thank you very much, ...they were much easier for me to understand. Through focusing (I’m sure daily yoga helped too), I started to get comfortable sitting with the feelings and sensations in my body and to listen to them. It became less frightening to take a moment and breathe into the ‘felt sense,’ and to allow something to unfold. For some of you this might sound strange, even a little ‘woo woo’ - I know it did for me - but our bodies hold much more wisdom than we know. They hold pre-verbal memories, traumas, connections and disconnections. They also hold access to a true sense of our selves, our needs, our wants, and our healing. I have witnessed the shift in clients as they were finally able to connect with their bodies and listen. I’ve seen clients learn to connect with their emotions and understand them much better through getting to know the felt sense in their body. We can all benefit from a pause during our day to breathe, look inward, and feel into our bodies - they have so much to tell us. If you want to learn more, let’s chat. #focusingorientedtherapy #feltsense #somatictherapy #traumainformedtherapy #therapistsofinstagram #counsellorsofinstagram #ladnercounselling #ladnerisaplace #ladnerisawesome #counsellorladner #tsawwassenisawesome #whiterockcounselling #whiterockcounsellor #cwladner Sent via @planoly #planoly See more

Instagram isn’t getting along with my FB... so here’s a link to a video I recently posted on Instagram on belly breathing! https://www.instagram.com/tv/CH1Bpv5BryL/

What are you grateful for? Today, I am grateful for the wind whistling through the trees while I’m inside and cozy. I am grateful for my tea misto from our local coffee shop @stircoffeehouse and the friendly staff there. ... I am grateful for the smiles of strangers as I dropped off my daughter at school today. I am grateful for the time this morning to do some yoga and be present. I am grateful for the chance to meet with my clients by phone and zoom today. I often recommend a form of gratitude practice to my clients who struggle with negative thought patterns. What’s wonderful about this powerful but simple practice is that it helps over time to rewire the brain to look for the positive rather than the negative. It’s such a transformative tool that if practiced regularly it can change so much of your outlook. Gratitude journal practice: 1. Pick a regular time of day that you can take a few minutes to journal daily 2. Write down in your phone, a favourite journal, or even just pause to mindfully think about 3-5 things you were grateful for that day 3. Like my list above, the things you choose can be as simple as gratitude for the sun coming through a window - they don’t need to be big events. The point is to search for different things each day, as much as possible, so that you start to see the variety of things around you that you’re grateful for. If you continue to struggle with negative thought patterns or feel like you need to reach out, I’m here. Let’s chat. #gratitudepractice #changeyourbrain #therapistsofinstagram #ladnercounselling #ladnerisaplace #ladnerisawesome #ladnertherapist #counsellorladner #tsawwassenisawesome #whiterockcounselling #whiterockcounsellor #womeninbiz #cwladner Thank you @laurajaneillustrations for this beautiful graphic

Mamas with anxiety, I see you. I see how you hold it all together as best you can each day. I see how you try to remember just one more birthday card, one more school project, one more appointment time.... I see how you try to keep up with your friends, family, work, and you worry... worry that you said the wrong thing, did the wrong thing, that a passerby is silently judging you, that you’re not good enough. I see how you lie awake at night and peel apart the worries one by one. I see how your chest is tight, and you sometimes have trouble thinking straight. I see how you, at times, have a drink too many to soften your edges. I see how you, at times, have a coffee too many just to keep up. I see how you love your children so deeply that it hurts. I see how you put your children ahead of yourself so often that there’s little space left for you. I see how on some days you feel so overwhelmed, not sure what to do, but you put one foot in front of the other and just get through, hoping tomorrow will be better. Mamas with anxiety, I see you, and I can help. Let’s chat. Photocredit: @bellaphotoca #mommiesofinstagram #momswithanxiety #ladnercounselling #ladnerisaplace #ladnerisawesome #ladnermoms #ladnertherapist #counsellorladner #tsawwassenisawesome #whiterockcounselling #whiterockcounsellor #womeninbiz

Can you tell that I’m smiling? Here’s my COVID fashion during a pause between in-person sessions in my Ladner office today. I care deeply about my clients’ health and safety, as well as that of my family and friends, so I’ve moved to asking clients to wear masks in session (and of course I am too!). ... We currently live in a world where there are many things out of our control, but this is one small thing we can do to contribute to ours and our community’s safety. It’s not forever. We will get through this step by step. And I will love seeing each of my clients’ faces in person when we have the opportunity to do so safely again! At least for now this allows us to meet in person still #covidfashion #wearamask #ladnercounselling #ladnerisaplace #ladnerisawesome #ladnertherapist #counsellorladner #tsawwassenisawesome #whiterockcounselling #whiterockcounsellor #womeninbiz #cwladner

What are you reading right now? One of my favourite escapes as I go for my walks is listening to a variety of books on audible. I’m a very slow reader, so when life gets busy my way of keeping up my reading is to listen to audiobooks while also doing the more menial household tasks (pro tip: pair something boring with something you enjoy and it’s much easier to get the boring tasks done!). I just love Hold On, But Don’t Hold Still by Kristina Kuzmic. I found myself laughin...g out loud as I stepped through the autumn leaves of Ladner - got a few odd looks for my sudden outbursts. I love how Kuzmic takes such an honest and non-judgmental look at the challenges of motherhood. She comes right out and talks about thoughts many moms won’t even share, and with such wonderful humour and compassion. I recommend it as a great read or listen to help moms feel less alone. Bonus is that the audiobook version it’s read by Kuzmic herself #ladnerisaplace #ladnerbusiness #ladnermoms #ladnermommies #ladnerisawesome #ladnercounselling #cwladner #whiterockcounselling #whiterockmoms #momlife #southdelta #southdeltamoms

How are you feeling this November? For many of us it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster so far. Self-care and self-compassion at these times is so important. Part of the self-compassion practice is naming, acknowledging and taking a pause with our emotions. So I encourage you, as you read this post, to take a moment, a deep breath, and pay attention to your body. What feelings are there, what words in this list resonate with how you’re doing? Give them some room, some non-judgmental acknowledgment - a little hello. Take a moment to let them be, whatever they are with compassion. Repeat this practice as needed throughout each day. Thank you @mellow.doodles for such a great list of feelings