Bridging Hope Therapeutic Services
181 Groh Avenue, Unit 202 N3C 1Y8 Cambridge, ON, Canada

It’s that time of year again when I head off to the trees and water! I will be away on vacation from September 3rd-September 13th. Please note that I will not have access to email or phone during this time, but will get back to you as soon as I return. I will be thinking of everyone transitioning back to school, and hope it goes as smoothly as possible. If you are in crisis please call 911, go to your nearest hospital, or call the Here 24/7 Crisis Line to access addiction, mental health, or crisis services. The number for the Crisis Line is 1-844-437-3247.

Food drive run by local high school student! A high school student from Jacob Hespeler, is running a food drive to donate to the local food bank. If anyone is able to donate any canned or boxed food, your help is greatly appreciated. I have a bin in my office, as well a box out in the hallway in front of my office. Thank you in advance so much for your help, it is greatly appreciated! A big thank you to BuildSafe - Construction Safety Services Inc. for all of their help with the food drive, helping to run it from their office as well! Thank you:)

MONSTER, A RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL EXPERIENCE By: Dennis Saddleman I HATE YOU RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL I HATE YOU...Continue reading

Happy Father’s Day To all the father figures out there and all those who are missing their father figures. Thank you and thinking of you

2 years ago today I moved into my current office space: Unit 202, 181 Groh Avenue in Cambridge. My dad and husband helped so much in transforming the space into the warm, cozy, therapeutic space it is now. Happy Anniversary dear office!

A wonderful neuroscience teacher of mine, once taught me, that our brains are Teflon for positives and Velcro for negatives, explaining that we could have a lot of positive happen to us during the day, and how sometimes it just takes one negative to really stick, and get us stuck. Here is a great article that discusses the benefits of teaching your children positive affirmations and how to do so. Affirmations are one way to help train our brain to focus on and sit in what’s g...oing well. Affirmations can be helpful for people of all ages, but it can be especially helpful to start building this foundation when children are young, so they are better able to access this tool as they grow and face life challenges. The article is titled, Empower Your Children with These 33 Expert-Approved Affirmations by: Sarah Regan https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/affirmations-for-kids See more

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day We Remember the babies born sleeping, those we carried but never held,... those we held but could not take home, those who came home but could not stay See more

We have a brain and a body, and we experience mental health and physical health in our lives. We all have times when our physical and/or mental health are feeling strong and times when we need to give our brains and bodies extra attention and care. Today is World Mental Health Day. It’s lovely that this day of awareness lands on a weekend this year. Hoping we can listen to ourselves and what we need, and if we need help, that we know that it’s ok, as we all need help sometimes.

Like wildflowers, you must allow yourself to grow in all the places people thought you never would. E.V. The main person who we should prove it to, is ourselves. Often times, we are our own worst critics, not believing in our full abilities, which accidentally holds us back. Believing in the possibilities of growth, is like planting a seed, it allows us to take root and grow, even in all the places we never thought possible.

"Surround yourself with people that reflect who you want to be and how you want to feel, energies are contagious." - Rachel Wolchin Being around good supportive people is powerful. Heavy days feel lighter. We may find we're better able to accept where we've come from, find peace and purpose where we are, and look towards our future with a more positive energy that fuels us.

Every Child Matters Orange Shirt Day September 30th Today we wear orange to remember the children who were removed from their homes, their families, their cultures and traditions, and placed in residential schools. We need to remember our history. Every child matters.

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. My heart goes out to all those whose lives have been affected by suicide. If you are ever feeling unsafe or are worried about someone, please reach out for help. Please find the information for Here 24/7 and the Kids Help Phone below. If you or someone you know is in imminent risk, please call 911 or go to your nearest hospital. Here 24/7 Addictions, Mental Health & Crisis Services Waterloo-Wellington (services available 24/7): https:/.../here247.ca/ Kids Help Phone (offers counselling, information, and referrals for young people through: phone, text, or live chat): https://kidshelpphone.ca/, Phone (available 24/7): 1-800-668-6868, Text (available 24/7): 686868

Excellent resource put together by Children's Mental Health Ontario (CMHO). CMHO has created a Back to School Mental Health Kit to support children and families through this new school year. Transitioning back to school can be challenging, and understandably this year brings forward new obstacles to navigate. We will get through this one step at a time.

Excellent resource put together by Childrens Mental Health Ontario (CMHO). CMHO has created a Back to School Mental Health Kit to support children and families through this new school year. Transitioning back to school can be challenging, and understandably this year brings forward new obstacles to navigate. We will get through this one step at a time.

I will be away on vacation from August 28th-September 8th. Please note that I will not have access to email or phone during this time, but will get back to you as soon as I return. I will be thinking of everyone transitioning back to school; I hope everyone has a great week If you are in crisis please call 911, go to your nearest hospital, or call the Here 24/7 Crisis Line to access addiction, mental health, or crisis services. The number for the Crisis Line is 1-844-437-3247.

Coming out of the weekend and into another busy week ahead, I wonder if we can hold onto any moments where we may have had an opportunity to slow down, to be present, to appreciate the beauty around us. It is easy to feel overwhelmed and lost in our to-do lists and thoughts. I like this image for the awareness that it brings, but I think its important to note that being mindful is sometimes still having all these to-do lists and thoughts in our heads, but trying our best to ...re-connect with ourselves and our breath in the present moment, and allow these thoughts to pass by, like a stick floating on the water, without judgement, maybe just a little curiosity. Easier said than done for sure. To help us ground in the present moment, it can be helpful to use the 5,4,3,2,1 technique, paying attention to: (5) 5 things we see, (4) 4 things we feel, (3) 3 things we hear, (2) 2 things we smell, and lastly, (1) 1 thing we taste. See more

No matter what youre going through, big or small, I hope that you can believe in yourself. Although there are already pages written in our book, there are many strengths in that story, tales of how weve overcome. The future pages are unwritten, even if we have a plot in mind, the story can change. What if we added characters to our story who were supports? What if we added additional commas, semicolons, and colons to take a pause? One word at a time.

Many parents have been sharing with me lately that conflict between siblings has risen to new levels since COVID-19. Siblings are spending increased time together, creating new imbalances, of siblings both needing togetherness as well as personal space from each other. Here is a helpful article surrounding sibling conflict, that looks at the causes of conflict and strategies to manage it. The article is titled, Managing Sibling Conflicts: The Obvious and Hidden Battles by: Eugene Beresin M.D., M.A. https://www.psychologytoday.com//managing-sibling-conflict

In a world where you can be anything, be kind. This is one of my favourite quotes! Kindness is contagious and healing. Being kind to ourselves and others sounds like a really good goal to me:) Happy weekend everyone!:)

A great resource for finding local activities for children and families, many of which are free! Playticipate allows you to hone in on the activities best suited for your child by selecting from: activity type, categories of interest, age range, etc. Please find the link below: https://playticipate.com//kids-programs-and-/programs/free

I am currently locked out of my business Instagram account and may need to create a new account. In case anyone has contacted me via Instagram, this is why. I am so sorry. - Emily

An interesting read on The 5 Love Languages, that does a great job of explaining each love language as it may relate to you and your partner: words of affirmation, quality time, acts of service, gifts, and touch. The article also touches on limitations of the love language theory. Which love language(s) represents what you need most in your relationship? https://www.mindbodygreen.com//the-5-love-languages-explai

Much needed support group being run free of charge by Carizon and Interfaith Counselling, to help kiddos experiencing anxiety around the return to school

Phone/online sessions are still available. Please see below for procedures on in-person counselling. If you have any questions or concerns, please connect with me!

Please see below for pictures of my office space: Unit 202, 181 Groh Avenue, Cambridge, ON

Happy Fathers Day! To all the father figures out there and all those who are missing their father figures. Thank you and thinking of you

"All people should be treated equally, regardless of who they are or who they love." - Barack Obama <3

Happy Father's Day! To all the father figures out there and all those who are missing their father figures. Thank you and thinking of you

Excellent book to teach kids about racism. The author, Jelani Memory reads aloud so you can follow along. The online storytelling of A Kids Book About Racism can be found by going to the link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnaltG5N8nE

The following videos were created to offer support to families during COVID-19: Video 1 of 9 Introduction to webinar: The Power of Positivity Lets Make it Contagious How to Help Our Children Find the Strengths in Themselves and Others: Activities That Can Be Done Day to Day ... Emily Smith presenting on behalf of Canadian Wellness 4 Families Summit

The following videos were created to offer support to families during COVID-19: Video 2 of 9 World of good things... Emily Smith presenting on behalf of Canadian Wellness 4 Families Summit

The following videos were created to offer support to families during COVID-19: Video 3 of 9 Special for who you are... Emily Smith presenting on behalf of Canadian Wellness 4 Families Summit

The following videos were created to offer support to families during COVID-19: Video 4 of 9 You are you, you are a superhero its true... Emily Smith presenting on behalf of Canadian Wellness 4 Families Summit

The following videos were created to offer support to families during COVID-19: Video 5 of 9 Positive notes and self talk... Emily Smith presenting on behalf of Canadian Wellness 4 Families Summit

The following videos were created to offer support to families during COVID-19: Video 6 of 9 Gratitude jar... Emily Smith presenting on behalf of Canadian Wellness 4 Families Summit

The following videos were created to offer support to families during COVID-19: Video 7 of 9 Using relational type questions... Emily Smith presenting on behalf of Canadian Wellness 4 Families Summit

The following videos were created to offer support to families during COVID-19: Video 8 of 9 Positive reinforcement... Emily Smith presenting on behalf of Canadian Wellness 4 Families Summit

The following videos were created to offer support to families during COVID-19: Video 9 of 9 Importance of self care... Emily Smith presenting on behalf of Canadian Wellness 4 Families Summit

Two FREE childrens e-books about COVID-19 to help children better understand and answer their questions around the virus, and to help normalize feelings they may be experiencing: *A kids book about: COVID-19 By: Malia Jones https://akidsbookabout.com/pages/covid-19 ... *Everybody worries: A picture book for children who are worried about Coronavirus By: Jon Burgerman https://en.calameo.com/read/000777721945cfe5bb9cc Even though children have been living in a world with COVID-19 for months now, questions and concerns may still be present along with big feelings! Re-visiting these ideas illustrated in both books can help ease anxiety and clarify understanding.

181 Groh Avenue, Cambridge, ON

COVID-19 update: Phone and online video sessions available. Please contact Emily by email at: [email protected], by phone at: 519-803-9445, or by using the online booking app at: bridginghopetherapy.janeapp.com

Emily Smith offers counselling services to children, youth, adults, couples, and families. Located in Cambridge, and servicing all surrounding areas. Contact today for a free consultation. Online booking available through: bridginghopetherapy.janeapp.com