J.W. Counselling Services
600 Brant Street L7R 2G9 Burlington, ON, Canada

This is a great Ted Talk, worth watching. This psychologist works within a framework my clients and I use a lot (Acceptance and Commitment therapy- ACT) and he puts a real life perspective to it. Let me know what you think. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=o79_gmO5ppg

Another wonderful affirmation post from a client of mine. I think that I am truly a masterpiece and a work in progress in every area of my life . . . in some aspects I am a great mother, wife, friend, housekeeper, therapist, daughter, sister and in other ways I am messing up, still learning and still growing . . . see both!! I try to instil this idea into my kids that they don't have to be perfect, they can be both. So much so that I encourage them to remember I am not pe...rfect and the other night at dinner I invited them to list the ways I am not a "masterpiece". It was a humbling experience after 5 minutes of listening to my 6-year old tell me all the things I am not good at . . . painting, math, sometimes losing my cool as a mom . . . And you know what? It's ok, I am ok with being both a masterpiece and a work in progress. Are you? See more

Today is a beautiful morning. It is foggy, rainy and dark outside. This is the kind of day that when if I have to go to work I wish I could just stay home in my jammies, curl up under the blankets and read or write. I love rainy days. And today I am lucky enough to get to stay in my bed, in my jammies for a little while longer (although I hear the pitter patter of little feet so that might not last too long). A few weeks ago though I had to do something that I did not w...Continue reading

I don't # - haven't tried to figure that out yet ;) . . . . but I think everyday should be "lets talk day". Everyday we should feel comfortable taking about being human and having pain and worries and fears and sadness and any other human emotion!! I hope for a day when we don't need a day. If you need too- lets talk!!

Why is being Thankful (on Thankful Thursday and everyday) so important? Some people think that focusing on being Thankful is a "nice" thing to do, if you have time. Or it is cute. Or even that it is a luxury or flaky!! But it is actually very important for your health, wellness and mental well being. All of which in turn are also good for your physical health too. You see our minds have a "negativity bias". The tendancy to look for and focus on problems. There are som...e who believe this is a protective mechanism - if I am on the look out for danger then I can potentially keep myself safe. Therefore my mind (and your mind) is very skilled at looking for, thinking about and focusing on problems, dangers, troubles, potential dangers, dangers that aren't even probable but might be possible and so on. And I mean our brains are REALLY good at this. Thank you brain - but that's not helpful . . . at least not all the time or not as much as our brains tend to do this. Making the deliberate effort to focus on things that we have to be thankful for actually helps to bring more balance to our minds, helps to take it out of a state of danger/problem solving/stress. It also helps us because "what you see is what you get" . . . meaning that if you focus only on all the things that are negative in your life you will feel more negative but if you focus more on what going well in your life, what you are thankful for you will feel more positive. I am not suggesting this is the answer to all of life's problems or just to be happy and put on a smiling face!! I am not suggesting that our problems are not real- I am suggesting that they are not EVERYTHING and we can look for moments in every day (Thursday or otherwise) of gratitude and thanks. Adding thankfulness to the overall tool box of wellness for our lives. Try it- I bet it will make a difference in your day.