Cobourg Counselling
253 Division St., 104 K9A 3R9 Cobourg, ON, Canada

Have you ever tried Art Psychotherapy? Speak to Lee, RP-Qualifying, our newest Team member! She is trained in talk therapy and Art Psychotherapy to address: Autism, Cognitive delays, depression, anxiety, PTSD, addictions, gender-identity. See our website for her full Bio. Now Accepting - children, youth, adults, and families!

Here is the view of the front of our new Office location at 253 Division st. Cobourg! We are so happy to move closer to the Downtown Core.

Its Mental Health Week, please check on your loved ones...

https://fb.watch/47dHm0Q-xx/

Here is a valuable resource that is available to students attending post-secondary school in Ontario. It is free and confidential...https://good2talk.ca/ontario/

The information in this video may help to explain how antidepressants work, for anyone who has ever considered taking them. As always, follow up with your doctor for your individual needs...

We need to be aware. It's been 7 months.... and winter is approaching. Mental health issues related to lockdown and pandemic are particularly difficult for people suffering from depression and other mental disorders. CMHA, the Canadian Mental Health Association, has a 24-hour hotline: 1-833-456-4566. The relapse and overdose rate has risen by 30 % since March 2020. Please share this info with others.

Our College is actively petitioning to remove GST/HST from our services to you, making them more affordable. We have signed and you can also sign if you would like to.

I love that ETEE is making face masks and donating one for every mask purchased! Also, they've included some great info on the proper way to wear&care for the masks: https://www.shopetee.com//how-to-properly-wear-a-face-mask

Our office is still OPEN in light of current closures and cancellations due to COVID-19. We do encourage all clients to use good hand hygiene and self quarantine for 2 weeks if they have been travelling out of country. We are actively disinfecting surfaces in our building on a regular basis. In the meantime, we are continuing to offer and even encourage Telecounselling as a fail-safe way to receive and continue to receive uninterrupted Mental Health Support throughout the coming weeks.

5 Tips for Managing Divorce written by Julia Sorensen, Registered Psychotherapist at Cobourg Counselling Divorce is devastating. But with the right tools, resources, and information, you have the ability to recover, to regain self-confidence and self-assurance. Here are five strategies that I have used... with my clients to help them work successfully through a divorce. Journaling Journaling is the first of our five strategies, something from which both men and women can benefit. The goal is to write down your emotions, your questions, your goals. I’ve found that people benefit even with as little as 15 minutes a day of journaling. It’s a time to be honest with yourself. And you can go over your entries with your counsellor, if you have one. Support Whether you find support in a friend, family member, close neighbor, co-worker, counselor, or through a support group, it is imperative that you have a support system that encourages you along the way. Every day, you will likely be faced with a different emotion; you may feel angry, sad, even devastated, at times. A good support system helps you manage these fast-changing emotions, offering friendship, or guidance. Counselling Professional counselling can make a big difference during a divorce. Even if the divorce was your idea, you can usually benefit from a therapist’s help in identifying underlying relationship issues. Counselling can help you determine what it was that made you unhappy in the marriage, or how to carry on in the future. Counselling often helps you keep your balance during a tumultuous time. Socialization Too often, a divorced person will withdraw inside the house, sometimes for years. This can compound the problems. It’s typically a bad idea to start dating immediately, but a good idea to mingle and make new friends, both male and female. Go to concerts, sporting events, wine- tasting parties, volleyball games, or whatever you like, learning to again be comfortable in a social environment as a single person. Quality Alone Time Just as socialization is important, so too is quality alone time. This might mean ordering Chinese food and staying home to read a good book, treating yourself to a trip to the day spa for a facial and massage, or going to the driving range to hit balls. No matter the choice, allow yourself to fall in love with you, something most divorced people fail to do. In the end, you are your own best friend and supporter.

No sooner than after we posted staying open, but offering some telecounselling did we see how fast COVID-19 is spreading. We have quickly decided to shift from in-person visits to TELECOUNSELLING ONLY for the forseeable future. Stay healthy everyone!

Our office is still OPEN in light of current closures and cancellations due to COVID-19. We do encourage all clients to use good hand hygiene and self quarantine for 2 weeks if they have been travelling out of country. We are actively disinfecting surfaces in our building on a regular basis. In the meantime, we are continuing to offer and even encourage Telecounselling as a fail-safe way to receive and continue to receive uninterrupted Mental Health Support throughout the coming weeks.

5 Tips for Managing Divorce written by Julia Sorensen, Registered Psychotherapist at Cobourg Counselling Divorce is devastating. But with the right tools, resources, and information, you have the ability to recover, to regain self-confidence and self-assurance. Here are five strategies that I have used... with my clients to help them work successfully through a divorce. Journaling Journaling is the first of our five strategies, something from which both men and women can benefit. The goal is to write down your emotions, your questions, your goals. I’ve found that people benefit even with as little as 15 minutes a day of journaling. It’s a time to be honest with yourself. And you can go over your entries with your counsellor, if you have one. Support Whether you find support in a friend, family member, close neighbor, co-worker, counselor, or through a support group, it is imperative that you have a support system that encourages you along the way. Every day, you will likely be faced with a different emotion; you may feel angry, sad, even devastated, at times. A good support system helps you manage these fast-changing emotions, offering friendship, or guidance. Counselling Professional counselling can make a big difference during a divorce. Even if the divorce was your idea, you can usually benefit from a therapist’s help in identifying underlying relationship issues. Counselling can help you determine what it was that made you unhappy in the marriage, or how to carry on in the future. Counselling often helps you keep your balance during a tumultuous time. Socialization Too often, a divorced person will withdraw inside the house, sometimes for years. This can compound the problems. It’s typically a bad idea to start dating immediately, but a good idea to mingle and make new friends, both male and female. Go to concerts, sporting events, wine- tasting parties, volleyball games, or whatever you like, learning to again be comfortable in a social environment as a single person. Quality Alone Time Just as socialization is important, so too is quality alone time. This might mean ordering Chinese food and staying home to read a good book, treating yourself to a trip to the day spa for a facial and massage, or going to the driving range to hit balls. No matter the choice, allow yourself to fall in love with you, something most divorced people fail to do. In the end, you are your own best friend and supporter.

New Year's Resolution #1: Try Meditation What is Meditation? What it is not by Julia Sorensen, RP...Continue reading

We are now happy to offer Telecounselling. This type of online counselling is fast becoming one of the favoured types of mental health support as it is so convenient, saves travel time, and is highly confidential. People like the convenience of seeing someone from the comfort of their own home, Couples benefit when one partner is travelling or can't get away from work, when students go away to College/University they can keep the same therapist. We are trained in delivering ...Telecounselling so that you feel the same level of support and rapport with the Therapist even when you are not in the same room! Plus it's easy to login to from your computer or mobile device so you don't have to be a wiz at technology to use it ;0) Call us today to set up your next videosession!

Tips for Healthy Boundaries Part 2 1. KISS RULE. When setting a boundary, do it clearly, calmly, firmly, respectfully, and in as few words as possible. Do not justify, get angry, or apologize for the boundary you are setting. You are not responsible for the other person’s reaction, you are only responsible for communicating your boundary in a respectful manner. If it upsets them, know it is their problem. Some people, especially those who are controlling, abusive, or manipula...ting you, might test you. Plan on it, expect it, but remain firm. 2. BE CONSISTENT. Your behaviour must match the boundaries you are setting. You cannot successfully establish a clear boundary if you send mixed messages by apologizing. 3. IT TAKES PRACTICE. At first, you may feel selfish, guilty, or embarrassed when you set a boundary. Do it anyway and remind yourself you have a right to self-care. Setting boundaries takes practice and determination. Don’t let anxiety, fear or guilt prevent you from taking care of yourself. 4. BE ASSERTIVE. When you feel anger or resentment or find yourself whining or complaining, you probably need to set a boundary. Listen to yourself, determine what you need to do or say, then communicate assertively. 5. IT TAKES TIME. Learning to set healthy boundaries takes time. It is a process. Set them in your own time frame, not when someone else tells you. 6. SEEK SUPPORT. Develop a support system of people who respect your right to set boundaries. Eliminate toxic persons from your life those who want to manipulate, abuse, and control you. 7. EMPOWER YOURSELF. Creating healthy boundaries is empowering. By setting and enforcing our personal limits, we are protecting our self esteem, our self-respect, and we are ensuring that we have the skills needed to enjoy healthy relationships.

Setting boundaries can be hard! by Nancy Richardson, Counsellor Do you struggle to set boundaries? Well, you’re not alone. Mental health professionals and self-help guides put a lot of emphasis on boundaries because they are the foundation of a strong sense of self-worth and healthy relationships.... If you grew up in a dysfunctional family, without clear and consistent boundaries or expectations, healthy boundaries probably don’t come naturally to you. You may feel guilty or unjustified in asking for what you want or need. But you can untwist your negative feelings about boundaries and learn to establish them without guilt. Check out TIPS for Setting Boundaries at Cobourgcounselling.com under "Links and Resources"

Kids Can Do Therapy too! By Corena Bowen, Child Therapist It is the start of the summer months, the kids are out of school - what a great time for them, relaxing and carefree summer days!!... But over the years I’ve also noticed that anxiety can heighten at this very time. It is the time of year many families have schedules that drastically depart from the highly structured school year, this may include long weekends away, changing sleep routines, and day camps. It is very common for the transition from a daily structure of school to days of little structure or shifting routines can be rather overwhelming for students, of all ages. Parents are often left scrambling to figure out how to provide a more relaxing summer experience that benefits everyone during these important developmental stages of life. I find when working with kids that they really benefit from learning effective coping skills (or tools), our work involves providing a calm, safe environment for expressing fears and anxiety (this may look like worry, anger, shutting down). I also help them process thought patterns that keep them stuck (I’m not good enough, no one likes me, I can’t do it). We also work on externalizing the worries, and processing them. Families really seem to appreciate the guidance in enhancing existing or developing new coping skills. This also sets them up to prepare for a new academic year, possibly new school, teacher, classroom with more confidence and maybe even a smile!

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for All! by Nancy Richardson, Counsellor In my perfect world, we would all grow up developing CBT skills as we do other essential life skillsmanaging our thoughts, handling money, living clean’. We all deserve CBT. Time and again, as I work with clients struggling with anxiety, perfectionism, depression, PTSD, eating disorders and more, ... I see their lives turned utterly around through CBT. Something that might surprise you about CBT: A core principle is that external situations, interactions with other people and negative events are not responsible for our poor moods and problem in most cases. Instead, CBT therapists actually view the opposite as being true. It is, in fact, our own reactions to events, the things we tell ourselves about the events which are within our control that wind up affecting our quality of life. This is great news because it means we have the power to change. Through CBT, we can learn to change the way we think, which changes the way we feel, which in turn changes the way we view and handle tough situations when they arise. Even if you don’t suffer from any serious mental problems at all, CBT can help you replace destructive, negative thoughts that lead to low self-esteem with positive affirmations and expectations. This can help open new ways to handle stress, improve relationships and increase motivation to try new things. CBT is usually done in a series of sessions that each have a specific goal, concept or technique to work with. My role is to teach clients how to better handle difficult thoughts and feelings by practicing specific techniques during sessions that can later be applied to life when they’re most needed. I’ll even assign my clients ‘homework’! One of the biggest advantages for clients is that CBT can be continued even after their formal sessions are over. Clients can continue to work on exploring CBT concepts and use the techniques they’ve learned and practiced throughout their sessions to help manage their symptoms and prolong the benefits they’ve gained.

We are happy to introduce Corena Bowen, our newest member of the Cobourg Counselling team. Corena is an experienced Child Counsellor whose warmth and patience enable her to work effectively with children (and their families) dealing with challenges such as AD/HD, Autism, Anxiety, and Behavioural Issues. Visit our website: Cobourgcounselling.com for Corena's full bio.

Katherine Lennon, Registered Psychotherapist and Nancy Richardson, Counsellor introduce themselves and provide a brief description of their practice to clients.