The Beacon Centre
978 Kenmount Road A1L 1N3 Paradise, NL, Canada

Great post by Dr. Susan David https://www.susandavid.com/#ea-book

We are honoured to work with Veterans Affairs and to support veterans and their families. Today we will especially be thinking of the stories that we are privileged to hear and hold with our clients.

Sarah is amazing. I recommend checking this out!

The talented Dr. Sarah Pegrum is offering a webinar titled ‘Why wait for weight? Sarah will be speaking about how the messages we receive about body (e.g., fat vs thin, masculine vs feminine) impact our actions. She will be drawing from her extensive clinical experience and providing insights on how to move from inaction or delaying toward action. To register for the workshop, please visit this website: https://www.rikkekjelgaard.com//sarah-pegrum-why-wait-for/

October 10th is World Mental Health Day. Talking about mental health is important now more than ever. The events of 2020 have impacted so many lives this year, threatening not just physical health, but mental health as well. While stigma still exists, so many are seeking the support they need this year to maintain a healthy balance. Every one has mental health and it is as important as our physical health! Please join us in recognizing the strength and determination that we all have to access to take care of our mental health. Keep going

Psychologists at the Beacon Centre enjoying smile cookies! #timhortonscanada #smilecookie

Happy Pride Month from the clinicians at the Beacon Centre!

The importance of talking to children. Post created by Pretty Good. For helpful resources on how to talk to kids check out childrens community school.org/social-justice-resources/

The Beacon Centre is a large group-practice comprised of clinical psychologists and associates in St. Johns, NL. They offer comprehensive assessment, therapy, and consultation services for adults, children, adolescents, couples, and families. To schedule an appointment, please email [email protected]. An intake coordinator will ensure that you are connected with a clinician specific to your needs. https://www.beaconcentre.ca/

Dr. Shannon Edison would like to share one of her favourite websites for child and adolescent mental health. The author of Hey Sigmund is psychologist, Karen Young, who is based out of Australia. The website contains very helpful videos and articles. Several of the videos are designed for children and adolescents to watch and others are designed for parents. Here is the website: heysigmund.com

Clinicians at the Beacon Centre are enjoying an informative day of distance learning about compassion focused therapy

A little good news story about our lovely neighbours.

Today is Maternal Mental Health Day. The Beacon Centre is committed to providing perinatal mental health support. Dr. Shannon Edison is a member of the newly founded Perinatal Mental Health Alliance of Newfoundland and Labrador. She has teamed up with other alliance members to offer a weekly free virtual perinatal support group during the current social distancing requirements. Several other psychologists at the Beacon Centre are passionate about perinatal mental health and together we wish to acknowledge the importance of this topic today and every day. #maternalMHmatters #endthestigma #itsokaytoaskforhelp Www.cpmhc.ca

Dr. Heather Sheppard would like to share the app called Insight Timer. Its a free app with 35,000 meditations, including those relating to sleep, anxiety, pain and self compassion. Its organized into helpful categories including meditations for beginners and for kids.

Dr. Alyssa Butler would like to share the following resource: MindShift is a free app developed by Anxiety Canada, and is based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) principles. It includes many anxiety management strategies, such as mindfulness and grounding techniques, coping cards to shift your thinking, thought journals, and belief experiments to help challenge excessive worry. I use this app regularly in my practice with older kids and teens, though adults dealing with anxiety would certainly benefit from the app as well! https://www.anxietycanada.com/resources/mindshift-cbt/

Dr. Rebecca Ginsburg has selected a video called The Struggle Switch. Rebecca writes: In the Struggle Switch video, Dr. Russ Harris shows what can happen when we judge our feelings instead of letting them be. This metaphor is one that I return to again and again, as its something Ive found helpful both clinically and personally. https://youtu.be/rCp1l16GCXI

So after astounding success a few weeks ago, hundreds of shares and even more success within the 3 concurrent run groups over the past 2 sessions, its time to ...shout this out again! Please feel free to share/re-post in clinics, personal pages and pass on the good word :) Lots of room still! Thank you all for recognizing the need and supporting parents and this group!! See more

Dr. Sheila Garland, a clinical psychologist and sleep expert, together with her students, created this helpful infographic on sleeping well during times of stress.

The Beacon Centre clinicians brought to you by telehealth (missing from photo: Miranda Pond)! We are dedicated to continuing to provide support using an online platform. Research has compared the quality of the therapeutic alliance and empathy across platforms (video, phone, and face-face) and found that there was no significant difference (Reece 2016). Clients continue to feel connected with their therapist even when in online settings (Frueh et al. 2007).

Some new online supports for the Perinatal population in the province! Dr. Shannon Edison (psychologist with the Beacon Centre), Dr. Archana Vidyasankar (psychiatrist), and Emma Duke (Doula, Social Worker) will be moderating weekly peer support group for any expecting or new parents (until 1 year age) who would like to drop in to check in! The Zoom email account info is there, any questions or concerns let us know (starts next Wednesday, April 8th)

It's easy today to focus on fear and anxiety. But social distancing is about much more than fear and worry. We asked our clinicians to tell us why they were sacrificing and changing so much in an effort to combat the spread of COVID-19. Here are the values we are holding onto right now to see us through this challenging time. We are adjusting well to tele-psychology services and remain committed to being "physically closed but virtually open.

Its easy today to focus on fear and anxiety. But social distancing is about much more than fear and worry. We asked our clinicians to tell us why they were sacrificing and changing so much in an effort to combat the spread of COVID-19. Here are the values we are holding onto right now to see us through this challenging time. We are adjusting well to tele-psychology services and remain committed to being "physically closed but virtually open.

The Beacon Centre has now moved to using Zoom Video Conferencing for sessions. Given the information released today by the Newfoundland Provincial Government, The Beacon Centre has had to temporarily close its doors to in-person sessions. Our clients mental health is our priority, and so, Zoom is user-friendly and secure. If you are a current client, your clinician will connect with you directly to help you connect. For new clients, our intake coordinator will help connect you to Zoom and your clinician. We are also offering telephone sessions, should you prefer.

Lets Create a Healthy New Normal Working and living during a pandemic is not without it challenges. The psychologists at the Beacon Centre would like to help employers support the mental health of their employees during difficult times. We will be offering corporate web-based seminars for employees to maintain the best possible mental health during times of uncertainty, anxiety, social distancing, and changing routines. If your business would like more information, please contact [email protected] directly.

We understand that COVID-19 is causing a lot of stress and worry. We would like our clients to know that we are monitoring the situation closely and our practices will remain consistent with the directives from the Government of Canada and the Provincial Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. What you can expect from us: - We have enhanced our daily cleaning routine and will be regularly disinfecting high-touch areas.... - We have changed our physical space to limit client overlap and support the cleaning regimen. - We will not come to work if we are feeling sick or have symptoms of runny nose, sore throat, cough, and fever. - We will waive cancellation fees. However, please contact your clinician if you are unable to attend your appointment. - We can offer telehealth and telephone services to clients when requested, necessary, and possible. What we ask of our clients: - If you wish to access telehealth or telephone services, please contact your clinician directly - Please cancel your appointment or access telehealth/telephone services if you are feeling sick or have symptoms of runny nose, sore throat, cough, and fever. - Please cancel or access telehealth/telephone services if you have returned from another country in the past 14 days. - Please wash your hands upon arrival for your appointment. - Please minimize the time you wait in our waiting room. Participation in psychological treatment can be quite beneficial during times of uncertainty and worry. Please continue to check in with your clinician about your care and well-being. We will continue to work hard to ensure the highest level of safety and support possible. Thank you for your continued cooperation and support.

A helpful resource for parents

Wed like to share this helpful resource from CPA. https://cpa.ca//Fac/PsychologyWorksFactSheet-COVID-19.pdf

Dr. Sarah Pegrum is sharing the website www.actmindfully.com.au. Sarahs work draws heavily from Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT). ACT put most simply involves building the ability to be open and accepting of a range of experiences, and commit to taking action towards what is important and meaningful. Sarah finds Russ Harriss material really accessible and helpful as a client or a clinician. Chances are if you have attended Sarahs training, or been a client of hers you probably wouldve heard her refer to something of his.

Dr. Sarah Pegrum is sharing the website www.actmindfully.com.au. Sarah's work draws heavily from Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT). ACT put most simply involves building the ability to be open and accepting of a range of experiences, and commit to taking action towards what is important and meaningful. Sarah finds Russ Harriss material really accessible and helpful as a client or a clinician. Chances are if you have attended Sarah's training, or been a client of hers you probably would've heard her refer to something of his.

Our clinic has expanded over the last year and we have several more clinicians working with us. You can read about each clinician on our website. As another way to introduce ourselves we have decided to share our favourite resources. Stay tuned for upcoming posts. We hope that you will find them helpful!

My motto for helping kids to manage their anger: knowledge is power! "Simple, easy-to-understand whiteboard animation to help early Elementary-aged children ga...in an understanding of the way their brains work to recognize and manage their emotions. This is intended as a beginning resource to help children, parents, educators, and those who work with children to encourage mindfulness, empathy, and emotional regulation. The Hand/Brain Model included in the video is a concept by Dr. Dan Siegel. More information on "Flipping your Lid" and the Hand/Brain model can be found at www.drdansiegel.com"

Mental health matters. Lets talk about it. Lets be kind, nonjudgmental and supportive. #bellletstalk

Thank you for sharing this, The Mindful Doula

Thanks for sharing this, Janine!

Due to the continued SOE the Beacon Centre will remain closed on Tuesday, Jan. 21. Clients will be contacted for rescheduling. Thanks for your patience.

Due to the extended SOE for the St. Johns region we will remain closed tomorrow, Jan 20. Clients will be contacted for rescheduling.