Blog
Are mental health issues curable?
In this blog we delve deeper into understanding mental health and the treatment options available.
8 ways your environment can negatively impact your mental health
In this blog post, we will discuss ten ways in which your environment can negatively impact your mental health.
How do I support a loved one who is struggling with their sexuality?
Coming to terms with one's sexuality can be a challenging and often confusing process. This is because people have different sexual orientations and gender identities. Love and sexuality can take many different forms and regardless of sexual orientation or gender...
How to say what you need in your relationships
In this blog we discuss the issues that may arise from lack of communication, ways to improve our communication within our relationships, and how to express our needs to others.
How can we create healthy sleeping habits?
In this blog we are sharing the negative impacts of lack of sleep, and how to create healthy sleeping habits to improve your overall health.
How can we create healthy eating habits?
Having a healthy mindset about eating involves understanding that food is not just a source of fuel for your body, but also an important aspect of your overall health and well-being.
5 Coping Strategies to Help Manage Anger
Here are some anger management strategies that can help you effectively manage and control your anger:
Exploring the Benefits of Exercise for Depression
True or false? Can a good workout keep the looming darkness away? Here are the benefits of exercise for depression.
Overcoming Codependency in Relationships through Therapy
Codependent relationships are challenging. Here’s our guide for overcoming codependency in relationships through therapy!
How do I support myself in my recovery?
In this blog we discuss recovery and ways in which you can support yourself through your recovery journey.
Types of Counselling Approaches and Which Might Be Best for You
If you are wondering about the most common types of counselling approaches and which might be right for you, learn more from experts in the field.
Worrying Signs Your Loved Ones Might Suffer From Depression
It's natural to feel low occasionally. But when hopelessness and despair become omnipresent and difficult to control, it might be depression. More than mere sorrow in reaction to life's hardships and losses, depression impacts how we think, feel, and function in daily...
Can I Recover from an Anxiety Disorder?
In this blog we discuss general anxiety, anxiety disorders, and a variety of recovery options for individuals experiencing anxiety.
Guide to Getting Ready for the Winter Blues
As Canadians, we have a special relationship with cold weather and harsh winters. We had to get used to it. However, sudden drops in temperature, extreme cold, and all the other inevitable parts of winter can influence our physiology. We need to physically and...
How to Rebuild Your Life After Addiction Recovery
Battling addiction is a long path, but there are a few ways you can make it a success. Here’s how you can rebuild your life after addiction recovery.
How do I support myself with the mental health stigma that our society holds?
In this blog we discuss the stigma around mental health in our society, and how you can learn to support yourself despite the stigma.
Symptoms of Job Burnout You Shouldn’t Ignore
Here are the symptoms of job burnout you shouldn’t ignore: “Oh, I’m fine. I just didn’t sleep too well.” – Stop finding excuses.
Five Ways to Positively Work Through Trauma
There are many ways our mental health can be affected by life’s events. Unfortunately, we may not always have the best experiences and when we are faced with a traumatic event or occurrence, we may come away with some level of trauma. Trauma can come in many forms,...
Why does the weather affect my mood?
Whether you have a preference for a specific weather occurrence or not, how much of an effect does the weather have on our mood? In this blog we discuss the relationship between seasons, weather patterns, and our emotions.
Are mental health disorders inherited?
In this blog we discuss mental health in the family, causes of mental health disorders, and how much genetics plays a role in our overall mental health.
How to support children’s mental health
In this blog, we discuss children and their mental health, and how to provide support.
How to recognize the early warning signs of mental illness.
In this blog we discuss the early signs of mental illness, and when to seek help for yourself or a loved one.
What does it mean to love yourself before you can love someone else?
In this blog we discuss self-awareness, the complexity of self-love and relationships.
How do we work towards letting go?
In this blog we discuss how to recognize what is holding you back, emotions that may be blocking your progress, and how to learn to let go and move on.
I’ve just had a child and should be happy; why do I feel so sad?
In this blog we discuss what postpartum depression is, the effects on the individual and family, treatment for PPD, and how to support someone who is experiencing PPD.
What is the purpose of therapy? Who needs therapy?
In this blog we discuss the purpose of therapy and who can benefit from seeking help from a professional.
Why would I talk to a stranger about my mental health?
In this blog we discuss the stigma around mental health, the power of opening up, and why you may actually want to speak with a stranger about your mental health.
How Your Mental Health Affects Your Children & What To Do About It
In this blog we discuss how your mental health can affect your children’s development and how to manage your mental health while parenting.
Five Surprising Activities to Help Alleviate Depression
In this blog we discuss the impact of depression and five activities to help cope with the feelings associated with depression.
The Power of Giving
In this blog we discuss the different types of giving, the benefits to those involved in the act of kindness, and the overall power of giving.
What is Non-Duality?
Written by: Brittany Bannerman Non-duality has always been an integral part of the work that we do at Strength Counselling Services. It comprises the foundation of our fifth pillar of the therapeutic process: The Integration Tier. At this stage, our...
How Mental Health Affects Your Relationships
In this blog we discuss the basics of mental health, the affects of mental health on relationships, and how we may work together to support each other.
How to Manage Being Bullied as an Adult
In this blog we discuss how to recognize signs of bullying as an adult, the associated emotions of being or witnessing adult bullying, and how to react and respond to this negative behaviour.
5 Activities to Help Alleviate Anxiety
With the holidays, and with them our excitement, coming to a close, winter weather that continues to chill us to the bone, and all the expectations we create for ourselves for the coming year, January can be a very stressful time for many. With large amounts of...
How to manage job stress to support your mental health
No matter the individual, we have all faced anxiety and stressful situations throughout our lives. From children to the elderly, everyone hasfelt these emotions. It is normal to feel nervous, anxious, on edge, frightened, or worried. And although these feelings are...
Letting go of shame and victimization
When we experience a traumatic event, it leaves a lasting impression of psychological effects. Many individuals struggle to cope with the memories, emotions, and thoughts associated with the event. If we are direct victims in the traumatic incident, we may come away...
What is shame? How can you tell how it manifests for you?
Treating others as we wish to be treated is a piece of advice that we are regularly told as children. This can be a very positive viewpoint on how to treat family, friends, and even strangers. But what if we delve deeper into examining our self-conscious emotions and...
6 Benefits of Online Counselling
Throughout our lives we all face challenges that affect our mental health. How we cope with those challenges can vary from person to person. Some may seek the comfort of their loved ones, solitude in the great outdoors, or take up a hobby to help improve their mental...
Ways That a Rough Childhood Can Affect Adult Relationships
As adults we often forget about how impressionable children’s minds can be. They are always watching, replicating, and learning from those around them. In fact, according to Healthline Parenthood, the most crucial milestones in a kid’s life occur by the age of 7....
Coping strategies for dealing with natural disasters/pandemics
Natural disasters can drastically change the way we live our lives. Our once “normal” day-to-day routines are suddenly disturbed and we must find an alternative way to continue with our daily lives. Whether it is a weather phenomenon such as a flood, tornado, or...
How to support yourself during times of social isolation
What the current Pandemic has taught many of us is, isolation is not easy for everyone. To ensure the public remains safe from Covid-19, and the spread of the virus is slowed down, we as a global community were asked to stay in self-isolation. Of course, for many who...
Impulses: How do you deal with resisting impulses?
As humans, we are designed to seek out basic needs such as food, water, warmth, and rest. Nothing outlines this human behaviour better than Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. At our fundamental base of humanity, we act on the impulse of meeting our basic needs. We do not...
Values: How to identify your 3 core values and how this helps with your recovery journey
What makes us who we are? Not who we are physically, but who we are as individuals. Some may state that their religious beliefs guide them to establishing their characteristics, others may say their families shaped who they have become. When it comes to counselling,...
Stigma in Counselling: What is it and how can we overcome it?
We often turn to counselling when we are going through a difficult time in our lives. These difficulties can include needing help with addiction recovery and suicide prevention, as well as other symptoms that disrupt our lives, such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD....
Emotions & Grief: 5 reactions you may not have expected
Losing a loved one is hard enough for anyone, but such a loss can trigger relapses for individuals recovering from addiction. If we can understand the reactions that may happen during the grief stage, we may be able to stop a relapse in its tracks. How can we help...
5 Ways to FINALLY stick to your New Years Resolutions
We are on the verge of a new decade! 2020 is almost here, and now is the time where we can start planning some healthy New Year’s resolutions. Of course, you never have to wait until New Years to change your life; if you want to do so, you can start TODAY. We invite...
Grief & Loss: A deeper look into grief and loss during the recovery process
WHAT IS GRIEF AND LOSS? Most people suffer loss and grief at some point in their lives. When a loved one passes away, we have to learn how to live without that person and continue to live in positive and healthy ways. Grieving is the process that we go through when we...
Forgiveness: What does forgiveness mean to you?
WHAT IS FORGIVENESS? Forgiveness is letting go of negative feelings you are harbouring towards someone who has hurt you. Sometimes the bad feelings are replaced with neutral feelings, and sometimes with positive feelings. When you forgive someone, you don’t...
Boundaries: What are they and how can you set them?
WHAT ARE BOUNDARIES? Boundaries are emotional, mental, and physical limits that we establish to protect ourselves from being used, manipulated, or mistreated by others. Having boundaries allows us to separate and protect ourselves from others. They are very important...
Top 10 Self-Care Tips for individuals recovering from addiction
Self-care is important for everyone, but for individuals recovering from addiction it is even more crucial for their recovery and well-being. Individuals recovering from addiction often have self-esteem struggles and can feel worthless, which usually drives their...
Finding Enchanted Moments: How can you bring more enchantment into your life?
Everyone tells you to appreciate every moment in life, and live in the here and now. They tell you to practise mindfulness, meditate, and do more yoga. Individuals who are recovering from addiction can feel confused with the concept of mindfulness and savouring life’s...
Sober and anxious? 5 tools to help you cope now
Anxiety and addiction seem to go hand in hand. Many people who have anxiety use drinking or mood altering substances as a coping mechanism. For example, someone with social anxiety could start drinking at parties to feel more comfortable being around other people. Or...
What is Emotional Sobriety?
Emotional sobriety can be a difficult concept to understand. It essentially means to be able to face and deal with all the negative emotions that were ignored or covered up when using alcohol or drugs. These feelings can potentially act as triggers with may lead to...
I Completed Residential Addiction Treatment – Now What?
"I completed residential addiction treatment, now what?" This is a popular question for most individuals leaving the protective umbrella of residential care. The majority of experts say that residential treatment is the program type that is most likely to help...
Supporting A Loved One Completing Addiction Treatment
It may be easy to understand the concept of ‘supporting’ someone. We have all been supportive to many people and situations in our lives. For example, we support our child’s first show and tell by being there and listening to their presentation with a smile on our...
Helpful Tips On Finding A Therapist
I have heard thousands of times stories of people who refuse mental and emotional support because they’ve had a bad experience with a therapist. What I know to be true is that most people struggle through life thinking they can “handle it” on their own, only to find...
The Benefits of Online Counselling
With the expansion of modern technologies, an increasing number of people have been seeing the benefits of online counselling. Some of the evident benefits of e-counselling for many people include the convenience, the range of choices and services provided, and the...
Why is providing online counselling important for addiction recovery?
Strength Counselling has come to realize the importance of providing additional online support to individuals in recovery from addiction.
Helpful Tips to use when seeking a therapist/counsellor for you or someone you know
If you want to find a good counsellor put some elbow grease into it.
Simplest Depiction of Addiction
View video “Nuggets”
Communication for Healthy Relationships
This document contains a simple outline of the barriers to effective communication, skills pertaining to listening and speaking, the premix behind assertive communication, the how-to talk through difficult topics, and ways in which we can create opportunities for effective face-to-face interaction.
Competencies for Counseling with Transgender Clients
This document contains suggested competencies for use in counseling with transgender clients. These competencies are geared toward professionally trained counselors who work with transgender individuals, families, groups, or communities.
Black Dog Named Depression
At its worst, depression can be a frightening, debilitating condition. Millions of people around the world live with depression. Many of these individuals and their families are afraid to talk about their struggles, and don’t know where to turn for help.
Trauma Theory Abbreviated
To understand what trauma does we have to understand what it is.
Creativity Starts from a Belief
Creative Idea by: Junior Chamber International PETALING JAYA with animation support from Adcom.
John Gottman – Making Relationships Work
A lecture by Dr. John Gottman on Making Your Relationship Work . This was filmed at a Seattle Rotary Meeting in October 2009.