Bedford Counselling Blog
We hope that these posts are interesting and informative. If, after reading these articles, you’re curious to find out more about working work with one of us, we’d love to have a free 15-minute phone consultation with you to talk more about how we can help.
5 Ways to Reignite the Spark in Your Relationship
'The Honeymoon' is a phrase that’s used a lot when it comes to the strong feelings in the early days of romantic relationships. In fact, you might have felt ‘the spark’ in the beginning of your relationship, and as a result, the early days were very exciting for you...
How to Deal with Infidelity in a Relationship
When infidelity occurs in a relationship, it can be very devastating for the parties involved. Infidelity involves breaking a promise to be completely faithful to your partner, and when it happens, it erases the trust that existed in the relationship. Dealing with...
6 Great Ways to Deepen Your Relationship Bond
Being in a relationship can feel wonderful and there’s nothing more amazing than feeling that the bond you share with your partner is getting stronger. If you’re in a happy relationship, you can keep it that way by introducing a few new things into your relationship...
7 Tips for Getting Through a Breakup
No breakup is ever easy, but some breakups can make you feel like you’ve had the wind knocked out of your sails. And during those times, it can become sincerely difficult to see a way forward. It can be especially isolating and hurtful if your friends and family don’t...
Does Online Couple’s Therapy Work?
The pandemic has caused most people to rethink about how they interact in the world. Whether it is a newly discovered convenience of virtual appointments or a need to take extra precautions due to health and safety, virtual and online meeting have become a part of...
How to Tell When You’re Feeling Burned Out
Many people think of burnout as simply being incredibly tired after a long week or month of work or school studies. But burnout is much more than a physical exhaustion; it has in fact been called the “triad of depersonalization, emotional exhaustion, and feelings of...
Can Effective Therapy be Done Online?
When the pandemic hit, many people began to work with their therapists online. But there were many others who were wanted to seek help but were hesitant to try therapy online. After several years of operating in a more virtual environment studies, have found that from...
Does Choosing The Right Therapist Matter
Finding a therapist that you feel totally safe and comfortable with is very important for your healing journey. In fact, it is one of the most important elements of improvements in psychotherapy. The Therapeutic Alliance Adam O. Horvath, PhD, a Simon Fraser University...
How to Support Your Mental Health Between Therapy Sessions
Therapy is a wonderful way to explore your inner world, process your feelings, and inspire transformation. But what clients can sometimes find is that a day or so after their session, they begin to feel a little lost, stressed or get back into old patterns and habits....
Benefits of Counseling for Post-Secondary Students
University and college students deal with a lot of stress. Although there is a greater acceptance of the importance of good mental health, sadly, not many reach out for support. This is unfortunate because it means that students are facing personal, academic and...
How to Have More Fun with Your Kids
Often it seems that today’s parents are expected to do everything perfectly. They’re expected to make healthy meals, help with homework – which often requires exceptional math skills -schedule play dates, drive carpools, and show up to every game, recital and...
5 Steps to Better Emotional Health
When it comes to our overall well-being, taking care of our emotional health is as important as taking care of our physical health. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) says that “there is no health without mental health.” This is because, according to the...
How to Recover from Infidelity
In my time as a marriage counselor, there is probably one statement I have heard more than any other, and that is, “I just don’t think I will ever get over this.” This statement is often said by my clients who have recently learned their spouse has had an affair. The...
6 Signs You Might Be a “Super Feeler”
Have you ever been told or felt you are too sensitive or too empathetic? If so, you are not alone. Many people find themselves sometimes overwhelmed by their own intense feelings or feel like you are taking on others’ feelings or problems. If so, you might be a "super...
What Is An Extroverted-Introvert – And Are YOU One?
Are you one of those people who has never quite felt like an introvert but are definitely not an extrovert? Have you read descriptions of either personality and thought, “Mmmm, close, but not quite?” If so, you might be what is called an extroverted introvert...
How to Tell if You’re a Highly Sensitive Person
Some people seem to be born with nerves on the outside of their skin. These people tend to be more sensitive than their parents, brothers and sisters, or the kids in their class. They can’t get through a movie (even a comedy!) or a TV commercial without shedding a few...
How Family Therapy Can Help During This Lingering Covid Crisis
It has been almost a year since the world changed with the Covid-19 virus. After months and months of being locked down, many families are experiencing burnout from being forced to be home together so much.While the vaccines are being rolled out, we are still getting...
3 Ways Individual Counseling Can Help Your Marriage
Even happily married couples can hit obstacles along the way. When this happens, couples can either go it alone and try to work through their issues themselves, or they can seek the guidance of a trained and experienced marriage counsellor. At times, only one partner...
How to Cope with the Stress and Anxiety Caused by COVID-19
April and May have been tough months in Nova Scotia as we've had to cope with the disappointment, stress and anxiety caused by increasing COVID cases and the restrictions put in place to curb them. If you're like most people, you are doing your best to stay calm and...
5 Strategies to Calm Your Anxiety Quickly
When you live with anxiety, any moment can become one that creates a slow-rising panic within you. Life is normal one second and the next, you feel your chest tighten and your heart begin to race. You may begin to hyperfocus on future events and find yourself getting...
Don’t Get Mad, Get Involved: Helping Your Child with Class Behavioral Issues
No parent likes hearing that their child is acting out in class. At first, most of us want to blame ourselves and figure out what we’ve done wrong. When we come up empty, we tend to put the blame on our child, and sometimes we even get angry.The truth is, parents do...
Five Warning Signs of Postpartum Depression
Being a new mom can cause you to go through a rollercoaster of emotions. You might feel overwhelmed with love or bliss, or you might feel panicky or anxious about your responsibilities as a new mother. It's natural to feel a variety of both positive and negative...
A Parent’s Grief: Coping with the Death of a Child
The natural course of life is that a parent passes on, and their child grieves their passing. The antithesis of this is not only the most unnatural, but the most devastating for everyone affected.If you’ve experienced the death of a child, then the grief you’re...
5 Suggestions for Coping with Grief at Work
The loss of a loved one is one of the most painful tragedies that humans suffer. The impact of this loss is usually crushing, and in the aftermath of loss, we often feel like we have no control over anything. Grief is a natural response to loss. It’s perfectly normal...
Tips for Dealing with Grief Around Summertime Holidays
As we head into summer, many people are already getting their backyards and patios ready for big family BBQs and holiday get-togethers. Summer is definitely a time for relaxing and having some fun with the people you love most.But the summer holiday get-togethers can...
Creative Expressive Therapies for Kids and Teens
Life hasn’t been the same for any of us for many months now. As we continue to try and adapt our lives to safely deal with this novel coronavirus, it has taken its toll on many, both financially and emotionally.Kids have been hit particularly hard during this time. At...
Does Therapy for “Baby Blues” Work?
Having a baby is one of the most amazing and awesome events in a person’s life. Babies bring joy and laughter into the house. But the reality is, they also bring sleepless nights and inevitable and irreversible change.Having a baby also brings changes to a woman’s...
Compartmentalization: How it Hurts Men’s Relationship with Women
You’ve no doubt heard the expression “men are from Mars, women from Venus.” And while we can all point out some major differences between the sexes, typically those differences all start in one major organ – the brain!One of the biggest complaints women tend to have...
3 Reasons Why Men Should Try Therapy
Men have taken on a specific role in human development over the span of hundreds of thousands of years. While roles have very recently shifted somewhat, historically speaking, men have been the ones to fight the wars and build society. And if you think about it, it’s...
Therapy for Divorce
When we say the words, “I do,” we never imagine that one day those words will turn into, “It’s over.” But the statistics point to the fact that many marriages do not make it. In fact, the CDC reports that 42% of marriages have a high probability of ending in...
Parenting An Angry Teen
Raising a teenager can be one of the most challenging experiences a parent will go through. Teenagers are in an awkward stage, dealing with hormonal changes that are out of their control and a developing brain. They’re awakening to new realizations about themselves...
What is Positive Parenting?
“Because I said so!!”How many times did your parents say this phrase to you? How often were you spanked as a child? How much yelling was there in your house growing up?It’s safe to say that parenting styles have changed over the years. While spanking may have been...
3 Ways Teens Can Benefit from Therapy
Not many of us remember our teenage years as walks in the park. That’s because this time in our life is punctuated by uncertainties, social pressure, and a surge of hormones. Because of this perfect storm, many teens act out, which can cause a lot of chaos and...
How to Navigate Challenging Life Transitions
When we’re young, life transitions are fun and empowering. We go from crawling to walking, walking to running. We start with training wheels but soon no longer need them. As we age we graduate into higher grades and become more independent.But as adults, life...
Yes, New Fathers Suffer from Depression Too!
Having a baby is an event that typically brings a lot of joy and excitement for couples. However, roughly 60% of new mothers suffer from postpartum depression (PPD), with symptoms being either moderate or severe. Fortunately, PPD is a common health issue with much...
Can Marriage Counseling Really Help Your Relationship?
When I first started my practice, I remember reading a statistic about divorce that I found shocking. And that was that 40-50% of all marriages in the United States ended in divorce.According to recent surveys, however, the divorce rate in the U.S. fell by 18% between...
The Mental Health Impact of COVID-19 on Families
If you asked any of us a year ago what would life be like in 2020, it’s doubtful anyone would have guessed we’d be going through a global pandemic, replete with lockdowns and self-quarantining. At the beginning of the year, some families might have thought of being...
How Sex Might Change During and After Pregnancy
Many couples are thrilled to find out that they will soon be expecting a baby. Hours are spent picking out the perfect name, perfect paint color for the nursery, and perfect crib or bassinet.And then a reality suddenly dawns on them… how will being pregnant affect...
4 Ways to Improve Communication in Your Relationship
If you’re reading this blog post, chances are you and your significant other have hit a snag in the relationship. Maybe you’re spending less time with each other and you’ve grown apart. Or maybe you do little else than argue these days.All relationships go through...
Family Therapy Can Help Families Be Resilient During COVID-19
All of us have struggled in our own way to deal with the effects of the Coronavirus. But if you are a parent, you most likely have even more concerns about how the stress of what is going on in the world is impacting on the emotional health of your children. This may...
5 Warning Signs It’s Time to Try Couples Counselling
Even a few years ago, you never could have imagined considering couples counselling. When you first fell in love with your partner things were great. But now you find that everything they do is so irritating; even the sound of them chewing makes you want to scream!...
Clinic Update
We are excited to welcome the newest member of the Bedford Therapy team- Deborah Hubble Smith. She is passionate about helping people ignite long-lasting, caring relationships with themselves and others. She helps people to embrace greater compassion for themselves,...
When Will I Start Feeling Better? Grieving for the First Time
One of the most devastating experiences we must endure in life is grieving the loss of a loved one. Although we have the knowledge that everyone will eventually die, and we logically understand the finality of death, no amount of information can prepare us for the...
What is Mindful Parenting?
How many parents have said at one point or another, "I wish my child would have come with a users' manual,"? Nearly every single one. Nothing can really prepare us for parenthood. No class, no advice, and no user manual can give us all the tools we require for raising...
How to Heal After a Loss
Experiencing the death of a loved one is the hardest thing we can go through in this life. What can make grieving even more challenging is the feeling that we’re somehow doing it wrong.But grieving is a unique experience and there is truly no “right” way to do it....
5 Ways to Encourage Your Teenager to Talk to You
It's tough trying to get your teen to talk. Science has shown that the teenager's brain has yet to fully develop the frontal cortex, which is the area that controls our ability to reason, and to think before we act. As your teen's brain develops, they're also learning...
5 Things A Parent Can Do If Their Teen Is Talking About Suicide
The statistics on teen suicide are staggering. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, "Suicide is among the leading cause of death in 15-24 year olds in Canada, second only to accidents". Unfortunately, there is still much stigma surrounding depression...
How to Help Children Understand Terrifying Events
As a parent, your job is to make sure your kids grow and develop in a safe and healthy environment. While it’s possible for you to control your immediate environment – your home – it’s simply not possible to ensure the greater world around your child is safe and free...
How to Lovingly Parent a Depressed Child
Being a parent is the hardest job on the planet. But being a parent of a child or teen struggling with mental health concerns can feel unbearable. All parents want to do what’s right for their kids, but when your child is not doing well, either physically or mentally,...
A Parent’s Guide to Teen Depression and Suicide
The statistics on teen suicide are staggering. According to the Centers for Disease Control, each year, an average of 8% of American teens will attempt suicide. This makes suicide the second leading cause of death for kids aged 10 to 24. In fact, it is believed that...
6 Signs of Depression in Teens
Ask any parent what their main job is and they will tell you it’s protecting their children and keeping them safe. New parents spend hours, if not days, baby-proofing the house. They research the best car seats and bike helmets and figure out ways to ensure their kids...
5 Ways to Get Your Teenager to Talk to You
It's tough trying to get your teen to talk. Science has shown that the teenager's brain has yet to fully develop the frontal cortex, which is the area that controls our ability to reason, and to think before we act. As your teen's brain develops, they're also learning...
What is Conscious Parenting?
How many parents have said at one point or another, “I wish my child would have come with a users’ manual,”? Nearly every single one.Nothing can really prepare us for parenthood. No class, no advice, and no user manual can give us the tools we require for raising...
The Healing Power of Families; Why Empowering Parents Matters
When I explain to parents that I work with them directly to help their child's mental health or other struggles, rather than with their loved ones, they wonder "why me?" "Why am I going to counselling when it is my kid that has the problems? Wouldn't it be better that...
4 Exercises to Help Teach Young Children Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the practice of being aware of your body and feelings in the present moment. If you're silent for a moment, you will notice the subtle smell of your freshly washed clothing, the sound of your breathing, and watch a small leaf blow past your window....
How to Bring Up Resilient Children
Have you heard the phrase “helicopter parent?” It describes a mother or father that ‘hovers’ around their child 24/7, overseeing their life to keep them from every potential danger, pitfall and mishap. It looks good on paper, but this kind of parenting forgets one...
Helping Kids Cope with Loss
Parents do their best to shield their children from the harsh realities of the world. But as much of an effort as they put in, parents can’t always protect their children from experiencing the pain of loss. Whether it’s the loss of a beloved pet, a childhood friend,...
How to Help Your Child Deal with Their Anger
Many parents believe in the same myth: if they do everything right, their children will be happy. But that’s not how childhood works. No matter how much you love your child or how much you give to them in the way of attention and material items, kids are still going...
Finding the Sweet Spot: Is Your Child Over-Scheduled?
Families are busy these days. Between a parent's busy home and work life, and kids in school with after school activities, it can be hard to figure out a balance. Certainly activities outside of school will enrich your child's life, but at what point is it adding...
How to Talk to Your Kids About Divorce
Going through a divorce can be one of the most stressful and emotional times in a person’s life. It’s hard enough wrapping your own head around the event, but trying to break the news to your children can be especially difficult.Many parents struggle having this...
4 Reasons You Should Try Family Therapy with Your Teenager
As parents, it can be challenging raising a teenager. Teenagers are at the stage where they begin to question the beliefs and values they were raised with, while challenging authority and parental restrictions.Sometimes, teens are struggling with even more issues in...