Aristotle called humans “the social animal,” and people have recognized for centuries that young people need to be in communities to develop into healthy adults. The ongoing pandemic has caused concern about the effects of isolation on children and teenagers’ social and psychological growth.

The Toronto Transit Commission reported a nearly one-third increase of suicide attempts or fatalities during the first eight months of the pandemic. Suicide prevention is a critical public health response to COVID-19. 

Therapists require extensive training, and the most effective forms of therapy involve coaching patients in everyday situations, which is time-consuming and therefore costly. Delivering psychological therapies in virtual reality (VR) may provide a solution.

Australia’s health system has embraced telehealth during the coronavirus pandemic, with patients getting care online, by video or by phone. But what happens to this post-pandemic is uncertain.

Over the years, I heard clients blame everyone and everything for the issues they were dealing with in their lives, but they seldom considered the possibility that this was what they put into motion in their life-between-lives session.

With the pressures of the holiday season, rising COVID-19 rates and the resulting social isolation from friends and family, people can easily fall into addictive or excessive behaviours.

It is natural to want to fit into a category that gives us an identity, especially if that identity provides a better understanding of ourselves and others, and explains the nature of our interactions. But be careful of type­casting yourself. Instead, try to ...

Whether unconscious or conscious, we are all hungry for more depth of connection and more purpose. People often choose therapy as a last resort to heal their discomfort. My group therapy practice is built on the concept of taking yourself on, or, as we call it in my group, “work”.

One of the biggest problems that people bring to therapy is not knowing what to do with a wide range of feelings, including sadness, anger, ecstasy, fear, and depression. Many visits to medical doctors are attempts to deal with feelings unable to be expressed or released. Such feeling problems are quite common.

In such a stressful time, many people are experiencing poorer mental health, and some need additional support.

Criticism never changes a thing. Refuse to criticize yourself. Accept yourself exactly as you are. Stop terrorizing yourself with your thoughts. It's a dreadful way to live. Treat yourself as you would someone you really loved...

We use our mind in many ways. We use it when we don't even think about it; it simply takes over and provides us with the support we need for survival. We forget that it's there working and we overlook it as the best tool we have for self-improvement.

Let's imagine our minds as being filled with rows of cubbyholes. Each cubbyhole represents a particular relationship in our lives. Some of these cubbyholes contain largely benevolent thoughts. Others are filled with grievances and other dark thoughts. As I begin to think of those people, I may find a significant amount of resentment or anger stored away...

We have learned to repress our emotions, or to blatantly "dump" them on others. Often, our strong emotions make us lash out and blame others for our feelings. There is an alternative, that not only heals you but empowers you.

In her documentary “Miss Americana,” music icon Taylor Swift disclosed her history of eating disorders. Her revelation underscores the fact these disorders do not discriminate.

In these extreme circumstances, a bit of depression about the environment could be precisely what we need – it’s the only sane response.

Got a problem? Take a pill. Doesn’t work? Try a different pill, or add another pill to what you’re already taking. The visit may be only fifteen or twenty minutes, and the newest term used for this type of care is “medication management.”

Although 'self-help' information can be readily gleaned, there must be a head-heart, or intellect-feeling connection before one's situation can change. All knowledge learned must be internalized (believed), and processed (discussed, analyzed, emotions explored). Insights must be gained and goals set and attained, in order to resolve unfinished business, heal wounds, and grow.

Some people cannot distinguish or name the emotions that they feel. In such cases, it's important to increase the emotional vocabulary and learn how varied feelings can be. An easy way to accomplish this is to use an emotional vocabulary list.

Honest communication is not only the quickest, most direct path to wholeness, it is also the least expensive. Without spending years in a therapist's office, you can get out of the morass of judgments, generalizations, shoulds, withholdings, assessments, and explanations about why you are the way you are.

If you or someone you care about experience an emotional problem it won’t be long before you hear that cognitive behaviour therapy, or CBT, is probably the treatment of choice.

Depression is a serious disorder marked by disturbances in mood, cognition, physiology and social functioning.

People seeking therapy should always talk to a practitioner who provides good quality treatment that’s appropriate to their needs.