When I studied addiction in grad school, I was introduced to the work of Bruce Alexander, and it completely changed my understanding of the causes and treatment of this very common problem. I read his excellent book “The Globalization of Addiction”, which is a long, but fascinating look at the problem. Alexander describes the Western…
I recently read a very interesting post by Oliver Burkeman in the Guardian called “Everyone is Just Totally Winging It“, which tells one of the basic truths of life. We are all just doing our best. Pretty much no-one actually feels like a fully competent adult who is confident all the time that they are…
I’m happy to say that Creative Solutions can now accept credit cards for payment (VISA, Mastercard, etc). This is great news because it makes distance counselling much more possible. In the new year, I will be able to work with you wherever you are via Skype. There will be some policies and processes to protect…
This morning I jokingly suggested that I should offer a half-price Holiday special. Unload your Holiday stress for only $50. I could offer one session of complaining about your in-laws, or figuring out how to deal with having the whole family in one house. I must admit that I chuckled a little at the idea.…
It is that time of year again, when the rains have begun (or the first layer of snow has already settled), and the clocks have changed, and it seems to be dark all the time. The news lately has been more than usually disturbing, with attacks on soldiers at home, and the fall from grace…
This brief video does a good job of describing the current situation with Mental Health care in Canada, and encouraging us toward a different future. It gives me hope to know that so many people are caring.
“My sadness was a form of protest and I wasn’t ready to surrender.” -Lorrie Spinney My dear friend Lorrie wrote these words in a great blog posting about joy, and they really struck me. I ended up with many questions about this idea. Not answers, but maybe you have those. We all know that things…
It’s Autism Awareness month, and I have to admit I’m a bit conflicted about the whole thing. Don’t get me wrong, I think families affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) need all the help they can get. But I wonder if the right messages are getting out. There are awareness months for Breast Cancer and…
If you’ve ever spoken to me about grief, I’m sure you’ve heard me describe it as being like water. At first, grief can feel like an overwhelming ocean that floods in over everything. You fear that you might drown, and you wish that there was some way to find a dry spot to stand on.…
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