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By Sharon Ashton and Dr. Raksha Dave-Gates Each weeknight from dinner hour until dusk, community baseball diamonds and outdoor soccer fields will be filled with the sights and sounds of spring.  Children by the dozen gather at these seasonal events, spilling out of mini-vans and station wagons with energy and enthusiasm to burn.  On the cooler evenings, parents huddle under blankets while they visit with neighbours and watch their childrens’ team sports.  The crack of a bat or the thud

– By Sharon Ashton and Raksha Dave-Gates (Counselling Psychologists) Some of the most important people in our lives are friends.  While some friends last a lifetime, others may come and go.  Some friends may even vary by season. As summer time approaches, through activities like soccer, golf, backyard barbeques, and visiting the local playground with our children, we may rebuild or create friendships that may have been dormant through the winter season. Regardless of when our friends join us; friendship

– By Sharon Ashton and Raksha Dave-Gates (Counselling Psychologists) With the arrival of summer, many Calgarians look forward to slipping into a vacation mode and easing up on the hectic pace they have maintained over the past six to nine months. There is no doubt that summer brings a lot of welcome change. Our children are home from school. Family vacations are often planned during July and August – this leads to lighter traffic patterns for those at home who

– By Sharon Ashton and Raksha Dave-Gates (Counselling Psychologists) “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” This come-back line is often given to children to use as a shield when they are the victim of verbal bullying.  Unfortunately, cruel words do have the power to inflict deep emotional and even physical pain.  And both the bully and the victim know it! Verbal abuse is the most prevalent and surreptitious form of bullying; in fact,

– By Sharon Ashton and Raksha Dave-Gates (Counselling Psychologists) As summer ends so does the opportunity to participate in many outdoor games and play.  In winter months, more and more children as well as adults may use computer and video games for recreation.  For some, these activities can become addictive and take over the time that is needed for homework, social and physical activity, family time, and even much needed sleep.  As parents, we can be more educated in the

– By Sharon Ashton and Raksha Dave-Gates (Counselling Psychologists) PLEASANT ACTIVITY CHECKLIST Choose a number of activities you will do today! Wear clothes I like. Be outdoors (beach, country…) Help others I respect. Talk about sports. Watch or participate in sports Go to a play, concert, ballet… Plan a trip or vacation. Buy things Do artwork or crafts. Read sacred works. Rearrange my room or my house. Hear a lecture or talk. Drive skillfully. Read books or magazines. Boating: canoe,

– By Raksha Dave-Gates and Sharon Ashton  (Counselling Psychologists) Many people find themselves in marriages, families, or workplaces that are chronically unhappy.  If you are in this predicament, it may be an unfortunate reality that you have significant people in your life who behave in ways that may be emotionally stressful or even painful to you. They may be consistently inconsiderate, uncaring, or irresponsible in ways that have a negative impact on your life. A common early reaction to this

– By Sharon Ashton and Raksha Dave-Gates (Counselling Psychologists) With flu season here, many of us will get our yearly flu vaccinations.  These inoculations are effective as they inject controlled amounts of the germ cells into our body allowing our autoimmune system to fight the disease.  As a result, future exposure to the germs is unlikely to make us sick. The same concept can be applied to psychological stress.  With stress as the “germ”, Donald Meichenbaum proposed “stress inoculation”.  Here,

– By Sharon Ashton and Raksha Dave-Gates (Counselling Psychologists) All we really want for the holiday season is… shared moments of joy, love, heartfelt laughter, and old-fashioned fun.  But, after shopping for endless gift exchanges, organizing the family’s social activities, and preparing food for entertaining, we are oftenexhausted.  If we don’t watch out, it can all become too much. At this time of the year especially, we are drawn by media hype and by cultural expectations to be overly extravagant