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– 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

– By Sharon Ashton and Raksha Dave-Gates (Counselling Psychologists) As the New Year starts, most people entertain thoughts of making a change in some aspect of their lifestyle. Whether your change goal relates to physical health (e.g. increasing healthy eating and exercise) or other aspects of your life, change is not about simply making a New Year’s resolution.   It may help you gain momentum for change if you understand the process of change and identify where you are in that

– By Sharon Ashton and Raksha Dave-Gates (Counselling Psychologists) It is human nature to search for cause-and-effect explanations of the events in our lives and in the world around us.  Believingthat things happen in a logical manner is very useful because it leads us to actively make positive choices in many areas of our life.  For example, we may focus on eating well, getting adequate exercise, and avoiding exposure to toxic substances because we wish to have the best possible

– By Sharon Ashton and Raksha Dave-Gates (Counselling Psychologists) February habitually draws attention to love relationships.  However, to carry the same focus and mindfulness about our relationships into the rest of the year can sometimes be challenging as people resume their busy and fast paced lifestyles.  Our focus in this article is about the practice of mindfulness.  Whether this mindfulness relates to mindful parenting, mindfulness in partner relationships, or personal and spiritual mindfulness, the goal is one and the same.