Hygge
Hygge Pronouced Hoo-gha, Hygge is a Danish term that means a quality of coziness and the feeling of contentment that comes from warm spaces and enjoying the good things in life with those you care about. Hygge is a means of enhancing our well-being. It is about atmosphere and experience. It is a felt sense […]
Healing is Personal, Relational, and Societal
Healing is Personal, Relational, and Societal I strive to be intentional about discussing race, gender, class, culture, and sexuality with clients as I believe the therapeutic space is an environment to discuss how personal and societal elements impact our well-being and ability to thrive. As a white therapist, I chose to help white clients lean […]
We’ve Always Done It This Way
We’ve Always Done It This Way We’ve Always Done It This Way. I have been told this phrase in some form my whole life. As someone with a whole lot of psychological training, I know that the reason this phrase is uttered so frequently is because most people fear change. I guess I’m not wired […]
BLACK SHEEP
BLACK SHEEP The “black sheep” is a common idiom used to describe someone who is considered disreputable or a disgrace in any group (such as communities, schools workplaces, or religious organizations), however, most people relate the term to describe the “odd one out”, within a family dynamic. A paramount feature of the Black Sheep phenomena […]
Sawubona
Sawubona Sawubona is a Zulu greeting that translates to “I see you, you are important to me and I value you”. While us Westerners are accustomed to a greeting of “How you doing?” or “How’s it going?” with the usual perfunctory response of “Fine, how are you?”, Sawubona conveys acceptance at where the other person […]
The Golden Years?
The “Golden” Years? In collectivist* societies around the world, older people (“elders”) are most often considered people of authority and esteemed for the wisdom they have cultivated during their years of lived experience. Traditional cultural norms in collectivist societies were that senior members were frequently cared for in their offspring’s familial home. Many collectivist societies […]
True Patriot Love
True Patriot Love I spent the last week cottaging. That is not a statement I ever thought I would make. It’s funny how in Ontario our vacation property is a cottage, on the Canadian prairies we stay in a cabin, and in the mountains of BC we vacation in a chalet….but I digress. How was […]
THE LAMPS ARE DIFFERENT BUT THE LIGHT’S THE SAME
THE LAMPS ARE DIFFERENT BUT THE LIGHT’S THE SAME ~Rumi I am a lover of travel and culture. I have come to appreciate that I can learn something new from every person I meet (sometimes whether I want to or not). I also am a firm believer that we really are more alike than we […]
The Importance of Knowing Your Family History
The Importance of Knowing Your Family History For many people, an exploration into family-of-origin history can seem unnecessarily painful. Parents are not often keen on sharing family histories that hold ancestors in a negative light (slave owners, Nazis, colonizers, et cetera), or share stories about ancestors who endured unimaginable traumas (such as genocide, incarceration, and […]
