Calm Waters Counselling Services

01/13/2026

Great information on an amazing therapy. Calm Waters Counselling is happy to be able to provide this therapy to clients. If Accelerated Resolution Therapy sounds like it might be a good fit for you, reach out and I would happy to answer any questions you might have!

01/07/2026

Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) and Depression

Depression can feel heavy, persistent, and deeply rooted—especially when it’s connected to unresolved experiences or emotional pain.

Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) offers a gentle, evidence-informed approach that helps many people find relief by working with the brain’s natural ability to heal.

ART is a trauma-informed therapy that uses guided imagery and bilateral eye movements to help the brain reprocess distressing memories, emotions, and body sensations. Unlike some traditional talk therapies, ART does not require detailed verbal retelling of painful experiences. Instead, clients remain in control while the nervous system is supported to move from distress toward calm and clarity.

Positive effects of ART for depression may include:

🔹️Reduced emotional intensity tied to painful memories

🔹️Improved mood and sense of emotional balance

🔹️Decreased feelings of hopelessness or heaviness

🔹️Greater self-compassion and empowerment

🔹️Increased capacity to feel relief, calm, and connection

Many people notice that as unresolved experiences are gently reprocessed, depressive symptoms begin to soften. Thoughts that once felt stuck or overwhelming can shift, allowing space for new perspectives, resilience, and hope.

ART is not about erasing memories—it’s about changing how they live in the body and mind. When the emotional charge is reduced, people often report feeling lighter, more present, and better able to engage with their lives.

If depression has been weighing on you and talk therapy alone hasn’t felt like enough, ART may be a supportive next step toward healing—one that honours both your pace and your nervous system.

Reach out to kayla@calmwaterscounsellingnl.com today for more information or to see if ART might be a good fit for you!

01/05/2026

☃️❄️ Snow Day ❄️☃️

Snow days invite us into a softer pace. The world quiets, expectations pause, and suddenly there’s permission to be instead of do.

In a world that celebrates productivity, a snow day can feel like a gentle reminder that rest is not a reward—it’s a reset.

When everything slows, our nervous systems get a chance to exhale. The silence, the stillness, the way snow softens sharp edges—it all signals safety. This is regulation in real time.

Today's snow day feels like a lovely gift from the universe after a busy holiday season.

If today is a snow day for you, consider it an invitation:

🔹️To rest without guilt

🔹️To notice your breath

🔹️To reconnect with what feels grounding

🔹️To let “enough” be enough

You don’t have to fill the day to make it meaningful. Sometimes the most healing thing we can do is allow the pause.

From us at Calm Waters Counselling, we hope you find a moment of stillness in the snow 🤍

01/05/2026

Available Appointment 3:45pm Tuesaday, January 6 (Paradise)

01/04/2026

🌊 3 Ways to Settle Your Nervous System 🌊

When life feels overwhelming, your nervous system may be working overtime to protect you. Settling it doesn’t require big changes—often, small, gentle practices can make a meaningful difference.

✨ 1. Slow the exhale
Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds, then exhale slowly through your mouth for 6–8 seconds. A longer exhale helps signal safety to the nervous system and supports the body in shifting out of survival mode.

✨ 2. Ground through your senses
Gently notice what’s around you:
5 things you can see,
4 things you can feel,
3 things you can hear,
2 things you can smell,
1 thing you can taste.
Grounding brings you back into the present moment, reminding your body that you are here and safe.

✨ 3. Offer comfort to the body
Warmth and gentle pressure can be deeply regulating. Try a warm drink, a cozy blanket, a heating pad, or placing a hand over your heart. These small acts of care help calm the nervous system from the outside, in.

At Calm Waters Counselling, we believe healing begins with safety, compassion, and meeting yourself where you are. Small moments of regulation can create steady ripples of change. 🌊

01/01/2026

✨ A Gentle Reminder as We Enter the New Year ✨

As the new year begins, there can be a lot of pressure to start fresh, set big goals, or be better than last year.

If that feels motivating for you, that's great! And if it feels overwhelming, that’s okay too.

Healing isn’t measured by calendars. Growth doesn’t always look like dramatic change. Sometimes, it looks like continuing, resting, setting boundaries, asking for help, or simply surviving a difficult season.

This year, you are allowed to:

🔹️Move at your own pace

🔹️Choose goals that support your well-being, not drain it

🔹️Let go of what no longer serves you

🔹️Honour how far you’ve already come

You don’t need to become a new version of yourself to be worthy of care and compassion. You are already enough, exactly as you are today.

May this year be guided by gentleness, self-kindness, and moments of connection—both with others and with yourself.

Warmly,
Calm Waters Counselling

12/29/2025

Appointments available December 30 (Paradise):
12pm

12/05/2025

Check out this amazing training by my friend and fellow A.R.T therapist, Mary!

11/26/2025

Calm Waters Counselling is honoured to be able to offer this therapy! It is an amazing therapy! Reach out for more information or to see how A.R.T might be able to help you!

If you’re exhausted, wired, and unable to relax — always on edge, forgetting things, snapping at small irritations — you could be in survival mode. Survival mode occurs when the nervous system becomes stuck in fight, flight, or freeze after repeated stress or trauma, keeping the body on constant alert even after the danger or stressor has passed.
Many therapy paths focus on stress-management techniques: breathing tools, journaling, mindfulness, which can absolutely help. However, they often treat symptoms, rather than the source. Sometimes it takes years to untangle what’s driving that constant alarm.
ART (Accelerated Resolution Therapy) approaches survival mode in a different way.
Using eye movements and imagery rescripting, ART allows you to gently reprocess traumatic images while calming the associated sensations — helping you step out of survival mode and toward genuine internal safety.
Find an ART trained therapist near you. www.ARTworksnow.com

11/23/2025

As Christmas Approaches, Remember to Take Care of You! 🎄✨

The holidays are often painted as the “most wonderful time of the year,” but the reality can feel very different. As Christmas approaches, many of us juggle increased responsibilities, emotional expectations, financial pressure, family dynamics, and the weight of wanting everything to feel just right. It’s a beautiful season—but it can also be an overwhelming one.

That’s why taking care of your mental health is not just important, it's essential.

You’re allowed to slow down.
You don’t have to say yes to every gathering, overspend to meet expectations, or push yourself to the point of burnout. Rest is not a waste of time—it's part of staying well.

You’re allowed to feel how you feel.
Joy doesn’t erase stress, and stress doesn’t erase joy. The holidays can bring up grief, anxiety, loneliness, or memories that sit heavy. Your emotions are valid, even if they don’t match the holiday soundtrack.

You’re allowed to set boundaries.
Protect your peace. Choose the traditions that fill you up, not the ones that drain you. Surround yourself with people who feel safe, supportive, and grounding.

Most importantly: you’re allowed to care for yourself.
Take breaks. Go for walks. Journal. Talk to someone you trust. Reach out for support if you need it. Small moments of care add up in big ways.

Christmas isn’t about perfection—it’s about presence.
The most meaningful gift you can give yourself this season is compassion, space, and gentle care for your mind and heart. 💛

You’re doing your best. That’s enough.

newfoundland

10/24/2025

Only a few spaces left!

Register by Monday to attend the parent session.

Please reach out to kayla@calmwaterscounsellingnl.com to register or inquire about this program.

Big feelings can be tough - but your child doesn’t have to face them alone. Our coping skills group gives kids a safe, supportive, space to learn how to manage emotions, handle stress, and build confidence through fun, engaging activities.

Each week, children explore coping tools through literature, games, art, movement, mindfulness while connecting with other kids who “get it”

Kids will learn how to:
understand and express emotions
using calming and grounding strategies
communicate feelings in a healthy way
build resilience and self-esteem

Our goal is to help children develop lifelong skills for emotional wellness, while having fun

Ages: 6-8
Facilitator: Kayla Waywanko B.Ed., MSW, RSW - Calm Waters Counselling
Register: kayla@calmwaterscounsellingnl.com
Cost: $175 for 5 weeks
Starts: November 5

Register by October 27 to attend the parent information session.

Please reach out to kayla@calmwaterscounsellingnl.com with any questions about the program.

10/22/2025

Big feelings can be tough - but your child doesn’t have to face them alone. Our coping skills group gives kids a safe, supportive, space to learn how to manage emotions, handle stress, and build confidence through fun, engaging activities.

Each week, children explore coping tools through literature, games, art, movement, mindfulness while connecting with other kids who “get it”

Kids will learn how to:
understand and express emotions
using calming and grounding strategies
communicate feelings in a healthy way
build resilience and self-esteem

Our goal is to help children develop lifelong skills for emotional wellness, while having fun

Ages: 6-8
Facilitator: Kayla Waywanko B.Ed., MSW, RSW - Calm Waters Counselling
Register: kayla@calmwaterscounsellingnl.com
Cost: $175 for 5 weeks
Starts: November 5

Register by October 27 to attend the parent information session.

Please reach out to kayla@calmwaterscounsellingnl.com with any questions about the program.