Quiet Mind Counselling

03/27/2026

✨Our therapist, Laura Shay, is offering breathwork in May! You are able to contact her directly via email to register or for more info: laura@risecounsellingcollective.com ✨

03/18/2026

It’s neurodiversity week! Here is a gentle reminder that there is no one “right” way for a brain to work.

Neurodiversity celebrates the natural differences in how we think, feel, learn, and experience the world including ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and more. These aren’t flaws to fix, but differences to understand, support, and value.

This week (and always), let’s:
Lead with curiosity instead of judgment. Create spaces that are more inclusive and flexible. Recognize strengths, not just struggles. Remember that support looks different for everyone

Different brains. Different ways. All valid. 💛

03/15/2026

🚑🚒🚓 First Responders: Your therapist isn’t making it up—writing things down can actually help your brain process stress.

Putting thoughts and emotions into words does more than just help you reflect. Brain imaging research shows that naming and writing about emotions can change how the brain processes stress.

The amygdala acts as the brain’s threat detector. It helps you react quickly during high-risk situations—something first responders rely on every day. But after repeated exposure to intense calls, that system can stay activated longer than it should.

Research has found that labeling emotions—even briefly—can reduce activity in the amygdala while increasing activity in the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for reasoning, decision-making, and emotional regulation.

In simple terms, writing about what you’re feeling can help the brain shift from automatic emotional reactions to more controlled processing.

Studies on expressive writing, including randomized controlled trials, suggest that structured writing about experiences can:
🧠 Reduce rumination and repetitive thoughts
🧠 Improve emotional processing
🧠 Support overall psychological well-being over time

For first responders, journaling doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be as simple as:
✔ Writing a few sentences after a tough call
✔ Getting thoughts out of your head after shift
✔ Reflecting on what went well or what stuck with you

Writing doesn’t erase stress or trauma—but putting experiences into words helps the brain organize them, making them easier to process rather than carrying them around unstructured.

Even short writing sessions have been linked to measurable changes in how the brain handles emotional information.

You spend your career documenting calls and reports. Sometimes it helps to document your own thoughts too. 🧠✍️

Source: Frontiers in Psychology; Mindfulness (Springer)

03/12/2026

Therapy isn’t a “sit perfectly and speak politely” kind of place. It’s a real life kind of place. Which means things like:

• Swearing (sometimes the only accurate word is the f-word)
• Laughing at things that probably shouldn’t be funny
• Crying… sometimes a lot
• Saying “this might be TMI…” and then telling us anyway
• Talking in circles while you figure out what you actually mean
• Bringing snacks or showing up mid-coffee
• Having a brain freeze and saying “wait… what was I talking about?”
• Celebrating wins
• Showing up exactly as you are that day

Therapy isn’t about being polished. It’s about being honest. And honesty can look messy, funny, emotional, awkward… and very human.

All of it is welcome here.

03/09/2026

It’s a gorgeous day to enjoy the benefits of sunshine ☀️

03/08/2026

03/07/2026

Therapists are human too.

Yes, we’re trained to talk about nervous systems, coping skills, and communication patterns… but we’re also the people rushing out the door in the morning because we hit snooze one too many times.

Sometimes we show up to work with dog fur on our black clothes (despite owning lint rollers in every room of the house). Sometimes we’re in the car absolutely belting out old school rap like we’re headlining our own concert before walking into the office five minutes later to talk about mindfulness.

We forget where we put our coffee.
We send texts with typos.
We have days where we’re tired, messy, or running a little behind just like everyone else.

Being a good therapist isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being human, doing our own work, and showing up with empathy, compassion, and a willingness to sit with people in the hard stuff.

So yes… therapists can talk about emotional regulation….while also driving to work singing along to songs from the early 2000s.

03/06/2026

Your Nervous System Might Be Dysregulated If…

03/04/2026

I am having a lot of emails bounce back as “undeliverable”. Please include a contact number when you reach out incase this happens.
Also, if you have reached out and not gotten a response please check your junk mail folder as this can happen sometimes as well.

03/02/2026

Location update!
I am now working out of 177 Main St Dartmouth and am accepting a limited number of new clients.

I primarily focus on:
-trauma
-anxiety
-depression
-burnout
-workplace stress
-supporting first responders
-sexual wellbeing

Have a peek at the new space so far 👀

02/22/2026

Is it just me or does a gold medal hockey game activate everyone’s nervous system at Olympic levels?

You’re just trying to “casually watch” and suddenly:
• Your resting heart rate is no longer resting.
• You’ve paced a 10 km loop around your living room.
• You’re aggressively whisper-yelling at the TV like the players can hear you.
• You’ve decided you personally are responsible for the outcome if you sit in the wrong spot.

By the third period, we’re all amateur sports psychologists:
“That was a momentum shift.”
“They need to control the neutral zone.”
“I can’t breathe.”

And overtime? That’s not a game. That’s a collective national stress test.

But honestly, there’s something kind of beautiful about it. For a couple of hours, we’re united in shared hope, shared panic, and shared delusion that our emotional intensity is contributing to the scoreboard.

If you feel slightly unhinged during the gold medal game, congratulations — you’re human. High stakes + national pride + fast skates + tiny puck = adrenaline cocktail.

🇨🇦 Go Team

02/15/2026

💕 Here’s the thing no one posts about on February 15th:

Valentine’s Day has a funny way of amplifying whatever is already happening in your relationship.

If things are solid, it’s sweet.
If things are tense, it can feel like a performance review with candles.

Couples therapy isn’t just for relationships that are “failing.”
It’s for relationships where two people keep missing each other and don’t know how to get back on the same page.

It helps you:
– Say what you actually mean (without the passive-aggressive subtext)
– Hear each other without immediately preparing a rebuttal
– Understand the fight underneath the fight
– Stop replaying the same argument

Sometimes it’s not about the forgotten flowers.
It’s about wanting to feel prioritized.
Seen.
Chosen.

And that’s fixable.

If your Valentine’s Day didn’t go as planned, it doesn’t mean your relationship is doomed. It might just mean you need better tools than a takeout menu and a heart-shaped dessert.

Love is work.
Good work is allowed to have support!