Ottawa Men's Counseling

10/07/2025

An interesting article - National Geographic just posted it - regarding a study that showed there can be six different types of depression and that a precise approach is needed for each one. It's amazing to see the level of sophistication with brain imaging in today's world.

Brain imaging, known as functional MRI, combined with machine learning can predict a treatment response based on one's depression "biotype."

06/05/2025

Inspired by a conversation with a client this morning, I wrote an article about anxiety and confronting it. Hope that it resonates with some of you:

Speaking with a client earlier today, he was experiencing anxiety about a second date he was going on tonight. It brought up a situation that I see frequently with clients when they are having issues with anxiety or feeling like they can’t confront a situation directly. And that simple advice is:J...

10/14/2024

Happy Thanksgiving all! I'm reposting one of my articles from last year about what to do when the holidays are tough on your mental health. You can easily substitute Thanksgiving in the title, because it is a time when even though it's supposed to be about family, a lot of people struggle.

As always, if you need a person to talk to, reach out!

Yesterday with a client I was reminded of why the Christmas season can be difficult for a lot of people. We all have the vision in our minds of holiday togetherness, lots of feasting on good food and enjoying the company of family. But what do you do when you have a relative who’s an addict, relat...

09/16/2024

Hi everyone - my latest weekly article on five things to AVOID if you want better mental health. These are all things that I advise people against in my practice, and are all things that are (mostly) under your control to change.

If you like it, please feel free to share!

In my daily practice, I deal with all sorts of disorders and conditions. But the one I typically deal with the most is general anxiety. Think of this as underlying stress. I always tell people, anxiety is a signal that something is a little bit off or wrong, and it is your brain's way of processing....

09/09/2024

Hi everyone - trying to get back into more article writing so here's my latest about how practice is needed for good mental health - not just the physical realm. Take a look and please let me know if anyone you know is struggling with their mental health and could use some professional assistance.

My former life was in the fitness realm, and one of the things I would constantly preach to people is that anything that requires progress takes two things. Consistency and – you guessed it – practice.Often I use the analogy of trying something new. Odds are when you first got into a swimming po...

03/16/2024

9 weeks post hip replacement and my first 2k walk. When I first got back on the treadmill a few weeks ago I walked for 400 meters and that was enough. Slowly ramping up and being consistent (just like I preach to clients) is the key. Remember, if you are having trouble with a new skill - even something as simple as walking with a new hip - all it takes is smart, steady application with a bunch of consistency.

Apparently running is out for quite some time - if ever - but as long as I can keep getting stronger maybe I can get back into race walking.

02/25/2024

Had a discussion with a client on Friday that I often have with people who struggle with anxiety and motivation. Good starters, terrible finishers. And second guessing everything they do or simply not starting at all because their automatic thought is always negative.

With these types of situations, what I try to do is get them to create small wins. Short little bursts of activity towards whatever they need to create that is manageable. For this particular client that was applying 15 minutes towards the primary goal. Set a timer, and start until the timer goes off.

The other part for a lot of people is making it part of your daily routine. We are routine based creatures, and routine brings comfort. For many people, doing something three or four times a week isn't feasible, but doing a small amount every day at the same time is much more effective.

So if you struggle with these things, try the approach of just setting a timer - even for 5 minutes - and give yourself a chance to get a small amount done. It can build before you know it.

02/24/2024

Six weeks post hip replacement and back on the bike! Took it easy for the first ride but getting on and off wasn't nearly as hard as I suspected. Definitely need more padding for my butt though.

The most interesting thing is feeling where I used to have pain just sitting in the seat isn't really there anymore. We will see how the joint feels in a couple of hours and reassess tomorrow. If you aren't assessing, you're not learning and that applies to yourself as well.

02/23/2024

Picked up my new keys today and happy to announce that Ottawa Men's Counseling is moving to the heart of Westboro! We are right on Richmond Road in a great location right beside the Happy Goat near Churchill.

If you know anyone who is looking to talk about their mental health situation and needs practical solutions, please feel free to tag them in this post!