Eastwind Psychotherapy

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Parry Sound, ON
Eastwind Psychotherapy

After 27 years as a pediatric physiotherapist, I have fully transitioned into my new role as a Registered Psychotherapist.

I have a passion for helping caregivers and parents live more balanced, happier lives, allowing us to bring the best to our kids.

04/05/2026

May you find a little joy today and in all your days.

Wishing a Happy Easter to all my friends, clients and colleagues! 🐣

04/02/2026

I had the honour of sharing my Tuesday evening with some pretty amazing humans … the gracious and giving volunteers that do so much with our West Parry Sound Community Support Services. Our community’s volunteers are invaluable and we wouldn’t be the warm, safe, inclusive communities we are without them. Thank you. Miigwetch. 🙏🏼

03/31/2026

Just Molly’s Tuesday reminder that if you stumble (or fully faceplant) today, it’s okay to take a beat before you shake it off and keep going.

Life moves fast, and sometimes we lose our footing. If today feels like a bit of a tumble, consider this your permission to pause, laugh at the absurdity of it all, and start again at your own pace.

Wishing you a soft landing and a quick recovery today!

03/29/2026

Your body keeps track of what your mind doesn’t have time to process.

So many of us move through our days holding things in, frustration, grief, anger, overwhelm, telling ourselves we’ll deal with it later.

But often, later doesn’t come.

And those emotions don’t just disappear.

They stay in the body.

They show up as tension in your shoulders, a tightness in your chest, a restless mind at night, or a nervous system that doesn’t quite settle.

There’s growing research showing that when emotions aren’t processed, they don’t simply fade; they remain active in the nervous system, keeping the body in a state of stress. Over time, this can contribute to things like chronic pain, fatigue, inflammation, and other health concerns.

As Emily and Amelia Nagoski describe in Burnout, we need to fully move through our emotional tunnels, but we often get stuck partway through.

Emotions don’t resolve just because the situation ends. They resolve when we allow the emotional cycle to complete. And sometimes, that doesn’t happen through thinking.

It happens through the body.

Through movement.

Through breath.

Through sound.

Through tears.

Through connection.

As Gabor Maté has also written, when we consistently override or suppress what we feel, the body often carries the cost. Not as a failure, but as a signal.

So maybe self-care this Sunday isn’t about doing more. Maybe it’s about asking:

What am I still carrying that needs somewhere to go?

And then offering your body a way to move it through. For me, that often looks like protecting time for movement, whether that’s a deadly bootcamp or spin class, an intense yoga class, or a quiet walk in the bush with my silly pup.

Not as discipline.

But as release.

Not as productivity.

But as care.

What might your body be asking you to feel (and move) this week?

03/22/2026

A theme I’ve been noticing in my work lately, especially with women:

Many come to therapy wanting help with their anxiety.

They want it to settle.

To feel more in control.

To have better tools to manage it.

And often, we can support that.

But as we begin to look more closely, something else starts to take shape.

Many of these women are living within environments that don’t feel safe.

Relationships that feel unpredictable, dismissive, or one-sided.

Workplaces that ask for constant output with little care or reciprocity.

Daily immersion in news cycles that carry stories of violence, instability, and loss of safety in the world.

Of course their nervous systems are activated.

Their bodies are doing exactly what they are designed to do,

to sense, to respond, to try to protect.

It can be surprisingly supportive, sometimes even deeply empowering, for women to hear:

You are not defective.

Your system is not the problem.

Sometimes, it’s the environments that are asking too much, giving too little, or quietly eroding a sense of safety.

As Gabor Maté reflects in The Myth of Normal, many of the conditions we live within are considered “normal” in our culture…

…but that doesn’t make them healthy.

Or safe.

Or sustainable.

Depathologizing these responses, seeing them as adaptive rather than disordered, can be a powerful first step.

Not just toward feeling differently,

but toward beginning to question, shift, or step out of the systems that no longer serve us.

There’s no pressure to change everything at once.

But there can be something meaningful in simply starting here:

Maybe it’s not just me.

Maybe my system has been telling me something important all along.

Self-Care Sunday reflection:

What might shift this week if, instead of trying to quiet your anxiety, you listened to what it’s asking for?

03/15/2026

I’ve been thinking a lot about fear lately, primarily because a number of my old fears are popping up. You know, that feeling that can paralyze us, make decisions for us, or keep us stuck in place. I always tell my kids: “Feel the fear and do it anyway.” It’s a much easier thing to say to them than to do myself!

Fear isn’t the enemy; it’s a messenger. It signals what matters to us, highlights what’s uncertain, and points to where we may need care, preparation, or courage. But if we let it run the show, it can make choices for us instead of guiding us.

A healthier alternative? Pause, notice the fear, ask what it’s trying to tell you, and respond consciously. Move forward with care, not just in reaction.

💭 This week: What fear is showing up for you? How can you listen to it without letting it decide your next move?

03/04/2026

Ever wonder how this Royal Hungarian hunter prepares for a day of greeting and sitting with clients?? My clients assume Molly is always as chill as they find her in the therapy space. This is NOT accurate!

The little princess sleeps in while Momma hits the gym. But then it’s coat and a bush hike, with lots of stick fetching and hunting through deep snow. Once home, a little Bad-Bunny destuffing, followed by the mental stimulation of getting the treats out of this darn Kong!! And then she chills while waiting to greet her favourite people!

We’re not a whole lot different than Molly! For our nervous systems to stand a chance, we also need rest, physical activity, sunshine, time in nature, healthy relationships … our four-legged friends are actually pretty wise!!

How do you prepare for your optimal day??

03/01/2026

Self-Care Isn’t About Being Perfect. It’s About Coming Back.

I haven’t been as consistent with these Self-Care Sunday posts as I’d hoped. And I noticed that familiar thought: “Well… you missed a few. You might as well stop.”

That’s all-or-nothing thinking. It’s the part of us that believes if we can’t do something perfectly, we shouldn’t do it at all, and we see it everywhere:

“I missed one day, so I’ve failed.”

“I lost my patience, so I’m not a good parent.”

“I didn’t keep up with it, so what’s the point?”

But self-care isn’t about streaks. It isn’t about discipline or getting it right. It’s about noticing when we’ve drifted… and choosing to return. Gently. Without shaming ourselves. Without making it mean something about who we are.

If there’s something you’ve stepped away from that once supported you, a walk, a boundary, a practice, a conversation, maybe today is just about coming back to it.

That’s enough.

02/16/2026

Family Day can hold many meanings.

For some, it’s loud and full.

For others, it’s complicated.

For many, it’s both.

Today feels like a gentle reminder that family isn’t always defined by genetics. It’s defined by connection.

My blood relatives are spread across this beautiful country, and while I carry them with me, I don’t have family close by geographically. What I do have, and what I’m profoundly grateful for, is chosen family. The souls who show up. Who nourish. Who steady. Who love without condition. Who witness the becoming.

Recently, one of those chosen sisters gave me the most thoughtful gift, a beautiful mat featuring my new logo. She has quietly watched my journey into this profession from the very beginning. She’s seen the doubts, the late nights, the courage it required, and the deep alignment. To be seen like that over time is its own kind of love.

The mat now sits at my door, and I hope my clients love it as much as I do, as it welcomes them to our space. Every time I look at it, I’m reminded that none of us builds anything meaningful alone.

To my dear friend, thank you. For the gift. For your faith in me. For walking alongside me.

And today, I’m curious:

Who is part of your chosen family?

Who are you especially grateful for?

(And yes, Molly approves of the new mat. Of course she does. 🐾)

Wishing you a Family Day that feels supportive in whatever way you most need.

02/01/2026

Self-Care Sunday

One of the most helpful relational tools I share with clients is the feedback wheel.

It’s simple, but not easy, and it works best when we’re speaking from our wise adult self, not from overwhelm, anger, or hurt

The idea is to slow things down and name:

- what happened (as objectively as possible, almost like a video camera would have recorded it, without interpretation)

- the meaning we made of what happened

- how that meaning made us feel (naming an actual emotion)

- what we need or would like moving forward

A few gentle reminders if you try this:

This works best when you ask for permission to share feedback. Timing matters.

Try to use it when you feel relatively grounded; not perfect, just regulated enough to stay connected.

And after you’ve shared your need or request, practice letting go of the outcome.

This part can be hard.

We don’t get to control how someone responds or whether they change. That’s their work, if they choose it. Our work is being clear, honest, and respectful about our inner experience. That’s where our power and integrity live.

Clear doesn’t mean harsh.

Boundaried doesn’t mean unkind.

And speaking up can be an act of care, for yourself and the relationship.

I’d love to hear if you’ve tried it and how it’s worked for you! Wishing you a slow and restorative Sunday.

01/28/2026

Me: snowshoeing, one step at a time.

Molly: living her absolute best life at full speed.

Winter is still wintering, but we’re doing what we can … moving our bodies, borrowing joy where it’s available, and making it through.

How are YOU doin’?

01/25/2026

Self-Care Sunday | Choosing people in a world that keeps asking us to choose sides

If you’ve been feeling more tense, guarded, or disconnected lately, you’re not imagining it.

Our feeds are designed to convince us that the world is deeply divided, that people who think or believe differently than we do are dangerous, ignorant, or “the problem.”

But real life is rarely that simple.

Humans are complex. Messy. Shaped by love, fear, pain, history, and hope, often all at once. Social media doesn’t do complexity well. It rewards outrage and certainty, not compassion or nuance.

Self-care right now might look like being gentle but honest about how much time you spend in digital spaces that harden you.

It might look like questioning the story that says, “If they disagree with me, they must be bad.”

What if we tried, where it’s safe and possible, to put people and their goodness ahead of what divides us?

This doesn’t mean ignoring real differences or silencing yourself. It means remembering that relationships suffer when we reduce one another to a single belief. It means nurturing connection instead of constantly being pulled into sides.

In a world that keeps asking us to harden, self-care might be protecting your capacity for flexibility, compassion, and humanity.

Where might you choose people over polarization this week, even in a small way?

Address

145 Gibson Street
Parry Sound, ON
P2A1Y1

Telephone

+17057739940

Website

https://www.psychologytoday.com/profile/1192949, https://eastwindtherapy.ca/contact-us/

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