Breathing Space Counselling

09/11/2024

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09/04/2024

08/19/2024

"Tonight, after 2.5 years of living here, my oldest son sat down at the table with this.
He was about to chow down when I stopped him and asked what in the world he was doing.
He said, ‘I made myself dinner.’
‘But it isn’t cooked. I can cook that, you know.’
‘Well, I wanted to eat something I used to eat a lot with my old family.’
So, we sat down and I asked him to tell me about it.
He said that they wouldn’t feed him due to being passed out (you can guess why) and he would have to make dinner for himself and his brothers (ages 2 and 4 months when they came to us).
He said that all the money they had would be spent on ci******es and other ‘fun things’ and so he would find change in their van and buy Ramen packets at the store down the street, at 6 years old!
He said he didn’t know how to boil water, so he would eat it like this. And, he actually grew to like it.
So, he would break it up for his siblings, and would try to make bottles for the baby (at 6!!!!!!).
I asked him to make me some.
I sat there beside him and crunched it down with lots of water because it’s not great…and he just started talking about how the first time I made them Ramen, he wouldn’t eat it and I told him I remembered.
He said it’s because it reminded him of his Ramen packets and he didn’t trust me (big thoughts for 9!).
He said he isn’t sad he’s not with his ‘old family’ (his words) anymore, but that sometimes HE LIKES TO REMEMBER HOW STRONG HE HAD TO BE.
I write this so everyone knows trauma isn’t healed quickly (sometimes never), and adoption doesn’t erase the past or the memories.
Kids can change, and they will change with love, but please never give up on a kid because ‘they are hard.’
I walked away in shock, in sadness, and so so so proud of how strong my baby is. He’s so wonderful. And, we love him so much.
Friends, THIS is the life experience of kids who come from hard places.
THIS is living a trauma-informed life.
We can’t imagine what kids from hard places have lived through. It is not just about one act of abuse or neglect, it is about living in survival mode and doing it day in and day out.
It is about making sure younger siblings are also surviving, even at the expense of childhood.
Trauma infuses itself into every pore. Kids just don’t forget it. Their brains and bodies won’t let them.
Those of us privileged enough (yes, I said privileged) to enter into the lives of children with hard life experiences must be willing to sit down, eat uncooked Ramen noodles, and listen. We must not give up.
Our kids didn’t.”
Credit: Aubren D. & Barren to Blessed

08/16/2024

Did you know that Breathing Space Counselling offers Child & Youth Counselling for children 6+ and teens?

We have a small, skilled, fabulous team of counsellors who love working with young people, and are really good at it!

Together they offer support with a variety of issues like: managing neurodiversity, building social skills and self esteem, handling hard things like bullying and self-harm, working through anxiety, social media addiction and life transitions (new home or school, changes to routine, addition of a sibling and more).

Your children are in good hands with these heart-centred and solid counsellors. Read more about our Child and Youth Counsellors here:

https://www.breathingspacecounselling.ca/child-youth-counselling/

07/31/2024

WE ARE HIRING IN-PERSON ASSOCIATE COUNSELLORS

Breathing Space Counselling is a thriving private counselling practice in Port Moody, BC. It was founded in 2016 by two Master Therapeutic Counsellors, Nasreen Gulamhusein & Shahaa Kakar. We offer in-person and online counselling for individuals and couples. We also offer in-person child & youth counselling.

We have built a trusted reputation in our community and due to growing demand, we have expanded and brought on eight Associate Counsellors over the last two years. We are now seeking 1-2 more Associate Counsellors to work alongside us. This is a wonderful opportunity to be mentored by two established counsellors and join an inclusive and heart-centred work culture.

** Specifically for this round of hiring, we are looking for 2 Associate Counsellors:

a couples counsellor (with appropriate couples counselling training like Gottman, Imago, EFT, etc.) who can also work with adult individuals

– and –

a child & youth counsellor (bonus points if you specialize in neurodiversity and/or you also work with adults).

This opportunity is exclusively for Counsellors who are willing to work in-person in our office space in Port Moody, BC. We are not considering online counsellors at this time.

Please see the post for details. Deadline for applications is Friday August 30, 2024 at 11:59pm.

Breathing Space Counselling is a thriving private counselling practice in Port Moody, BC. It was founded in 2016 by two Master Therapeutic Counsellors, Nasreen Gulamhusein & Shahaa Kakar. We have built a trusted reputation in our community and due to overwhelming demand, we have expanded and brought...

07/27/2024

Adding Roxanne to our team also added a dose of joy! We are so happy to welcome this steady, gentle, and open-hearted counsellor to our in-person counselling team working from our Port Moody space. Roxanne works with children (7+), teens and adults in areas like: social media use/addiction, neurodiversity challenges and integration, 2SLGBTQIA+ positive counselling, navigating non-conventional relationships and much more. Learn more about Roxanne today: https://www.breathingspacecounselling.ca/roxanne/

07/25/2024

Welcoming Online Counsellor, Victoria Younker, to the Breathing Space team! This virtual counsellor is bursting with purpose and passion as she helps her clients work towards their therapeutic goals. Victoria works with CBT, attachment theory, nervous system education and regulation practices, and so much more! Learn about Victoria today: https://www.breathingspacecounselling.ca/victoria/

07/24/2024

We are over the moon to welcome Online Counsellor, Deedre Statz, to our team! She is a brilliant mix of solid skills & loving kindness who works within the niches of self-worth/esteem, support for people with disabilities, death/dying, understanding & practicing boundaries, and much more! Learn more about Deedre: https://www.breathingspacecounselling.ca/deedre/