Andrea Girvan, MSW, RSW

09/22/2020

Coming soon, my podcast on disparities that are found in mental health. The title of the podcast will be The Black Mentalhealthcast. If you identify as a BIPOC and would like to share your experiences accessing mental health services (either positive or negative) and would like to be interviewed for my podcast, please contact me.

03/23/2020

It's going to be alright. ❤

The original post is so encouraging! You can read the whole post here:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10163466541195232&id=645040231

03/16/2020

Just as an FYI - if people are feeling nervous about in-person sessions, i also offer video sessions or phone sessions

11/02/2019

Teen DBT group (ages 14-18) will be starting December 5 and run until March 5. The group runs for 13 weeks (taking a week off for the holidays). Cost of the group is $520 (which is $40 per group session). Please contact me if you are interested in this group for yourself or for your teen. Group description in comments.

09/01/2019

Wellness group for Teens - this group will start on October 17, 2019 and run for 6 consecutive weeks. The group will start at 7pm and go until 8pm. Please check out my website www.andreagirvanmsw.org for more information

anxiety group for teens

01/27/2019

Dealing with a narcissist? Or not sure if you are? Narcissists are sneaky and are masters at inflicting emotional abuse. Often times, victims of a narcissist do not even realize that they are victims because sometimes the manipulation can be subtle. Triangulation is a common tactic used by narcissists. Please see the attached article on triangulation and what it looks like. Anyone in your life could be the narcissist. Many time people think of abuse as only being something that is involved with romantic relationships. However the abuse can come from anyone. It can be from a parent-in-law, from a parent, a sibling, etc. The good news is that there is a lot of help available for someone dealing with a narcissist in their life.

https://mindcology.com/mental-health/3-character-roles-narcissistic-triangulation/

Narcissists are known for a variety of characteristics that contribute to their overall persona. They are often alluring, charming, yet self-entitled and self-important, possessing a grandiose idea of themselves and what they are deserving of.

12/16/2018

My DBT skills group for teens (ages 15-19) will be starting on February 9, 2019. This group will run every Saturday from 11am - 12:30pm. This group runs for 12 weeks. Goals for this group include:

- Learning how to manage emotions
- learning how to reduce self-harmful behaviors
- Learning skills on how to cope with problems and negative feelings.

Space is limited so please contact me if you are interested in this group.

10/22/2018

Confidentiality - I just want to take a moment to make sure everyone understands confidentiality - as a social worker registered with the College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers, I am ethically obligated to do my best to ensure absolute confidentiality with my clients and even potential clients. As most of you know, my business page is a public page. As such, i would encourage those of you that have specific questions or concerns about your health or your child's health, to contact me via private messenger or email. I say this to protect your confidentiality - it's your choice if you wish to post something on my page, but i feel obligated to inform you that all posts on my page are public which means that theoretically anyone can see your post.

Thank you
~Andrea

10/11/2018

Just an FYI - i've noticed a number of people have expressed interest in the free workshop that i'm hosting on mood disorders in children and teens on October 17. Please confirm your attendance by Oct. 14 so that I can get an idea of how many people are attending - i'd also like to remind people that space is limited, so attendance will be on a "first come, first serve" basis. That being said, I host free workshops monthly and will likely move the location to the Toronto Public Library (Locke location at 3083 Yonge street), so that I will have more space available. Many thanks

10/08/2018

Climbing Mountains, Anxiety treatment group for teens (ages 13-15) will run on Saturdays from 11:00 - 12:30 - Group is scheduled to begin on November 17. This is an 8 week closed group and the fee for this group is $200.

The same group will also be offered to teens (ages 16-19) but will be offered on Wednesdays from 6:00pm - 7:30pm. That group will begin on November 14.

In this group, your teen will:

- Learn about different types of anxiety and better - --- understand their own anxiety
- How to effectively manage their anxiety
- How to cope with panic
- How to overcome negative self-talk
- How to change mistaken beliefs
- How to increase self-esteem
- Connect with other teens who are facing similar challenges

* Snacks and refreshments will be provided

09/12/2018

Anxiety group for teens - this group is running from October 10, 2018 - December 5, 2018. I still have a few spots left in the group, so if you're interested in this group please contact me soon!

08/24/2018

This article is worth the read if your child is struggling at school. Advocating for your child can seem like an uphill battle at times...and if your child's needs are complex, that struggle can seem like a never-ending one. However, there is hope and this article provides some great tips for how you can advocate for your child. Also something to keep in mind, if your child is on an IEP; that IEP is a legal document. Whatever supports are put into the IEP HAVE to be followed. In a perfect world, we wouldn't need to continue making sure that the IEP is being followed. However being realistic, things get missed, schools have budgets, etc. So if you're sitting at your child's IEP meeting - make sure that whatever is being put into the IEP, the school or your child's teacher is able to follow....and keep checking up on them to make sure they are doing that. By the school signing that IEP as well as you, they are agreeing to follow it...so hold them to it.

https://psychcentral.com/lib/advocating-for-your-child-within-the-school-system/

"I've had it." The parent on the phone is incensed. "The teacher just won't listen to me. My child needs more individual attention. She isn't a bad kid. She just needs more help. She's on an education plan that says she is supposed to get more one-to-one time but the teacher says she doesn't have en...

08/21/2018

Anxiety group for teens in Toronto - beginning on October 10, 2018. This group is an 8 week closed group and will run on continuous cycles year round. The group is designed for teens ages 13-16 and will run from 4:30 - 6:00pm. In this group, your teen will:

- Learn about different types of anxiety and better understand their own anxiety
- learn how to effectively manage their anxiety
- learn how to cope with panic
- learn how to overcome negative self-talk
- learn how to change mistaken beliefs
- learn how to improve self-esteem
- connect with other teens facing similar challenges

Snacks and refreshments are provided. Please contact me for additional details or to register for this group - fee is $200 and this covers all eight group sessions plus one additional individual follow-up session.

08/19/2018

08/18/2018

Now that the school year is right around the corner - I thought I'd post this article on school avoidance. The article is accurate however leaves out a few important aspects of school avoidance. In my professional experience, by the time parents realize that their child struggles with school avoidance, it's already gotten to the point where their child is missing several days of school per month. Either that or their child is able to make it to school in the morning but they are home by lunch time.

One thing that parents need to remember is that for many (certainly not all) kids with school avoidance, most of these kids really do want to attend school. They will gather their things the night before, preparing for their day at school, only to find that they can't get up in the morning to go. The other important aspect that this article kind of touches on, but doesn't go into great detail; is that school avoidance is one of those things that will just get progressively worse if it's not addressed. The sooner parents recognize the early warning signs, the better and I ask of parents that as soon as you notice any of these signs mentioned in the article, have your child properly assessed. The reasons for school avoidance are not so usually straightforward and parents really need the help of an experienced professional to help them navigate this.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/when-your-adult-child-breaks-your-heart/201709/understanding-school-refusal