Mindfully Me Counselling Trauma Informed Group Practice

02/07/2025

4 years ago I started my private practice- this was my first ever blog post on what led me down my trauma specialization and dismantling the pathogenic approach to mental health. So much growth has happened since then but my values stayed the same.

Today, I reflected on this younger version of me and how proud I am of her - she got me to where I am today.

Hi, I guess I this counts as my first blog post, something I would never thought I would be doing, especially on my own website. I guess I’ll give you a quick back story. My name is Bianca, born and raised in Ontario, Ca...

01/08/2025

I was going some reflecting on how much of a privilege it is to do my job and to connect with the people I do. I was reflecting on the range of topics I get to discuss on such a deep level with clients and I made a list of some of my most interesting ones that definitely had me grateful for the internal space I hold for myself and ability to hold space for people’s parts, beliefs and thoughts from their completely unique experience with 0 judgement.

It always makes me smile when a client asks permission to bring up a ‘taboo’ topic or they ask ‘wait can I talk about this?’ I’m beyond honoured they trust me to dive in deeper and I do so with so much compassion and curiosity.

Not all therapists are comfortable speaking about the topics named above and perhaps one day, a certain topic could come up for me that might bring up something in me. However, the more I continue to do this work and learn to hold genuine space for people’s experiences, the easier it is to lead with compassion and curiosity that brings the most beautiful, interesting conversations based in safe connection. Something about a ‘taboo’ topic and a safe place just makes my heart so happy to be trusted to hold space within.

Please note - all the topics above are nuanced and client specific the way they are discussed. Clients autonomy, safety and individualized care always come first. Please remember these topics are not a substitute for professional psychotherapy or counselling.

07/09/2024

This year I expanded my business into a group practice. I welcomed 5 practitioners onto my team who believe in mental health the way I do. Who saw my vision, sought out continous education and dedicated to learning more than traditional school taught us. They saw a human first approach to care, neuroscience and psychology.

It’s been a whirl wind of owning a physical business, seeing my full client load and balancing life.

To my surprise, Mindfully Me Counselling Trauma Informed Group Practice placed first/ platinum in counselling & therapy category and bronze in psychology clinic and holistic wellness in CommunityVotes - Windsor.

I can’t thank my clients, my amazing team, my mentors, supervisors, friends, family and everyone who has supported me enough- a true shoutout to Collin Bossé. I am truly nothing without any of you.

I can’t thank everyone enough for the support, shares, likes, votes, referrals and kind words. This was a true honour to recieve this recognition in our community.

I am forever grateful and truly in disbelief ❤️

05/31/2024

Hi everyone, Mindfully Me Counselling Trauma Informed Group Practice has made it the voting round of CommunityVotes - Windsor for 2024.

It would mean the world to us if you felt called to give us a vote under "therapy and counselling" .

https://windsor.communityvotes.com/2024/02/healthcare/therapy-and-Mindfully Me Counselling Trauma Informed Group Practice

Thank from all of us,

Official 2024 Community Voting Awards Platform for Windsor, ON. Where the community votes for their favourites every year.

05/08/2024

I am excited to announce I am delivering my webinar again for CycAssets.ca!

Join me in exploring the implications of complex, single incident trauma and toxic stress in the developing brain and nervous system. You will leave this webinar with a tools ready for your toolbox to implement with your clients or children immediately to help aid severe emotional dysregulation outside of "talk therapy techniques" .

Check out the link below! PS- it's currently 50% off for C*C week!!!

Learn and Explore the Window of Tolerance in Trauma Informed Care.

02/05/2024

Have you ever hopped back into something because your body just remembers? Maybe riding a bike or busting out your kart-wheel. You may not fully remember someone teaching you this skill- but your body remembers to perform without much effort to re-call.

This is called implicit learning and it plays a vital role in your functioning if you experienced trauma, toxic stress or adversity in your past.

Implicit learning is something I like to educate clients about. We have explicit learning and implicit learning.

Implicit learning in short, is that way we learn is by how something makes us feel and this is often stored in our emotions, behaviours and in our bodies (somatically) , even if we can out think or out logic our way out of it. We don't always have distinct memories of these learnings but we tend to feel them or react to them in the present day.

Why does this happen exactly?
For a few reasons, our Brian is flooded by cortisol and the part that encodes memory doesn't function 100% in that moment or we may be too young to remember certain situations as our brain was not fully developed. But we do remember the way it made us feel.

Ever wondered why your reaction was so severe to a specific event? Does something really bother you and you tend to snap, pull away or create distance with your partner or loved one automatically, without much thought?

Unconscious learning & implicit learning!

This isn't always the case and it's not always traced back to childhood but a good amount of time, it can be. It's quite interesting when we stay curious and compassionate about some of our reactions and behaviours- we often are able to gather more data instead of judging or shaming ourself.

02/01/2024

I often talk about behavioural adaptations and I like to use analogies to help normalize and help people understand.

I often talk about the hot stove.

If you have ever been burned, you know what I am talking about. As you look at the stove, you remember how bad it felt. You are keen on wearing your oven mitt now and you probably took care of the burn with cold water and first aid- without even thinking about what to do next. Maybe you keep the stove at a low heat now or have a certain burner you opt to use.

As you walk through a store with a stove, maybe you share a story of the one time you were burned. As you continue to need to use the stove, maybe you feel more nervous, apprehensive and maybe you tend to even avoid the stove. Maybe you even begin to think all stoves are dangerous and even blame yourself for the burn. You are constantly reminded of the burn based on how badly this situation affected you.

All these reactions happen unconsciously and when we gather thoughts about the event, our brains and bodies work in overdrive to protect us moving forward. We begin to behave and think differently about the stove- just like an adverse experience or trauma. It can change our own thinking, thinking about the world and change our behaviour or attitude. Sometimes more extreme than others.

I hope this made sense and I will make a reel on this explaining this further :)

01/29/2024

In the aftermath of trauma, our nervous systems often exist in a state of chaos—overwhelmed, hyperaroused, or numbed. Regulation strategies provide a roadmap for navigating this internal turbulence, offering a lifeline to a calmer, more centered state.

Grounding is like anchoring yourself in the present moment. Whether through mindful breathing, sensory awareness, or affirmations, these techniques bring us back to the 'now,' creating a stable foundation from which healing can unfold.

Our breath is a powerful regulator. Mindful breathing exercises not only oxygenate our bodies but also signal to the nervous system that it's safe to downshift from a heightened state. It's a simple yet profound act of self-care.

Regulation strategies empower us with emotional intelligence, allowing us to identify, understand, and navigate our feelings. This heightened awareness is a cornerstone of resilience, fostering a deeper connection with ourselves and others.

Welcome to your healing journey. We're so glad you're here!

01/26/2024

If you have been diagnosed with depression, you are probably very familiar with the symptoms of freeze or being in a freeze response.

Our bodies can only handle so much stress, adversity and chaos before shutting down to conserve energy. This is called the "freeze" response or our dorsal vagal shutdown.

Mindless scrolling,
Stuck on the couch,
Feeling heavy limbs and like we have no motivation
Lack of connection and desire to interact
We feel shutdown and even lack "affect"

Trying to get work done or concentrate seems merely impossible in our freeze response. We can literally feel like we are "floating through life".

Do you know what the freeze response feels like?

01/24/2024

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01/22/2024

The response that often gets labelled as a "people pleaser" or "easy and go with the flow", you are agreeable and likeable.

Ever wanted to stand up for yourself but it feels like someone is physically sitting on your chest? Been there!

This response is rooted in a need for attachment and fear of upsetting someone, often rooted in fear of them leaving or cutting us off. It's a learned response and it's used for survival - at the expense of our needs.

Learning where you first learned to use your fawn response can give us insight for what parts of you need attention. Do you resonate with the fawn response?

01/19/2024

Have you been on the fence about Becoming Mindfully Me, wondering if the course is right for you?

Here are two of our most frequently asked questions!

A disclaimer- there is talk about vulnerable topics and adverse childhood experiences. These topics can be triggering for some.

If you do have specific questions, I would be happy to answer them through my professional email :)

mindfullyme.counselling@gmail.com