Counseling Innovations

06/18/2024

10/17/2023

03/28/2023

03/28/2023

The Occuplaytional Therapist
Just a simple reminder. ❤
A lot of times, we think (mistakenly) that if we don’t lecture our child “in the moment” about whatever it is that they did wrong (or whatever we think should have been different), then they won’t learn anything from it, the moment will pass and they’ll think they “got away” with it, etc.

In actuality, nobody—children included—does their best learning when they are scared or hurt or upset or flooded with emotions. Human brains have to be regulated first before they’re capable of storing new learning or processing and sorting new input.

So when your child needs a hug, it’s okay to just give them a hug, to hold them until they’re regulated. Or—“hug” is a shorthand here—some kids (and adults) don’t want to be hugged when they’re upset, but to be given space. It’s okay to give them that space. It’s okay to let the moment pass.

If there’s a voice in your head that worries that they’re not learning anything from it, ask yourself where that voice came from. Chances are that it might’ve been a voice that you heard in childhood. It’s okay to acknowledge that voice and what it’s meant to you over the years. It’s also okay to let that voice know that you know something different now. You know that learning isn’t happening in this moment anyway—at least not in “lecture” form. The only kind of learning that’s sticking in this moment is your child learning whether or not you are a safe person to be around during a problem, and you want that answer to be yes.

♡ If you would like to be kept in the loop on everything Synergetic Play Therapy or get resources to support you on your therapist journey, submit your details here: https://linktr.ee/synergeticplaytherapy ♡



[Image description: A typewriter font on a white background that says, "Don't offer a lecture to a person who needs a hug." The image was made by . End description.]

03/23/2023

"As a society, we may assume that children facing trauma is a rare occurrence; however, 61% of children before age 18 have experienced adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as violence, abuse, neglect, substance use or mental health problems within the family unit. We may not always hear stories like mine due to the shame or stigma of attempting to conceal the deep pain and trauma. There is a vital need for trauma to be addressed with the utmost sensitivity and compassion."

I felt pressure to continue being ‘the brave, resilient one’ in moments I deserved to rest, recuperate and simply be a child.

03/22/2023

Dr Vanessa Lapointe, R Psych 💕

Behaviour is communication.

And sometimes, behaviour is born from a bubbling up of emotions that eventually spills over, oftentimes resulting in a flood of angry words, lashing out, and tears. In these moments, we must resist our old programming - we cannot give in to the voice that tells us to “shut it down!” or hisses, “You can’t let her get away with this!”

Instead, these moments are asking for your loving compassion. These moments are asking for you to sit quietly until the tears have stopped flowing. These moments are asking for your patient ears, to hear all of the stories that lead up to this meltdown. These moments are asking for you to connect with your child, and to help them find their way back to a regulated state.

It isn’t always easy, and our own narratives can sometimes trip us up, but you can do this. You were made for this. ❤️

♡ If you would like to be kept in the loop on everything Synergetic Play Therapy or get resources to support you on your therapist journey, submit your details here: https://linktr.ee/synergeticplaytherapy ♡

03/22/2023

"Although women of other races and ethnic backgrounds may also experience mental health disorders during and after pregnancy, Black maternal and mental health organizations report that Black women are at higher risk for these aliments because of the pervasiveness of racism and racial discrimination."
https://ct.counseling.org/2023/03/the-maternal-mental-health-of-black-women/?fbclid=IwAR29Zp7nDFn_OEprg9hAQLXDziM3j1wY_u5luaolEdh-Svw4tPZ1C1kAwio

Because Black women in the United States face an alarmingly higher rate of maternal mortality and mental health conditions, counselors should be prepared to help clients manage their mental health while also advocating for quality care from health providers.

03/21/2023

“In my early professional years I was asking the question: How can I treat, or cure, or change this person? Now I would phrase the question in this way: How can I provide a relationship which this person may use for his own personal growth?”
― Carl R. Rogers

Rogers is painting a picture of what therapy should truly be like. We don’t give you a magical cure or solve your problems for you. We also don’t look at you as something broken that needs to be fixed. We look at clients as people who are yearning to reach their full potential and we are simply guides who provide a safe space for exploration of the self. The relationship between therapist and client is specifically that, a relationship, where we build trust and provide support on your journey to help you go from surviving to thriving.

03/20/2023

“I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become.”
-Carl Jung
When we experience pain, we can often feel trapped in that pain and find it difficult to return to self. Jung is saying that we have the freedom to choose who we are after the experience of pain, and not let it define us. You are a culmination of many experiences that allow you to drive yourself in the direction you want to go.

03/17/2023

Breathing techniques to help with Anxiety!

03/17/2023

“Stories constitute the single most powerful weapon in a leader’s arsenal.”
–Dr. Howard Gardner, professor Harvard University

Musings on this from Viktor Clark, therapist at Counseling Innovations:
Particularly around how the cultures/environments base the stories we hear from young ages and thus form into the stories we tell ourselves, which are transformed into the cognitions, thoughts, and feelings we internalize, and manifest into the way we develop our esteems, our motivations, goals, and pathologies. As a practitioner I am always listening for themes to stories and mindfully assessing when new chapters are forming, when past chapters are resurfacing, and when a new book is being written all together.

03/17/2023

I'd like to feature a therapist spotlight each week for therapists interested in sharing a bit about themselves or their approach to therapy. The following post would be a quote from Dr. Howard Gardner who has inspired our therapist, Viktor Clark, in his approach to therapy and mental health. Check out this new post to see what' that's about!

03/16/2023

This has been so helpful for me so I hope this helps you too!

03/14/2023

“A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.”
― Lao Tzu

We as humans get easily frustrated when things don’t go as planned. And understandably so, our plans and routines create structure which gives us a sense of safety and when that structure is compromised, there is this feeling that our safety is as well. For folks with anxiety especially, it can be so difficult to deal with surprises and changes in plans and can cause great distress. Lao Tzu reminds us that letting go of the way that we’ve planned things in our heads and allowing life to unfold as it is meant to will help us on this journey of life to be able to go with the flow. We can experience life and all of it’s ups and downs and realize that this is what we are here to do, to ebb and flow with the waves of this ocean we call life and not get allow ourselves to get swept up in it’s depths. You'll arrive when you are meant to and we can find comfort in knowing we will always be where we are meant to be.