Author name: Mary Joan Brinson

Sometimes it is hard to distinguish between what’s anxiety and what’s just normal early childhood behaviour. But if your child consistently exhibits fearful reactions and resists certain situations, there is a good chance they are struggling with anxiety. When a young child has anxiety, it often reveals itself in other ways. You may think that […]

Grief is hard under any circumstance. But some circumstances add extra layers of challenge, as in the case of ambiguous grief.Ambiguous grief involves the grieving of someone who is still alive. They are here in body but psychologically they are no longer present. In some ways, this is harder than grief through death where there

Grief is most often associated with death. As a culture, we struggle with grief. So, it is not surprising given our difficulty with grief, and the narrow definition associated with death, that we fail to recognize the range of human experiences that can trigger a grief response. 4 Types of Grief Loss of Identity or

A deep relationship with an intimate partner is one of the greatest gifts that life offers. We are made to belong and to connect; romantic relationships offer fulfillment of these needs. In the best of times, a partner offers us a place of emotional safety, nurture and comfort, and a sense of exhilaration. And we

Is your relationship happy and healthy? If not, the impact on how you feel emotionally, and the overall wellbeing of your family is impacted. Investing in this relationship pays big dividends emotionally and physically. Research shows that adults in healthy relationships live longer with improved physical health. And children who grow up in these households

Families are having a hard time. As we approach the one year mark of navigating through the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not surprising that families are struggling in multiple ways. Even in ordinary times, many parents struggle to balance work and family responsibilities. And these are far from ordinary times. Cooped up at home during

How do you make time for your relationship while you’re also busy parents? Depending upon how long you’ve been a parent, you may hardly remember the carefree days before children arrived. You had responsibilities, but chances are that you and your partner had a great deal more time to foster your relationship than you do

Life is busy. The demands of home, family and work can rob you of the energy to invest in your intimate relationship. Don’t fall into the trap of assuming your partner knows how important and special they are to you. Be intentional about demonstrating your love. If you want your relationship to stand the test

Every couple has issues – even if their life looks perfect from the outside.  Of course, the honeymoon phase of most relationships can leave us feeling excited and enchanted with each other. However, the honeymoon shine will fade over time and that is perfectly normal. What is also normal is that most relationships can be

Covid fatigue is real and it can look like depression. As a second State of Emergency was recently declared in Ontario, many of us are feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, sad and angry. One client described having “decision fatigue” as she faced decisions about how to manage remote learning with her school-age children, her own remote work,