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Beginning the year turning towards your mental health

By Graham Watt

connection counselling curiousity Enjoying Life human flourishing Managing Stress self compassion

Posted: January 4, 2026

I’ve noticed that the beginning of a new year often carries more weight than we expect. There’s an unspoken pressure to be better, healthier, more disciplined, more resolved. Even when we don’t consciously buy into it, that pressure can linger in the background—quietly shaping how we relate to ourselves. But I wonder if the new year doesn’t need more resolve.I wonder if it needs more gentleness.

Why start therapy?

By Graham Watt

growth

attachment connection counselling curiousity safety nervous system trauma informed healing relationship self compassion stigma therapy

Posted: January 2, 2026

Many people come to therapy not because something dramatic has happened, but because something no longer feels sustainable. They may feel overwhelmed, disconnected, reactive, numb, or stuck in familiar patterns—especially in relationships. Often, the question isn’t “What’s wrong with me?” but “Why does this keep happening?”

Attending to Grief Amidst the Holidays

By David McCallum

grief

curiousity emotions Grief holidays interconnectedness Managing Stress mental health

Posted: December 22, 2025

Grief often amplifies within our systems during the holiday season. From an Internal Family Systems (IFS) perspective, grief is not a problem to solve—it is made up of many parts that carry love, loss, and longing. The following prompts gently invite you to meet your grieving parts with compassion and curiousity over the holiday season.

Mental Health Through the Seasons

By Fran Westwood

seasons

mental health Winter

Posted: December 9, 2025

Mental Health through the Winter Season It has been an unusually cold and snowy December in Southern Ontario, as snow has fallen thickly and stayed on the ground. Many branches are bare, but clouds of white cover towering conifers and ice has formed on our rivers. There is beauty in the season arriving this way, but the onset of winter can understandably bring mixed emotions and challenges to managing mental health.

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