Counselling for All

Did you know that mental health challenges are often under-discussed among men?

Men are taught to be strong, stoic, and resilient—but sometimes, these expectations can prevent them from seeking support. It’s crucial to understand that vulnerability and seeking help are signs of strength, not weakness ✅.

LCSW Nick Norman explores how positive masculinity can help men better manage their mental health and build stronger emotional connections, challenging traditional norms💪.

He offers practical steps for creating a healthier, more balanced approach to being a man in today’s world. Read more through Psychology Today: https://buff.ly/3O4ab5c

Remember: It's okay to not be okay—and it's okay to ask for help.

🔵 Join the conversation and share how you're supporting Movember this year!

It's World Kindness Day! 💙🌍 At Counselling for All, we believe in the transformative power of kindness—both to others and ourselves. 💫Here are 7 ways you can spread kindness today:

1️⃣ Reach out to a friend or family member you haven’t spoken to in a while.
2️⃣ Give someone a compliment that lifts their spirit.
3️⃣ Volunteer your time to a cause that matters.
4️⃣ Offer your support to a colleague who might be struggling.
5️⃣ Practice kindness towards yourself—self-care is essential!
6️⃣ Donate to a charity or cause that needs help.
7️⃣ Share positive and encouraging messages online.
💬 Share how you’re celebrating World Kindness Day and inspire others to join the movement.

Learn more at: https://buff.ly/43I7P1i

For today's weekend wellness, let's talk about empowerment 💪. Counselling is often associated with vulnerability, so how can it be related to power 🤔?

Simple—Knowledge is power 💡! Awareness of your habits and beliefs allows you to cultivate your innate strengths and take steps to develop your weaknesses. 💖Counselling can also help you develop a better self-perception of how much you can transform your life.

🏋️📣Loriana's blog breaks down how empowerment can be learned through self-advocacy, allowing you to overcome any challenge, one step at a time. ✅Read her blog on our website at: https://buff.ly/4hFdbCs

Movember is Men's Health Month! This time is a reminder to check-in on your friends and loved ones, especially regarding mental wellness 🔔.

⚠️According to Bryant Clayton, Psy.D., and John Rucker, Psy.D.: "Several barriers impede men’s willingness to seek and benefit from mental healthcare. These barriers are concerning, considering the alarming and increasing epidemics of su***de, substance use, and problematic coping styles among men (Seidler et al., 2016; Bilsker et al., 2018; Seidler et al., 2019).

🔎And yet, an official diagnosis of depression in men is half that of women..."

👋✅To help connect with the important men in your life, here's a list we've compiled from Psychology Today. 📖Learn more about the barriers men face in accessing mental health support through the article at: https://buff.ly/40zRZaS

Let's dedicate this weekend to winding down, especially if you had a fright during Halloween 😆.

Lochleen's blog describes different methods to tap into your body and ground, even during moments of panic😱.

With techniques involving movement, sound, breath, smell, imagination and touch, you'll have a variety of tools in your arsenal to re-stabilize whenever needed 🧘✅. Read her blog on our website at: https://buff.ly/48uZGRV

Halloween eve is the perfect opportunity to join in the fun as we talk about the benefits of imagination 🎃 ✨ .

Leigh W. Jerome describes how the imagination creates benefits in all aspects of your life, allowing you to feel better with an improved mindset, relationships, stress-tolerance and more 🤩 .

Today is a great reminder to reconnect with our inner child, and rather than dismiss their avid curiosity, allow yourself to wonder with them, as it's our imagination that can make the magical out of the mundane 🧑‍🧒 🌌 .

Read the blog by Leigh W. Jerome Ph.D. through Psychology Today:
https://buff.ly/3C6h1V5

Happy Saturday 🙌 ! We're delivering some self-love strategies on relationships💞 .

While it is true that harmony with the other is an indicator of a relationship going well, it doesn't always indicate it is healthy. This is especially true when we are prone to people pleasing⚠️ .

When we prioritize getting along before aligning our own needs, this creates an imbalance within the relationship⚖️ . Léa Chung's blog describes how fear triggers this response in multiple ways.

Learn how to overcome the fear by strengthening your 💗🪞 self-compassion and internal connection, which inevitably leads to authentically compatible relationships: https://buff.ly/4eVadIt

Unlike how we feel during the typical mid-week slump, the kids are buzzing with excitement during the spooky sweater season 🎃 🍂 !

🛝 Did you know that joining them in their playfulness as an adult is beneficial to your mental health? Check out this 💬 ✅ quote from David Rock Ph.D.: "Play is the ultimate expression of embracing a growth mindset because it gives you permission to experiment, adapt, and generate new possibilities. "

💪 Play allows adults to practice innovation and flexibility while better "...prepar[ing] us to navigate workplace challenges."

🤩 Learn more about the benefits of fun and play at any age by reading David's blog at: https://buff.ly/409Qr7r

We hope you're enjoying your weekend brunch 🥞 as we bring more self-love strategies!

We are social beings and our empathy physically shows itself as facial mimicry 🪞 . To smile when another smiles, and alternatively, frowning when seeing sadness is meant to help us create cohesion and trust with one another🧑‍🤝‍🧑.

When imbalanced, our tool for connection can be an obstacle for emotional authenticity. Constantly "putting on a happy face" when you don't feel like doing so is stressful 🎭.

Learn more on how you can balance empathy and authenticity to make the most out of your relationships through Léa Chung's blog 💞 : https://buff.ly/3Nu3Q2t

"OCD is a debilitating mental disorder that affects 1 in 40 adults in their lifetime and 1 in 100 children but is often overlooked and belittled as a personality quirk or choice. In reality, OCD is a very real disorder that affects people of all ages and walks of life." — International OCD Foundation

🔷 This OCD Awareness Week, let's take the opportunity to break the stigma, dispel myths and learn more to better support those who are affected by obsessive compulsive disorder. ✅ See more at: https://buff.ly/2I4aZ60

# OCDAwareness

Enlightening your Wednesday with some self-love wisdom💖

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Relationships can be tricky, and part of why it can be confusing is because we need to make sure we are in harmony with ourselves as we connect with others.

In effect, you're managing two connections: your relationship with 1️⃣ self and with 2️⃣ others. Your self-relationship acts as a lens 👓 in which you view all other relationships.

A helpful approach would be to regularly 🔎 self-reflect, making sure that you are on track towards building a life and a self that you are happy to be. ❤️‍🔥 ✅ Compatible connections with others will enforce this future and growth.

Here are some questions written by Randi Gunther PhD. You can use them as a guide to help ensure you are loving yourself as you love others 💞 .
https://buff.ly/4dQWAZe

We're back, and bringing you more weekend wellness 💝!

Have you ever wondered what it's like to have a narrator describing your life? Like being in your own show 🎬 🤩!

Interestingly, narrative therapy focuses on your "storyline", allowing you to externalize difficult memories with the goal of seeing different ways to perceive those experiences 📖🔍.

As a result, you can use this information to see where your strengths lie, reclaiming your power and remembering that YOU are the hero of your own story❤️‍🔥💪.

So, if you're excited to feel empowered in the adventures within the unread pages of your life experience 🌟, learn more about narrative therapy through Loriana Politi's blog:
https://buff.ly/4f354O9

2024's World Mental Health Day emphasizes “Mental Health at Work”. We spend most of our time at our professions and cultivating sustainable, safe, and healthy working environments is important for our overall wellbeing 🧘🧠.

"Poor mental health can lead to decreased performance, absence from work, and increased staff turnover. Depression and anxiety alone result in the loss of approximately 12 billion workdays each year. " — World Health Organization

Let's take the time to reflect and seek out resources for more mental wellness.

✅ Here's a useful compilation from Psychology Today: https://buff.ly/3zRvG5B
✅ Learn more about World Mental Health Day: https://buff.ly/3QBKXK7

One in five Canadians struggle with mental illness. Even with universal healthcare, the price that mental health care requires acts as a barrier for most.

Mental Illness Awareness Week reminds us that mental health is health. When we work together as a community to reduce the stigma by promoting respect and acceptance, we get one step closer to intergenerational wellness.

✅If you or someone you know needs help, contact us at counsellingforall.org for affordable counselling and wraparound support. Support is just a message away 💖.

💗 We're uplifting your weekend with a Saturday self-love strategy!

✅ Have you checked-in with yourself lately? It may come as a surprise that your inner world is just as rich as your external experience.

We understand that looking inward can be scary, and that's why Léa Chung wrote this blog to convey how self-awareness can help navigate and build foundations for what truly matters to you, through you 🧘✨ .

So, why don't we all take some time to internally explore and find treasures from within 💝?
https://buff.ly/3TUrEjQ

"National Day for Truth and Reconciliation takes place annually on September 30. This date was chosen because it is the time of year when children were taken from their homes and forced to go to residential schools. The timing also presents an opportunity to set the stage for anti-racism and anti-bullying policies for the upcoming school year. It encourages Indigenous Peoples, local governments, schools and communities to come together and create a more equitable world for future generations."— nctr.ca.

🟠 Read more about Remembering the Children: https://buff.ly/3BkrQCx.
🟠 See the illustration source and Educational Package: https://buff.ly/4dni2oo

It's 🎃 🍂 ! And just like how the seasons are in a state of change, our life has its ebbs and flows as it constantly transforms.

Jordan's blog tackles two things that most of us are uncomfortable with: change and the unknown 🫣. She describes how these can help us live genuinely and have fun as we see our life from different angles 🤩. Read more: https://buff.ly/4gCRRgj