This weekend, while my husband and I were taking a walk on the seawall, I noticed a couple who were paddling together in a kayak.  As I watched them work together in a gentle synchronicity, I recalled a metaphor that I often use when engaged in couple’s, or relationship, therapy that I refer to as “The Canoe”.   The ‘canoe’ metaphor goes something like this: When couples come into therapy for the first time, and I listen to them describe the issues that brought them to my off

The process of coming to the final decision to separate is unquestionably a difficult one. But most parents would argue that telling their children about the separation is, without a doubt, the single most painful part. After all, by sharing the news, parents effectively shatter the hopes and dreams held by most children – founded or unfounded – that is, that their family will remain happily together forever.   Prior to sharing this information with their children, many paren

Over the years working as a psychotherapist, I’ve observed that many of my clients struggle with the need to be (or, more accurately, the fear of not being) perfect in whatever ways that they deem important. This phenomenon has, of course, a far wider reach than just those clients I, or my colleagues, see in our offices; it’s unquestionably a cultural phenomenon.    As a result, we’ve learned to apply perfectionistic standards to almost every possible aspect of our lives incl

I read an article in a local newspaper the other day that cited the results of a study that suggested that the children of divorced parents were more likely than their counterparts to experience a higher risk of stroke as adults.  Thankfully, the article went on to explain that the study results didn’t suggest a direct ‘cause and effect’ relationship between the two variables (the experience of one’s parents divorcing as a child, and a higher propensity for a stoke as an adul

Many people experience anxiety, depression, relationship stress, or significant life changes, yet hesitate to seek help. Understanding what a psychotherapist does and how therapy works can make the decision to reach out much easier. As a psychotherapist in West Vancouver, I provide a safe and supportive space where people can explore their thoughts, emotions, and experiences with greater clarity. Psychotherapists, like me, provide a space where people can explore their though

Before we became parents, many of us had an ideal image of what that role would look like. This image is often based on our own experiences of being parented. Consequently, we might decide to parent our children similarly, or we might enter parenthood with a determination to parent in a dramatically different way, or we might design an ideal based on any combination of these two.   Regardless of which design we arrive at, one thing is true: our ideal image is often rooted in