Are you a counsellor in the Victoria, BC area looking to join an authentic & progressive team?

We are looking for a counsellor interested in the area of psychedelic integration to join Strength in Heart Counselling on a contract basis.

Features:

• Access to our 2000 sq ft therapy space in Victoria, BC.

• Valuable peer supervision & learning opportunities with a dynamic, progressive team.

• Private practice business mentorship/support.

Requirements:

• Professional registration (e.g. RSW, RCC, etc.) & practitioner liability insurance (or be able to obtain both).

• Experience in the areas of anxiety, depression & trauma.

• A history of “doing their own work” so that they are not afraid of emotion, do not primarily use manualized treatments like CBT, and can comfortably relate to both clients and co-counsellors.

• Excellent self-care, the capacity to self-regulate and have a means in life of processing traumatic energies so as to maintain life quality amidst a healing profession.

• Proficiency to understand online tech such as scheduling software (Jane App).

• Experience in, or openness to psychedelic integration.

Compensation:

• Counsellors will earn 70% commission for their work. Billing clients at $130-$150 per hour. This translates to $78-$90/ hour for their work. 30% covers web marketing, caseload provision, administrative staff efforts & costs.

• Flexible schedule & both work from home & in office options.

COVID-19 Considerations:

We follow provincial guidelines integrating Telehealth, masks in common areas, sanitizing & the option to keep masks on once in-person sessions begin.

how to apply:

Interested & qualified candidates please send a resume with cover letter to Carla Mae Leuschen at carla@strengthinheart.ca

Interviews will start as soon as possible & this posting will be open until a successful candidate has been chosen.

Thank you!

Canadian Drug Policy & Indigenous History - The Settler Double-Standard

Written by Yvonne Paquette, MSW (Cand), Practicum Student

While researching the topic of my previous post, Historical Calls for Harm-Reduction: A Brief History of Canadian Drug Policy, I noticed there was almost no reference to Indigenous Peoples in the historical or legal materials I reviewed. The absence of reference to the separate laws and policies the government of Canada imposed upon Indigenous people (in this post: drug policy) is an example of how settler-colonial knowledge and history is privileged in mainstream Canadian culture. Even with access to databases of peer-reviewed academic articles, I had difficulty finding information.

In Canada, the advent of settler-colonialism and the introduction of European alcohol as a trade good caused the Canadian government to enact various policies around alcohol, targeted at Indigenous people. Prior to 1777 alcohol was simply a trade good. Due to pressures from religious conversion missionaries, military desires to control and utilize Indigenous bodies for imperial goals, and Indigenous Peoples wanting to address the damage caused by alcohol in their communities, a discriminatory law was passed that authorized the arrest and penalization of any Indigenous person in possession of, selling, or intoxicated by alcohol. This law became part of the racially discriminatory Indian Act of 1876, and led to the development of seven clauses related to “intoxicants” – more clauses than those addressing funding, governance, or entitlements of Indigenous people. This Act extended prohibition to anyone the government designated as “not-Indians” – meaning those who are of mixed heritage, living off reserve, are not of Indigenous but living a native lifestyle in a native community (Episkenew, 2009). The only way around the prohibitive legislation, was to give up legal status as an Indigenous person by becoming an “enfranchised” citizen.

No other racial or cultural group in Canada was targeted, controlled, or penalized in this way regarding alcohol. An Indigenous person who possessed or sold liquor could face six months imprisonment with the potential for hard labour. After the Second World War, calls for equality increased, and the right to consume alcohol was associated with equality. The Indian Act of 1876 was revised in the 1950’s but did not end prohibition completely for Indigenous people, it just relaxed enough that small amounts of alcohol were permitted on the person, and limited amounts could be purchased. Establishments would circumvent the relaxing of prohibition for Indigenous peoples by refusing to open in Indigenous populated areas, and refusing service to Indigenous people generally. The Charter of Rights in 1982 abolished federally imposed regulatory discrimination regarding alcohol and Indigenous People, and shifted the responsibility band councils.

Experiences of community-driven alcohol policy could hold insights for the development of contemporary policies around psychoactive substance consumption in communities across North America. Canada’s northern territories have been experimenting with community-driven alcohol policies since the 1970s. Data analysis by Davison et al. (2011), shows “communities with regulations tend to have smaller and younger populations, a greater percentage of people of [Indigenous] origin and are more geographically isolated” (p.38). Data also shows community policies towards alcohol fluctuate, indicating communities are adjusting their strategies as new data is revealed and as community needs and capacities evolve.

So, now that we are in the year 2021, what has changed? Externally imposed prohibition is over, and where restrictions exist in communities, they are governed by communities themselves. The double-standard has ended on paper. Unfortunately, many of the attitudes that informed racist prohibitive legislation of the past are still present in contemporary social consciousness and policies. Mainstream Canadian culture still associates substance-use with addiction and criminality, more than it does with spirituality, healing, and self-development. These misguided and fear-based attitudes affect policy development for the growing field of psychedelic medicine, and strengthens the pharmaceutical industry’s grip on therapeutic molecules.

Drug policies of the present and the future have a responsibility to consider the knowledge and practices of Indigenous peoples. As the second renaissance of psychedelic research progresses and alternatives to traditional western pharmacological therapies are increasingly sought, the risk increases for perpetuating the oppression and exploitation of Indigenous Peoples and their knowledges and practices. Though future drug policies are likely to pursue equity, it is important to remember that Indigenous Peoples have unique cultural and legal links to psychoactive substances, and that the pursuit of blanket equity also risks erasing Indigenous Peoples unique positions and concerns. It is not my intention to send an ambiguous message around racial equity in drug policy – it is my intention to show how drug policy is a layered, nuanced, and at times complicated issue, with far reaching effects beyond the realm of substance consumption.

Links to material that informed this post:

Boyd, S. (2017). Busted: An illustrated history of drug prohibition in Canada. Fernwood Publishing.

Campbell, R. (2008). Making sober citizens: The legacy of Indigenous alcohol regulation in Canada, 1777-1985. Journal of Canadian Studies, 42(1), 105-126. https://doi.org/10.3138/jcs.42.1.105

Episkenew, J. (2009). Taking Back Our Spirits: Indigenous Literature, Public Policy, and Healing (1st ed.). University of Manitoba Press.

Leeuw, S., Greenwood, M., and Cameron, E. (2009). Deviant constructions: How governments preserve colonial narratives of addictions and poor mental health to intervene into the lives of Indigenous children and families in Canada. International Journal of Mental Health & Addiction, 8, 282-295. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-009-9225-1

Historical Calls for Harm-Reduction: A Brief History of Canadian Drug Policy

A post written by our Practicum Student, Yvonne Paquette, MSW (Cand)

Would you believe that public, political, and scientific voices have been calling for drug policy based on harm-reduction and decriminalization since the 1950’s? So, why has it taken so long for social attitudes to take up this idea? Let’s look at how a substance-liberal Canada progressively prohibited certain substances, and the slow progress towards today’s renewed interest in substances as therapeutic tools – particularly psychedelics.

Prior to the 1800’s psychoactive substances, such as alcohol or coca, were legal in Canada and consumption was common. For example, products containing the stimulant from coca included wine, toothpaste, tincture, and more. During the 1800’s and into the early 1900’s, the temperance movement and the growing influence of Protestant Christian values, coupled with concerns about unregulated medical practices, negatively shifted society’s views towards drugs. Substances once viewed as medically and recreationally valuable, became morally reprehensible and antithetical to the moral purity and sobriety movements. Racist attitudes also fueled this shift in societal attitude. Opium, coca, and marijuana were imported from Eastern countries and resource extraction colonies, and thus constituted a threat to white society and western morality. The Opium Act of 1908 drove substances underground by increasing police powers and giving harsher penalties – inevitably strengthening the illicit drug market. Government progressively added substances to prohibitive legislation, and by 1938 eleven different categories of drugs were considered criminal.

The 1940’s and 1950’s were pivotal for the research of psychedelics and other drugs. Following Dr. Albert Hoffman’s discovery of LSD (known colloquially as acid), new LSD analogues were developed and other psycho-active substances (such as psilocybin, or the plants used in Ayahuasca) gained attention in scientific research. Because these novel substances did not belong to any prohibited category of drug at the time, scientific research and personal journeying experienced a renaissance. For more information about the research and development of psychedelics, visit Psychedellic.Support’s free online course Exploring Psychedelics: Discovery, Research & Effects. Unfortunately, this golden age was short lived. The Canadian Narcotic Control Act of 1961 was bolstered by the American Food and Drug Administration’s 1962 decision to classify psychedelics as prohibited, halting research and increasing drug related arrests. By this time Canada had also signed the UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.

These punitive attitudes and policies towards drugs effectively drowned out early calls for harm reduction approaches. In 1955 Earnest Winch called for harm-reduction and a public health approach to substance misuse, resulting in the Ranta Report. In 1969 a Canadian government inquiry into non-medical use of drugs, known as the Le Dain Commission, called for reduced criminalization and increased regulation of substances and supports for those addicted. None of these recommendations were implemented. Instead of listening to the evidence for a public health, harm-reduction strategy, Canadian drug policy continued to employ a punishment and incarceration-based strategy. This strategy is highly evident in the regressive Heroin Treatment Act of 1978, which legislated legal involuntary detainment (read: imprisonment) of people who use drugs who have been deemed to be in need of drug-treatment by an external party, such as a member of law enforcement or family. During Nixon’s presidency, Canada joined America’s ‘war on drugs.’ In 1997, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act renewed Canada’s prohibition policies – a tradition at this point.

Harm-reduction practices began in 1980’s United Kingdom and Netherlands, as a response to the HIV epidemic. Despite prohibitive policies, Canadian civilians and healthcare professionals engaged in harm-reduction strategies such as needle exchanges and injection sites. By 2001, harm-reduction was officially made part of Vancouver’s drug policy thanks to MacPherson’s report, A Four Pillar Approach to Drug Problems in Vancouver, advocating for a harmonized effort between harm-reduction, law-enforcement, and addiction treatment and prevention services. This report positively affected drug policies across Canada until 2006, when Harper’s government introduced a National Anti-Drug Strategy and other legislative amendments that were anti-harm-reduction.

There is an irony in Vancouver being the birth place of prohibition in Canada, given its position at the center of the opioid crisis, and as a proponent of progressive approaches to substance use in Canada. Since 1984 Vancouver has experimented with opioid assisted treatments and various models for delivering these treatments. Harm-reduction efforts and policies of the past paved the way for recent developments in drug legislation. Training for and access to naloxone, an opioid blocker, has become common place in community social services and amongst drug users themselves. Needle exchanges and injection sites have evolved into supervised injection sites with nursing staff. The Good Samaritan Act also protects people from drug related prosecution if they are calling for emergency services. Harm-reduction policies towards the fentanyl contaminated street drug supply have led to the advent of safe-supply – government regulated access to pharmaceutical grade substances prescribed by licensed healthcare professionals. 

So where is Canadian drug policy at nowadays? For the first time in over 110 years, Canadian drug policy is venturing away from discriminatory prohibition rooted in moral conservatism. Psychedelic research is experiencing a second renaissance thanks to advocacy efforts of organizations like MAPS and TheraPsil, and scientists who have continued to secure approval for psychedelic research. There is also a growing movement towards drug decriminalization – or at least decriminalization of people who use drugs. The government of British Columbia released a publication called Stopping the Harm: Decriminalization of People Who Use Drugs in BC. If you’d like to know more about historical Canadian drug policy milestones, the failings of drug prohibition, and alternatives to criminal-justice approaches to substance-use, check out the Stopping the Harm article – free to download/access.

Links to information that informed this blog post:

Busted: An Illustrated History of Drug Prohibition in Canada, by Susan C. Boyd   

Canadian Drug Policy Coalition (gives an in-depth summary of Boyd’s book “Busted,” listed above)

City of Vancouver - Four Pillars drug strategy

Hyshka, E., Butler-McPhee, J., Elliott, R., Wood, I., and Kerr, T. (2012). Canada moving backwards on illegal drugs. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 103(2), 125-127. 

Ivsins, A., Boyd, J., Beletsky, L., & McNeil, R. (2020). Tackling the overdose crisis: The role of safe supply. International Journal of Drug Policy, 80.

City of Vancouver – Safe Supply Statement

Government of British Columbia – Stopping the Harm: Decriminalization of People Who Use Drugs in BC

Couples - Is It Time To Seek Counselling? A List Of Signs That It Is

A recent Gottman Institute article provided a great summary of red flags and reasons that it might be time to think about getting help through couples counselling. Here is their list:

1. Constant Criticism. You or your partner, or both of you, are constantly criticizing the other. The criticism is more than a complaint. It is personal and disrespectful.

2. Contemptuous is the Norm. Eye-rolls, sarcasm, and ingratitude show up whenever you are interacting with each other. You view your partner as an enemy to your happiness or vice versa.

3. You’re on the Defensive. One of both of you is not apt to accept the partner’s perspective or offer an apology.

4. You’re Emotionally or Physically Distant. You or your partner have withdrawn to avoid any kind of deep conversations or conflict. Arguments stop. You don’t spend time together anymore and your relationship is sexless. The closeness between the both of you is fading, and a sense of loneliness has been slowly creeping in. This is called “drift,” and it is a common precursor to divorce.

5. Fantasizing about Escape. You or your partner begin to think “What if?” and fantasize about greener pastures. What if we lived apart? What if I could be with so-and-so? What if I never married him or her?

6. Negative Thoughts Override The Positive. The relationship experiences “overriding negative sentiment,” which is when one or both partners consistently sees the negative side of problems or each other. Are you giving greater weight to the negatives more than the positives? If so, then the negativity bias has likely become confirmation bias. The negative exchanges crowded out the positive stuff, thereby “proving” your negative beliefs about your partner.

7. The 3 A’s. Adultery, addiction, or abuse is present in the relationship. These are couples who need the help the most. They are dealing with serious issues that can cause emotional and physical harm to the partners and the family. Healing and recovery from these traumas will require the help of a skilled couples therapist.

If any of these red flags ring true for you, we can help.

Our counsellor Lorri, MSW, RCSW, is currently accepting new individual & couples counselling clients, either virtually or in person in our office.

If you have questions or would like to learn more about Strength in Heart’s couples counselling please contact us at admin@strengthinheart.ca

Global Trials, Global Mindset

By Yvonne Paquette, RSW, MSW (cand)

Ever wondered what sort of psychedelic clinical trials are going on in your own country, or across the world? There’s a website for that. ClinicalTrials.gov is a database of privately and publicly funded clinical studies being conducted around the world.

Since psilocybin is one of my favourite molecules of interest right now, I did a quick search on psilocybin studies. There are 74 studies happening right now! Some are currently accepting participants. Topics of study in relation to psilocybin include, but are not limited to: functional brain mapping; substance misuse treatment; Parkinson’s disease; depression, anxiety, PTSD; existential distress in palliative care; anorexia nervosa; Alzeimer’s disease; body dysmorphia; OCD, and more!

Here’s a screen shot of the mapped out version of the studies:

Taken from: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results/map?term=psilocybin&map=

It is worth noting that the majority of studies are taking place in countries considered to be part of ‘the global north.’ Many countries providing the source of various medicinal plants are considered to be part of ‘the global south,’ and are often engaged in struggles to ensure that their resources and products are being harvested and sold in ways that are ethical towards the people directly affected by the harvesting, and sustainable as a long term practice. These same concerns apply to the places and communities where medicinal plants are harvested for study and use by other countries.

Here are some links to materials that informed this post:

ClinicalTrials.gov

Environmental Justice Is a Social Justice Issue: Incorporating Environmental Justice Into Social Work Practice Curricula, Journal of Social Work Education

Psychedelic Businesses Can Be Leaders in Sustainability, Green Entrepreneur

How Sustainable Is The Ever More Popular Use Of Ayahuasca?, Samadhi Today

Psilocybin for End-of-Life Care

by Yvonne Paquette, RSW, MSW (cand)

In one form or another, humans spend their lives chasing a sense of control. We do this in a variety of ways, such as managing our food and exercise in an effort to control our bodies and health; trying to predict how others will react to what we say and do in order to control our social interactions; or even taking our time with a restaurant menu as an act of indulgent freedom. People go to great lengths to feel in control because it makes us feel safe, or at the very least confident that our actions can restore a wavering sense of safety. When we feel safe, we can thrive and grow aspects of our selves and our lives, as well as participate in other’s lives.

But what happens when impending mortality takes away our carefully cultivated sense of control? Mortality, or death, can be a terrifying concept – even for the most accepting and spiritual among us. Fear, anxiety, and resistance are common feelings when faced with something unknown or that we can’t control. Psychedelic assisted therapy has the potential to transform how we approach the end-of-life stage and palliative care. TheraPsil is a Canadian non-profit coalition who advocates for psilocybin access for end-of-life distress. As of March 2021, TheraPsil has assisted 27 terminally ill patients across 5 different provinces in accessing legal, psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy. Unfortunately, there are still many barriers to accessing psychedelic assisted therapies in all areas of care. The treatments can be expensive, and many promising psychedelics remain illegal or restricted to research studies or extreme circumstances such as terminal diagnosis.

The work towards psychedelic accessibility isn’t over. TheraPsil’s next advocacy project is already under way. With consultation from patients and care-providers and legal advocates, TheraPsil has submitted a proposed draft to Health Canada, of a framework for the legalization and regulation of psilocybin for medical and therapeutic purposes. Though the first round of public consultation on the matter ended on September 21st, 2021, public consultations are not over. You can read the full draft on TheraPsil’s website, including the cover letter send to Patty Hajdu, the Minister of Health MP for Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Here are some links to materials that informed this post, and some folks’ experiences with psilocybin assisted therapy for end-of-life distress:

Why Losing Control Can Make You Happier, Greater Good Magazine, University of California, Berkeley

How Psilocybin Is Revolutionizing The Way We Die | Daily Mushroom Podcast Ep. 4, TheraPsil, Canada

The first Canadian to legally consume psilocybin for medical purposes shares his experience, The Growth Op, Canada

Given a Year To Live, She Turned to Shrooms and Canada Allowed It, Vice, Canada

Sara McDonald: I was diagnosed with ALS over 18 months ago and the disease has relentlessly progressed, Vancouver Sun, Canada

APMPR First Draft – Proposed ‘Access to Psilocybin for Medical Purposes Regulations, TheraPsil, Canada

Post written by Yvonne Paquette, RSW, MSW (cand)

Are you a counsellor in the Victoria, BC area looking to join an authentic & progressive team?

We are looking for an independent contract counsellor interested in the area of psychedelic integration to join Strength in Heart Counselling.

Benefits:

• Competitive compensation based on experience.

• Option to work in our 2000 sq ft therapy space in Victoria

• Valuable peer supervision & learning opportunities

• Private practice business mentorship/support

Applicant Qualifications:

Required:

• Masters Degree in counselling or social work

• Professional registration (e.g. RSW, RCC, etc.) & private practice insurance (or be able to obtain)

• Counselling experience in the areas of anxiety, depression

It would also be useful to have experience (but not required) working with:

• Past trauma

• Couples, families or work partnerships

• Addiction

how to apply:

Interested & qualified candidates please thoroughly read our website www.strengthinheart.ca & send a CV with cover letter to Carla Mae Leuschen at carla@strengthinheart.ca

Interviews will start as soon as possible & this posting will be open until a successful candidate has been chosen.

Thank you!

Isolation as an Opportunity for Personal Growth & Healing

In nature, isolation, pain & destruction are often a natural part of growth & transformation. We (humans) are part of nature which means that isolation & pain in our lives can serve as a kind of gestation opportunity for healing & significant personal growth.

Pain can give us valuable information about the parts of our mind & body that need attention & change. To fight, resist or avoid pain makes the process more difficult & slows or blocks growth & expansion.

To invite expansive growth & healing into your life you must begin to process the pain that you feel. To process pain you must feel it, you must allow it.

What pain do you feel right now? Sit, slow down, breathe, extend curiosity to the pain, recognize & accept the pain. Ask what it needs right now. What is the pain trying to tell you?

You can transform your pain to strength, & we will show you how!

4 Simple Steps to Offset COVID-19 Anxiety, Numbness & Depression

Have you experienced a racing heartbeat or tightness in your chest when you watch the news or read about COVID numbers?

That’s your sympathetic nervous system fight or flight response reacting to your brain’s interpretation of a threat. On the other hand, your parasympathetic nervous system plays a role in calming your body once a threat is gone or has been resolved.

But, what happens when a threat doesn’t have a real ending? What of you’re in the middle of an ongoing pandemic that you can’t physically fight or run away from? Your stress response can be continually activated which can lead to serious health consequences over time. This can also lead to a hopelessness/helplessness where a person may “check out” both physically and mentally, (i.e. dissociate, feel numb, stuck, or depressed). The good news is that you can intervene to help calm your nervous system.

Research on the vagus nerve, a major nerve in the parasympathetic nervous system, has shown that people can tune into their nervous system to trigger calmness and return to “rest and digest” – even during chronic stress (The Polyvagal Theory, Dr. Stephen Porges).

Part of the vagus nerve (the ventral vagal nerve), also known as the social engagement system, can be used to trigger calmness in your nervous system. This upward network connects the brain, lungs, neck, throat and eyes which means that deep breaths, throat gargling, humming, smiling or making eye contact can all send messages to the brain that it’s okay to relax. Once you have calmed your nervous system, your prefrontal cortex can engage again and you will be able to more clearly think and process what is happening, rather than shut down.

Here are 4 steps to activate your ventral vagus nerve to regain a sense of calm and avoid dissociation, numbness and feelings of depression – even when COVID-19 is overwhelming you:

1. Tune into how your body feels

If you don’t know how your body feels when you’re stressed, then it’s hard to know when it’s time to give your nervous system some rest and relaxation. How does your body feel when you are calm? What physical sensations occur when you begin to feel stress? Do you notice your shoulders tense when you watch the news or read something about COVID? That tension can serve as a reminder to practice compassionate self-care in that moment by breathing and rolling the shoulders. This act of self-care will relieve the buildup of tension and physical pain as well as signal to your ventral vagus nerve that you are in a safe place.

2. Use your breath

A powerful way to self-regulate is through mindful breathing. Deep breathing stimulates the ventral vagal system, and reduces cortisol (the stress hormone) (2017 study). Exhaling longer than you inhale can also aid this process to promote the rest and digest response.  

3. Connect with people

Connection with other people, and even self-compassion, can also activate the ventral vagal network. The key is to establish a sense of safety and connection that will cue your body to relax. This can be done through making eye contact (in person or via video), or even by imagining someone or something (e.g. a pet) that you trust and the feelings of safety and connection that they bring to you. Really imagine, and breathe in those feelings and let your body experience them. This can also be done with cues in your environment, things in your home, that signal to you that you are safe. The function of this is to bring your attention to the present moment (i.e mindfulness).

4. Harness anxious thoughts

What is the story that you tell yourself about the stress in your life? This story determines how your body will respond. For example, rather than thinking about isolation or social distancing as being stuck at home indefinitely, try to view it as a temporary effort to contribute to public health, and an opportunity to slow down in your life. This process of steering your thoughts toward a more hopeful direction can lead the brain to communicate calm to the vagus nerve, and then to the organs and systems along the way.

Contact us for more mental health support to cope with COVID-19!

What If No One Had The Power To Trigger You?

“What if no one had the power to trigger you, not because you were closed down, shut down, or isolated, but because you were totally aware of yourself?”

Emotional “stuckness” is one of the roots of anxiety & depression. Dr. Gabor Maté describes the “archaeology of the mind” as getting to know your authentic self so that you can diffuse triggers and find emotional liberation. This is a foundational piece of Strength in Heart Counselling’s practice philosophy.

Contact us to release the past & embrace your potential!

A Self-Worth Hack You Can Start Today!

Practicing gratitude helps rewire the brain and body to think and feel more positively. It’s scientifically proven that gratitude reduces stress, anxiety, depression, pain, and builds an overall rapport of satisfaction with one’s life (evidence). Gratitude helps enhance self-esteem, therefore driving productivity and performance on a day-to-day basis (evidence).

A levelled up version of a general gratitude practice is self-gratitude which can be the catalyst to significant, lasting change in your life. Being grateful for people and enjoyable things in your life is important, but self-gratitude is even more helpful.

A self-gratitude practice helps us to recognize and know our worth. Redirecting your gratitude inward enables you to tap into your personal pride and joy which all too often relies on unpredictable, sometimes toxic, external sources of validation.

Here are some ways to build a daily self-gratitude practice:

1.     Journal:

““Loving yourself isn’t vanity. It’s sanity.”
”

— Andre Gide

Each day write down a few things about yourself that you’re grateful for, not something someone else said or did, but something about you. This might feel a bit uncomfortable at first – that’s good – that means it’s working! Deep personal growth is rarely comfortable. Once you can let go of the societal stigma that tells us that this sort of practice is “vain or selfish”, self-gratitude will become a habit that will enable you to have more fulfilling relationships with yourself, and others.

You might find it helpful to guide your journaling with these questions: 

·      What went well for me today; and what qualities about myself am I grateful for?

·      What did I learn about myself today?

2.     Meditation:

This can be done with your eyes closed or even as you shower or drink your morning coffee. Try to plan a moment each day to breath in and breath out and think of one thing about yourself that makes you grateful. Maybe it’s finding humour in something that lightens up a dull or dark mood that day. Maybe it’s getting out of bed and showering. It could be making the choice to seek therapy, taking the dog for a walk, or …anything that you do for yourself. Finding that daily stillness to reflect on your qualities, or what you’ve done for yourself, will become as natural as breathing.

 3.     Gratitude jar:

Get creative with your gratitude journaling and use a gratitude jar instead. Throughout the day or week, write down on post-it notes what you feel the most self-gratitude for and compile them in a jar. Every time you take a look at the jar you will be instantly reminded of how much you have to be grateful for and how much more you can still add to it.

4.     Accept compliments:

““The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.” 
”

— William James

Okay, now this is one that used to be very difficult for me (& sometimes still is depending on the context). Practice simply saying “Thank You” when given a compliment by someone else instead of rushing to dismiss or downplay it. Allow your body to feel the joy of those kind words and try not to question it. Try to consider a compliment as a gift that is given to you, and allow the person who gives you that gift to enjoy your gift of gratitude.

You can also take this a step further and write these down in list form or on pieces of paper to add to that jar. Refer back whenever you’re feeling down for a quick reminder of why you deserve to be grateful for yourself.

5.     Say it out loud!

Begin or end the day by saying your self-gratitude out loud. Whether it’s when you first open your eyes or in the shower, research has shown that saying positive affirmations aloud has lasting effects and increases motivation. By saying what you’re grateful for out loud, the sentiments will become more tangible and you’ll start to not just say them, but believe them, too!

-Written by Carla Mae Leuschen

How often do you wonder, "Who am I really?"

A large piece of the Strength in Heart philosophy is that the experience of negative life events can block our natural ability to transform our pain into strength. This is largely supported by the compassionate work of Gabor Maté as described below.

As humans we have two basic survival needs:

1. Attachment, or connection to others (especially our caregivers when we’re children)

We are creatures of attachment! We have to connect and attach otherwise we won’t survive.

Attachment is not a negotiable need.

2. Authenticity, or connection to our authentic self

This means knowing what we feel and being able to act on it; being tuned into our intuition or how our heart & gut feels.

How long would you survive in the wild without listening to your gut feelings?

What happens when these two survival needs are in conflict?

If a child experiences an event where their attachment to a caregiver is threatened by the child’s authenticity the child will naturally cope by sacrificing their authenticity for the attachment (the attached short video describes this very well).

Later in life this can show up as feeling disconnected from one’s identity or intuition, low self worth, like a “people pleaser”, dissatisfaction in relationships, feeling emotionally blocked or alone, depression, anxiety, addiction, and more. The antidote to this is reconnection with the authentic self, to process and express traumas & default coping mechanisms so that new more healthy coping mechanisms can be adopted.

Are you in touch with your authentic self & the strength in your heart?

At Strength in Heart Counselling we specialize in guiding and supporting you on your journey back to your inner strength.

A Human Bill Of Rights … & Corresponding Responsibilities

Right now seems like a good time for a reminder of how to love ourselves and others in relationship!

I have a right to:                                                          I have a responsibility to:

Be treated with respect _______________________Treat others respectfully

Not let others control me______________________Not control others

Accept my feelings without judgment ____________Accept the feelings of others

Stand up for my rights _______________________Respect the rights of others

Express my needs and wants____________Accept the wants and needs of others 

Love myself unconditionally __________________Love others unconditionally

View my needs as important ____________________Accept the needs of others

Accept myself for who I am __________________Accept others for who they are

Change myself _______________________________Not try to change others

Set boundaries and limits with others_________Respect the boundaries of others

Accept my feelings without judgment _________Be non-judgmental with others 

Make mistakes and even fail ______________Not critique the failings of others

Ask for help______________________________________Offer help

Have privacy and my own personal space ___Respect the personal space of others

Set my priorities _________________________Respect the priorities of others

Say ”no” without feeling selfish ___________________Accept “no” from others

Follow my dreams, interests and passions ___Support other’s dreams and interests

Feel weak __________________________________Accept other’s weaknesses 

Not live up to others expectations ______________Not place demands on others

Be forgiving of myself______________________________Forgive others

Seek others that support my growth _____________Support the growth of others

2016 Judith Belmont. 150 More Group Therapy Activities & Tips, www.belmontwellness.com.

Learn how to feel love again - Free 10 day Lovingkindness Challenge!

Free guided meditation practices to help you cultivate love, compassion, joy, and equanimity!

“If we learn to pay attention in a different, more open way—seeing the good within ourselves instead of just fixating on what we don’t like, noticing those we usually ignore or look right through, letting go of categories and assumptions when we relate to others—we are creating the conditions for lovingkindness and compassion to flow.”

— Sharon Salzberg

Lovingkindness meditation is a centuries-old practice that helps us overcome our sense of separation from each other and bring everyone into the space of our unconditional love and compassion. For anyone looking for ways to find solid ground and greater serenity during our turbulent times, these practices are an entry point for both newcomers to meditation and lifelong practitioners.

Join esteemed teacher Sharon Salzberg on Youtube for the 10-Day Lovingkindness Challenge: Guided Meditation Practices to Help You Cultivate Love, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity. 

My soul tells me...

Thank You, Will Pegg, for the Strength of Your Heart!

Almost another year has gone by since the passing of my dear mentor and friend Will Pegg. The value that Will brought to my life and career is much more than I can fully describe. He taught me many things, but at the root of it all was the deep learning that only this moment is guaranteed, and that if we can connect with the strength in our hearts, then each moment can be filled with hope, love and acceptance.

I wrote this letter to him 1 year ago, and it still perfectly describes how I feel. I am so very grateful for him!

“Dear Will Pegg,

One year ago you passed onto your next stage of being. Since then some of the last things that you said to me have spun around and around in my head and heart. That last conversation went something like this:

“listen, what the world needs now is love! – isn’t that the perfect thing for your counselling practice website, in a banner or something? That was a song, what year was that? 1964? No I think it was 1965…anyways, dear one, remember whenever you go to that place that you know in your heart, I’ll always be there.”

I’ve often laughed at those words, at how typical of you it all was – even in your last hours giving me the support and love that I needed to follow my dream of starting a private counselling practice. No matter what was going on for you or me, you never wavered in your support of my dreams, and it is you that I have to thank for finding the strength and courage to take the risks that have led to a career more fulfilling than I could ever have imagined!

In the time that I knew you we often talked about how some day I would take the leap and open my business. In the months leading up to your passing I had vivid dreams of you as a lion friend of mine. I remember telling you about this, and you laughed, but you didn’t seem surprised at all. After that, I came up with the name of my counselling business – “Strength in Heart” - a result of brainstorming on the idea of the lion (you).

After your passing I came up with my Strength in Heart logo and began what is now a thriving counselling practice! The logo is a lion and a hummingbird (both have incredibly strong hearts!) in the shape of a heart. The reason for the Lion is obvious, and I added the hummingbird to symbolize all of the hummingbird love that you and Louise have around your home – including the live ones in your back garden! I remember sitting there with you watching them glide and dive around. The humming and whirring of their wings would shift my mind for a moment from sadness to awe and peace.

Over the past year I have felt your love and support often. At first I despaired over losing you, my strong lion friend, but soon I began to notice the echoes of you throughout my life and work – you are still an incredible source of support to me! I love you and still miss you dear one, but as you said, I carry you, and your strength, in my heart.”

Stressed Out? Here are 8 Ways to Feel Better!

·      Change your perceptions, change your life.

Focus on what can be changed, not on what can’t. It is not the events in our life that have negative affects on our mood and experience – it is our reactions. Remember that thoughts, interpretations and assumptions are not actually facts or reality! What is the story that you’re telling yourself that is preventing you from moving forward, and “getting over” the event?

·      Try to think more positively.

Stress can be positive! If we put a negative spin on it, then it will be negative. The average person has over 50,000 thoughts per day. If even only 10% are negative, then that’s 5,000 negative thoughts per day! Start the day with the intention to think positively about your stress.

·      Don’t forget the importance of humour!

When under stress, a sense of humour is often one of the first things to go. Smiling, laughing, and looking at the light side of life can do wonders for our mental health.

·      Take care of yourself mentally and physically.

Nurture and nourish both your body and your mind. Eating well and exercising will help you keep your stress under control and you will feel healthier in mind and body.

·      Practice compassion. Don’t be too hard on yourself—or on others.

People who truly like themselves and look for the good in others are far less stressed than people who are judgmental. Accept imperfections and mistakes in yourself and others with kindness and compassion. No one is perfect – that’s part of the human condition!

·      Focus on what is in your control, not what is beyond it.

Those who focus on what is in their control are more resilient and more likely to grow from stress.

·      Challenge and commit yourself to do what you love.

People who are energized by pursuits they love and to which they are committed are generally more resilient. Take interest in some activities that contribute to making the world a better place.

·      Connect with others—don’t isolate!

Establishing meaningful, authentic and supportive relationships with people, family, friends, coworkers, and neighbours can reduce negative stress a lot. Vulnerability helps to manage stress and build resilience.

Adapted from Tips for Managing Stress-Not Carrying It! By Judith A. Belmont

Free counselling for British Columbians!

Did you know, that if you have been involved in a motor vehicle accident in British Columbia, or have witnessed one, you are likely eligible for 12 free counselling sessions? It’s true!

Strength in Heart is an approved ICBC counselling service provider which means that we work with clients whom have been involved in, or witnessed, a motor vehicle accident – and it doesn’t matter who was “at fault” for the accident.

We also advocate to ICBC for clients to receive the support that they need to return to their state of mental wellness previous to the accident. Generally, ICBC will initially fund 12 counselling sessions but additional sessions can be applied for.

To qualify you need to have an open claim with ICBC, and either a claim number, or a lawyer that you are working with. For more information on how to apply for ICBC coverage please see the drop down FAQ list here or contact us.

Meet Ruby Tuesday, Strength in Heart's Emotional Support Assistant!

It’s Tuesday, so please meet my therapy assistant, Ruby Tuesday! She often sits at the front door eagerly awaiting the next in person client. Ruby is a hypoallergenic breed and she assists many of the in person client sessions.

I adopted her when she was a bit over three years old. I’m not sure what she went through in her life before, but when I met her she was somewhat feral and shook and shivered with anxiety almost all of the time. She didn’t even know how to be held! However, over the past five years or so she has begun to have mostly calm and happy days. Her presence in the counselling room provides a valued additional layer of emotional support for some of my clients! 

Where are You? A Poem Called "Lost"

Lost (David Wagoner, from Collected Poems 1956-1976)

Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you
Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here,
And you must treat it as a powerful stranger,
Must ask permission to know it and be known.
The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,
I have made this place around you.
If you leave it, you may come back again, saying Here.
No two trees are the same to Raven.
No two branches are the same to Wren.
If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you,
You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows
Where you are. You must let it find you.