Protea Counselling

08/25/2026

There is help

08/15/2026

This week, three Canadian police families are grieving an unimaginable loss. We must remember that behind every uniform is a person — someone’s parent, partner, child, sibling, cousin, friend and colleague.

Police officers carry things most of us will never see. They witness trauma, tragedy and the worst moments of people’s lives, and too often they are expected to simply carry on. And sadly, there is still a strong stigma behind getting help.

Today, we want to acknowledge these losses, honour the officers who died, and remind every member of the policing community that your life matters, your wellbeing matters, and you don’t have to carry everything alone.

Thinking of the families, friends and colleagues who are grieving. 🖤💙

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of su***de please call 9-8-8 for immediate help.

08/14/2026

In therapy, we talk about the nervous system, and you learn about the "trauma brain". Education is key in understanding and healing from trauma.

08/11/2026

08/06/2026

The truth about ma*****na https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1HcYhUpu28/

08/03/2026

Today, I was reminded why children often tell us far more through play than they ever could with words.

Imagine an 8-year-old boy walking into the playroom. Without any prompting, he quietly begins gathering toys. Cars are overturned. Emergency vehicles are scattered across the floor. A dragon looms over everything. A school bus lies on its side. In the middle of all the chaos sits one tiny green snail.

"That's me," he says.

I ask, "Tell me about the snail."

"Everything is happening all at once," he replies. "The dragon is really big. The snail can't get away because he's too slow. He just hides and waits."

Children don't always have the language to explain what anxiety, trauma, grief, or overwhelm feel like. But they often know exactly how to show us.

In play therapy, the toys become their words.

That tiny snail wasn't just a toy. It represented feeling small in a world that felt enormous, unpredictable, and out of control.

We didn't spend the session trying to "fix" the dragon. We spent it making sure the snail had someone beside him.

Sometimes healing begins not with answers, but with having another person willing to enter the child's world and understand the story they're already telling.