The Right Room

08/31/2026

Our board game night for autistic adults was a fun time last week! About 10 people attended, which meant we had two game tables at play.

Our next board game night is up on Eventbrite! Tickets are now available! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/september-board-game-night-autism-connect-cochrane-tickets-1999238858243?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

08/13/2026

🎲 Board Game Night for Autistic Adults is back in two weeks!

Our next night will be Thursday, August 27 and I’d love to see you there.

This is a casual, low-pressure evening for autistic adults to hang out, play some games, and connect with other people in the community. Come on your own or bring someone you know. You don’t need to be a board game expert, and there’s no pressure to be “social” in any particular way.

📅 Thursday, August 27
🎟️ Tickets are available through Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/august-board-game-night-autism-connect-cochrane-tickets-1996348012646?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true

Feel free to share this with anyone who might be looking for more autistic adult community in the Calgary/Cochrane area. 🧡

08/03/2026

Have you ever gone for a walk, only to come back with the answer you'd been trying to force all day?

Psychologists have been interested in that experience for decades.

One of the leading explanations is Attention Restoration Theory, which suggests that modern life constantly demands our directed attention. Emails, traffic, conversations, notifications, decision making... it seemingly never ends.

Nature is different.

Instead of demanding your attention, it gently holds it. Psychologists call this soft fascination. Think watching leaves move in the wind, listening to birds, or watching water flow. Those experiences require very little mental effort, giving your directed attention an opportunity to recover.

That doesn't mean spending time outside magically solves your problems. But research suggests it may help restore attention, reduce mental fatigue, improve cognitive flexibility, and support creative thinking. In other words, your brain may simply have more capacity to think clearly.

And perhaps my favourite finding???

You don't necessarily need an all day adventure. Even relatively brief periods in nature may provide psychological benefits.

So perhaps maybe the goal isn't always to think harder.

Sometimes it's to give your brain a different place to think.

References:

Berman, M. G., Jonides, J., & Kaplan, S. (2008). The cognitive benefits of interacting with nature. Psychological Science, 19(12), 1207–1212.

Bettmann, J. E., et al. (2024). Effects of brief nature exposure on mental health in adults with mental illness: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Kaplan, S. (1995). The restorative benefits of nature: Toward an integrative framework. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 15(3), 169–182.

Ohly, H., White, M. P., Wheeler, B. W., Bethel, A., Ukoumunne, O. C., Nikolaou, V., & Garside, R. (2016). Attention Restoration Theory: A systematic review of the attention restoration potential of exposure to natural environments. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B, 19(7), 305–343.

07/30/2026

ADHD and menopause is one of the most requested topics I've had lately, and honestly... the research is fascinating.

The evidence consistently shows there's a relationship. But we still don't fully know why.

This video covers what the research actually says today. In the next few videos, I'm going to dive into the leading theories about what's possibly happening, including hormones, dopamine, executive functioning, and why so many women feel like their ADHD changes during perimenopause and menopause.

I always want to separate what we know, what we think might be happening, and what we still don't know because that's how good science moves forward.

Follow if you want evidence based psychology without the misinformation. 💙

07/29/2026

A few important caveats:

This video is about healthy conflict in healthy, non abusive relationships. If you're in an abusive relationship, your priority is safety, not conflict resolution.

Being emotionally flooded or "triggered" is a real physiological experience. This isn't about forcing yourself to stay in conversations when your nervous system is overwhelmed. In fact, taking a break is often the healthiest thing you can do.

The distinction I'm making is between pausing a conversation and avoiding it. Research from Dr. John Gottman suggests that taking time to regulate (often at least 20 minutes) and then intentionally returning to the conversation leads to healthier conflict resolution than trying to push through flooding.

Like most relationship topics, this isn't black and white. There will always be exceptions, and every relationship is different.

I'm curious to hear your thoughts. How do you and the people in your life handle taking breaks during conflict?

07/27/2026

Like so many people across Calgary and Alberta, I've been thinking about Parker and his family.

I've also been thinking about everyone in our community who has found themselves carrying the weight of this. Especially parents and caregivers of neurodivergent children, for whom this may feel particularly close to home.

As a psychologist, I wanted to share a perspective on why events like this can affect us so deeply, and why taking care of ourselves while we continue to hope isn't selfish. Research tells us that repeated exposure to traumatic news can increase our own stress, even when we're not directly involved. That doesn't mean we care too much. It means we're human.

If you've found yourself feeling guilty for laughing, taking your kids to the park, enjoying a coffee, or putting your phone down for a while, I hope this offers you permission to do those things.

Taking care of yourself doesn't mean you've stopped caring.

My thoughts remain with Parker, his family, the search teams, and everyone who continues to hope for his safe return. ❤️

07/26/2026

Thanks for joining me on my train ride!

07/20/2026

someone told me that the internet is debating whether therapists should wear crop tops...

So I did what therapists are supposed to do: I looked at the research.

The evidence suggests that clothing can influence first impressions, but we don't have good evidence that dressing more formally leads to better therapy outcomes. What predicts good therapy is the therapeutic relationship, not whether someone is wearing a blazer.

There's another layer to this conversation, too...

When we say that a crop top is "unprofessional," we should ask: according to whose standards?

Ideas about professionalism are culturally shaped. Around the world, what counts as formal, respectful, or professional dress varies considerably. In some cultures and contexts, clothing that exposes the midriff can be part of traditional ceremonial or formal attire. Assuming there is only one "professional" way to dress risks treating one cultural standard as the default while overlooking others.

That (of course) doesn't mean context doesn't matter. Therapists should think carefully about what their clothing communicates to the clients and communities they serve.

But that's very different from claiming there's one universally "professional" outfit.

What do you think?

02/26/2026

Someone you love has bipolar disorder.
You want to support them well. You don’t want to minimize. You don’t want to overreact. You don’t want to accidentally say the wrong thing.
In my work with adults living with bipolar disorder, I hear this all the time:
“It’s not just the diagnosis that’s hard. It’s how people respond to it.”
So I wrote a practical, honest guide on how to support someone with bipolar disorder. It covers what actually helps, what unintentionally harms, how to talk about su!c!de safely, why “Have you been taking your medication?” isn’t always supportive, and how to show up without reducing someone to a label.
If this is relevant to you, I’d encourage you to read it.
Click here to read the full post: https://therightroom.ca/resources/

02/16/2026

The Right Room is now offering a structured bipolar disorder treatment program for adults navigating Bipolar I, Bipolar II, or cyclothymia.

This approach focuses on stabilizing sleep and daily rhythms, identifying early warning signs, and building clear, collaborative plans for long-term stability.

In-person sessions are available in Cochrane and Calgary, with virtual therapy offered across Alberta.

Learn more or book a no-cost 15-minute consultation here

If you are searching for bipolar disorder counselling in Calgary and Cochrane, you are likely looking for more than coping skills. You want stability.