Justine Nowosiadly, Counselling

08/09/2024

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08/03/2024

08/03/2024

03/24/2022

How does children's grief compare to grief faced by adults?

Children experience grief in short spurts and this idea can be described as a grief puddle.
Kids jump in a puddle and experience grief and then jump out. But when they are in the puddle, the grief can be as intense as grief faced by adults.

For this reason, it's important to recognize that a child's grief is as serious as an adult's.

Grief puddles was a finding described by grief experts in a study conducted by Gao, M. & Slaven, M. (one of our board members!) Check out the paper for more info.

03/10/2022

03/09/2022

This is from Sane Australia. We would imagine the number is higher.

10/29/2021

Child and Family Clinician Karene Martin-Russell shares ways you can support your older child or teen in seeking treatment, if they may be feeling adverse or...

05/18/2021

The Vagus Nerve ... ⚛️

Credit: Somatic Experiencing International

05/18/2021

Have you ever read a book that just speaks to you? It’s like every single page is filled with words of wisdom, and you just cannot get enough. There’s several books on my list, but for the past year it’s been “it’s ok that you’re not ok.”
How can I describe this book? A breath of fresh air on loss and grief. Even that doesn’t do it justice. It’s wonderful and honest. It captures the frustration and loneliness of being on the receiving end of loss and grief.
The book discusses familiar phrases in the context of loss, and grief such as:
“things will get better with time”
“this will only make you stronger”
The intention of these phrases often come from a good place, but there is often an implied second half of the sentence. It is considered to be a “ghost sentence” that proves to dismiss, diminish and erase what is true now in favour of an alternate experience.
What is the “ghost sentence?”
“Stop feeling so bad.”
“things will get better with time, stop feeling so bad.”
“this will only make you stronger, stop feeling so bad.”
Have you ever been the giver, or receiver of the “ghost sentence?”

05/17/2021

“Unconsciousness is like junk food. It’s an easy way to go through life, but it doesn’t give you the nourishment you need. You don’t have to bother with sorting things out, or with thinking at all. In small portions it is worth pursuing for relaxation, but as a way of life it can lead to extreme passivity.” -T.M.
Many clients come to therapy due to a subtle, and maybe not so subtle shift from unconscious to conscious living. Is it fun? Truthfully, it can be incredibly painful and isolating at the beginning. Life can seem like a foreign place. However, suffering can lead to meaning if you can trust the process.

05/16/2021

Important Truths