Helping to Reconnect Counselling Services

Helping to Reconnect Counselling Services Individual, Couple and Family Counselling services delivered by registered Social Workers and Psychotherapists within Ontario. VIDEO COUNSELLING AVAILABLE!

ometimes I catch myself looking at my kids and thinking, How did we get here so fast?One minute you’re rocking them to s...
09/09/2026

ometimes I catch myself looking at my kids and thinking, How did we get here so fast?
One minute you’re rocking them to sleep, packing tiny lunches, and celebrating first steps… and suddenly they’re growing into these little people with big personalities, opinions, schedules, and lives of their own. And while I’m so proud of who they’re becoming, there’s a part of me that wishes I could slow time down just a little.

Parenting is such a strange mix of emotions. I’m constantly reminding myself to soak it all in — the laughs, the cuddles, the random conversations, the little moments that I know I’ll someday miss. But at the same time, there are the endless routines, the messes, the rushing, the homework, the arguments, the mental load, and the never-ending list of things that need to get done.

I want to be present for every moment, but some days I’m just trying to make it through the moment. 😂

So I’m learning to give myself some grace. To stop worrying about doing it all perfectly and just enjoy what I can. Because these days are busy, messy, exhausting, beautiful, and fleeting — and somehow, they’re all happening at once.

And honestly, the things that keep me going? My workouts and my matcha lattes. 😂💪🏼🍵

The workout reminds me that I’m still me outside of being a mom. The matcha reminds me that I deserve a little something just for myself.

So here’s to soaking up the chaos, embracing the imperfect moments, taking care of ourselves along the way, and trying our best to enjoy this season before it becomes a memory.

Because they may be growing up right in front of my eyes… and I’m just trying to slow down enough to notice. ❤️

09/09/2026

Check out our recent podcast posted yesterday on taboo topics for a therapist :)

08/31/2026

Check out our new episode on Body Image!
What if breaking the cycle doesn’t mean teaching our kids to love their bodies—it means teaching them that their bodies were never something they had to earn, fix, or apologize for?

08/24/2026

What if some of the things we struggle with today didn’t actually start with us?
In this episode of Shrinking in the Suburbs, we’re taking a closer look at generational patterns—the beliefs, behaviors, coping mechanisms, relationship dynamics, and emotional habits that can quietly be passed from one generation to the next.

We often inherit more than our eye color or family traditions. We can inherit the way our families handle conflict, express love, deal with emotions, respond to stress, communicate, set boundaries, and even define what it means to be successful or “good enough.”

And the tricky part? These patterns can feel completely normal because they’re familiar.

08/18/2026

Pregnancy and labour are often talked about as if they are experiences women can carefully plan and control: the “perfect” pregnancy, the birth plan, the natural birth, the breastfeeding plan, the way we imagine ourselves becoming mothers. But the reality is that pregnancy, birth and postpartum life are incredibly unpredictable.
A woman can spend nine months preparing for a particular birth and then experience an emergency C-section. She can plan to breastfeed and struggle with feeding. She can desperately want to become pregnant and still experience anxiety, depression, loss or a complicated pregnancy. She can have a seemingly “perfect” birth and still struggle emotionally afterward.
And sometimes the hardest part mentally is the gap between what we imagined and what actually happened.
There can be grief attached to a birth that didn’t go the way a woman hoped. There can be trauma from feeling powerless, unheard, frightened or physically violated during labour. There can be guilt when a woman thinks, “I should just be grateful. My baby is healthy. Why am I struggling?”
We also need to stop treating postpartum mental health as something that only happens when something obviously goes wrong. A healthy baby does not automatically mean a healthy mother.
Pregnancy and childbirth can fundamentally change a woman’s body, identity, relationships, sexuality, sleep, independence and sense of control—all while society expects her to be happy and grateful.
This is why conversations about women’s mental health need to extend far beyond postpartum depression. We need to talk about birth trauma, pregnancy loss, infertility, fertility treatments, postpartum anxiety, intrusive thoughts, identity changes, breastfeeding struggles, pelvic health, sexual trauma, hormonal changes and the enormous psychological transition into motherhood.
Women deserve to be able to say, “This wasn’t what I expected, and I’m struggling,” without being told they’re ungrateful.
Because sometimes the most important thing a woman needs to hear isn’t “At least the baby is healthy.”
It’s “What happened to you mattered too.”
Check out our recent episode of Shrinking

This is ultimately why we started Shrinking in the Suburbs — to shed light on postpartum mental health, the realities of...
08/18/2026

This is ultimately why we started Shrinking in the Suburbs — to shed light on postpartum mental health, the realities of parenting, intergenerational trauma, and everything else in between. It’s also why our podcast is blunt, raw, and unapologetic, with nothing held back. We want to talk about the things people often feel uncomfortable saying out loud, because these conversations matter and too many people struggle in silence.
Hopefully, Hayden can rest in peace. ❤️

08/11/2026

Check out a clip from our recent episode of “Shrinking in the Suburbs,” where we discuss Narcisstic Abuse.

Check out Shrinking in the Suburbs on Spotify or Apple! Episode released Aug 10There was a time when I genuinely questio...
08/09/2026

Check out Shrinking in the Suburbs on Spotify or Apple! Episode released Aug 10
There was a time when I genuinely questioned myself.
I questioned my thoughts. My memories. My reactions. My ability to trust my own judgment.
Narcissistic abuse doesn’t always look like what people imagine abuse should look like. Sometimes there aren’t visible bruises. Sometimes it’s manipulation, gaslighting, emotional whiplash, control, devaluation, and being made to feel like you’re constantly walking on eggshells. You can become so consumed by the relationship that you slowly lose pieces of yourself without even realizing it’s happening.
For a long time, I was caught in the back-and-forth cycle. Leaving. Going back. Trying to understand. Trying to make it work. Convincing myself that maybe this time things would be different.
Until eventually, I realized something:
I wasn’t going to find myself by staying. I had to leave to find myself again.
And so I ran.
I ended up going all the way to Hawaii, initially planning to go by myself because I needed space, freedom, and a chance to escape the reality I had been living in. Two friends eventually joined me, but that trip became so much more than a vacation.
It became a turning point.
For the first time in a long time, I could breathe.
I could hear my own thoughts again.
I could remember who I was before the relationship.
Leaving didn’t magically fix everything. Getting away was only the beginning. I had to deal with the emotional damage afterward. I had to rebuild my confidence. I had to learn to trust my instincts again. I had to understand why I tolerated certain things and, most importantly, learn that surviving something doesn’t mean I have to carry it forever.
Resilience wasn’t becoming someone who was never hurt.
Resilience was becoming someone who knew she could be hurt and still get back up.
And somewhere along the way, I stopped trying to become the person someone else wanted me to be and started becoming the woman I had been underneath all of it.
Sometimes escaping isn’t the end of the story.
Sometimes it’s the moment your real story finally begins.

This photo was taken after I quite literally ran away from an abusive relationship... all the way to Hawaii.The original...
08/07/2026

This photo was taken after I quite literally ran away from an abusive relationship... all the way to Hawaii.
The original plan was to go alone—to disappear for a little while, escape my reality, breathe, and remember who I was. At the last minute, two incredible friends decided to come with me, and I will forever be grateful they did.
For the year leading up to this trip, I was trapped in the exhausting cycle of a narcissistically abusive relationship. It was the kind of abuse that doesn’t always leave bruises, but slowly chips away at your identity. I felt like someone had reached into my brain and scrambled my thoughts. I questioned my own reality, my instincts, my memories, and eventually, even my sanity. I no longer trusted myself.
Walking away wasn’t a single decision. It was hundreds of painful decisions, setbacks, doubts, and moments where I almost went back. That’s what people often don’t understand about abusive relationships—they don’t usually begin with obvious abuse, and they certainly don’t end with an easy goodbye.
The next episode of Shrinking in the Suburbs is one of the most personal episodes I’ve ever recorded.
We’ll talk about:
• What narcissistic and emotionally abusive relationships really look like.
• The subtle red flags most people miss.
• Why intelligent, capable people stay.
• Why leaving is so much harder than people think.
• And how to begin finding yourself again after someone convinced you that you were the problem.
If you’ve ever questioned your own reality because of someone else’s manipulation, this episode is for you.
If you know someone who is in a relationship that “just doesn’t seem right,” please share this with them. It could be the beginning of them finding their way back to themselves.
This is an episode you won’t want to miss.
Click the link below:
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-ripple-effect-of-raising-us/id1896902066?i=1000775639386

Life has a way of reminding us that nothing last forever. If there is one thing dogs teach us it is to live fully in the...
08/05/2026

Life has a way of reminding us that nothing last forever. If there is one thing dogs teach us it is to live fully in the present. They find happiness in the smallest moments - a walk, a smile, a pet, or a sunny spot on the floor. Their lives are far too short but they leave such an imprint on our hearts that last a lifetime. I still miss Nala every single day she was not “just a dog” she was my companion through different chapters of my life. Looking back I realize she shaped the person I am today. She taught me patience, loyalty, resilience and the incredible comfort of simply being present for someone you love.
Life is fleeting the people we love won’t always be here. Our children won’t always be little. Our parents won’t always be healthy. Our dogs won’t always greet us at the door. One ordinary day will be the last time we experience something often without even realizing it. So be fully present because the moments we think are ordinary often become the ones we miss the most.
The greatest gift is not having more time. It is making the most of the time you have. Nala taught me that. Although I wish I had just one more walk, one more cuddle, or one more chance to tell her how much she meant to me, I am forever grateful for the years that we shared.

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3388 Angel Pass Drive
Mississauga, ON
L5M7K5

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Monday 9am - 9pm
Tuesday 9am - 9pm
Wednesday 9am - 9pm
Thursday 9am - 9pm
Friday 9am - 9pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

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+14169850925

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