Hopeful Horizons

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Hopeful Horizons Ashley Bishop Lapierre MSc.,Registered Psychologist in Calgary, Alberta. Offering counselling servic

13/11/2025

It’s funny because it’s kind of true. EMDR is amazing but it can feel like a bummer on a good day. But the longer term healing effects are still there and make it worth it!

Practicum Opportunity!Given the positive experience and feedback of supervising Nicole and Leaine in their practicum exp...
09/05/2024

Practicum Opportunity!

Given the positive experience and feedback of supervising Nicole and Leaine in their practicum experience, I have decided to offer this opportunity again as it provides for a learning experience while making access to mental health services more accessible. I will taking on at least one student for September 2024/January 2025 and since I have many students and colleagues who follow me, I wanted to post the opportunities here.

Ideal candidate will:
• be an ALBERTA resident (as per CAP regulation)
• be a current Master’s student in
Psychology/Counselling
• have an undergraduate degree in psychology (related fields will be considered)
• be open to a virtual practicum experience (virtual clinical work and supervision)
• have a strong interest in working in women’s mental health

As deadlines for September 2024 practicum are approaching, application deadline for a September start is May 17th 2024. Applications for other start times (Jan 2025/May 2025) will be accepted on a continuous basis.

To learn more about me and my practice visit my website (hopefulhorizons.ca or explore my IG .womens.therapist )

To apply: Email resume & cover letter to [email protected]

A common Mother’s Day narrative is of the supermom. It is said with admiration and appreciation, but the idea of a super...
09/05/2024

A common Mother’s Day narrative is of the supermom. It is said with admiration and appreciation, but the idea of a supermom is actually harmful to moms.

Here’s why:

The concept of supermom perpetuates high unattainable standards of motherhood.
When a mom does not meet the standards, she can feel like a failure. In reality, there is no such thing as perfection in motherhood (even if someone is trying really hard to make their life look perfect on social media).

The concept of supermom glorifies a selfless ideal of motherhood that mom needs to put herself last and everyone else first. In reality, this is a recipe for burnout and resentment.

The concept of supermom can facilitate unequal division of labour at home and could lead to weaponized incompetence. In reality, mom does not and cannot do it all.

The concept of supermom normalizes hustle - always “on” and ready. In reality moms need a break.

The concept of supermom normalizes “having it all together”. In reality it is okay to struggle with some experiences in motherhood.

Moms are not superheros.
Moms are human
They are tired and they need help.

This Mother’s day, let’s skip the Halmark cards with a supermom action figure and opt for something more realistic to show admiration and appreciation. Mom works hard to love and support and that’s amazing but she is human with human limitations.

___________________________
I am a Registered Psychologist and a Certified Perinatal Mental Health Professional (PMH-C). I am a specialist in Women’s Mental Health. This means I have done extensive training and really get the challenges of being a woman and a mother in today’s world. I offer virtual therapy to residents of AB, NS, and NB 🇨🇦.

_______________________________
Posts on this page are for educational purposes only and are not intended for the provision of clinical care. This is not a replacement for therapy. If you are struggling with mental health, please connect with a mental health professional in your area.

Listen up. If you want to show your partner the respect and love she deserves this Mother’s Day, take an honest look at ...
08/05/2024

Listen up. If you want to show your partner the respect and love she deserves this Mother’s Day, take an honest look at domestic and parenting duties including the invisible mental load.

REFLECT: “am I actually doing my fair share, or if my partner taking on more than her fair share?”

INITIATE a conversation with your partner around fairness.

LISTEN to her experience.

BE OPEN (not defensive) to the idea that your partner might have been doing more than her fair share.

ACKNOWLEDGE that she is tired, overwhelmed, and burnt-out.

COMMIT to doing things differently. For more than 2 weeks. This is the new normal.

CHECK IN with her at various points throughout the year to see how she is doing and to reevaluate fairness.

This is what we want for Mother’s Day. Not the followers, cards, flowers etc. We want fair division of domestic/parenting labour and mental load.

This is not just the performative one day effort. This is truly every day.

_______________________________
I am a Registered Psychologist and a Certified Perinatal Mental Health Professional (PMH-C). I am a specialist in Women’s Mental Health. This means I have done extensive training and really get the challenges of being a woman and a mother in today’s world. I offer virtual therapy to residents of AB, NS, and NB 🇨🇦.

_______________________________
Posts on this page are for educational purposes only and are not intended for the provision of clinical care. This is not a replacement for therapy. If you are struggling with mental health, please connect with a mental health professional in your area.

Infertility is so common (1 in 6!), yet as a society we have a hard time discussing it and often turn to toxic positivit...
27/04/2024

Infertility is so common (1 in 6!), yet as a society we have a hard time discussing it and often turn to toxic positivity to ease our discomfort. But this is not always helpful.

Let’s leave toxic positivity out of infertility conversations ( I actually want us to drop it all together, but I’ll just focus on infertility for today’s post).

“It will work out”
“Think positive”
“At least...”
“Just look on the bright side..”
“It could be worse...”
“Good vibes only”
“Everything happens for a reason”
“Don’t give up”
“Don’t lose hope”

No! No! No! No! No! No! No!

When sharing these platitudes, our intentions are usually in a good place, but these toxic-positive messages can be received as dismissive, shamming, and misunderstanding.

What would be a better approach would be to offer empathy, understanding, acceptance, and validation.

Some better messages of support and caring might include:

“I’m sorry you are going through this”
“That sounds really difficult”
“I’m here for you no matter what”
“Do you want to talk more about it”
“What do you need from me right now”
“It’s ok that you are hurting”
“This sucks; it’s not fair; it’s not your fault”

Infertility sucks and nothing you say will make that less true. Ignoring the hurt and pain doesn’t make it disappear. Acknowledging and validating the hurt and pain can be much more meaningful.


“But I should be grateful, I finally got what I wanted”. I often hear this when talking to a mom who had a long struggle...
26/04/2024

“But I should be grateful, I finally got what I wanted”. I often hear this when talking to a mom who had a long struggle with infertility.

Going through infertility can be extremely painful - perhaps even traumatic for some. That pain doesn’t always magically disappear because someone has a child. The pain and trauma can linger. Life might be moving on but If pain and emotions are not fully processed, it can stay with us.

The fact that you still might be hurting IN NO WAY takes away the love you hold for your child. You can be hurting from past experiences AND incredibly grateful for baby. Both can be true.

___________________________________

Posts on this page are for educational purposes only and are not intended for the provision of clinical care. This is not a replacement for therapy. If you are struggling with mental health, please connect with a mental health professional in your area.

Every now and then, a clients says something in session like “this might be too much information”. But the thing is, the...
18/04/2024

Every now and then, a clients says something in session like “this might be too much information”.

But the thing is, there is no such thing as TMI in therapy! It’s your time and space to share what you need to share, in the way you need to share it.

It is impossible to share too much in therapy

___________________________
As always:
🤍I speak to larger social trends and patterns and not commentary on individual’s behaviours
🤍There are no universal truths when it comes to mental health
🤍This post is for informational purposes only and not a replacement for therapy
🤍Much of what I talk about can be worked on in therapy. If this resonates, connect with a mental health provider in your area

_________________________
I am a Registered Psychologist and a Certified Perinatal Mental Health Professional (PMH-C). I specialize in women’s mental health. This means I have done extensive training and really get the challenges of motherhood and being a woman in modern society. I offer virtual therapy to residents of AB, NS, and NB 🇨🇦. Currently accepting new clients.

Hi, it’s me. I’m the face behind the account and I’m coming out of my Instagram hibernation to reintroduce myself, this ...
18/04/2024

Hi, it’s me. I’m the face behind the account and I’m coming out of my Instagram hibernation to reintroduce myself, this account, and my clinical work.

Hello to all the new faces over the past couple months and of course to all previous followers!

I am a Registered Psychologist and a Certified Perinatal Mental Health Professional (PMH-C). I’ve been working as a Psychologist for the past 10 years! I started in non-profit and made the shift to private practice in 2018.

I specialize in working with women’s mental heath. I approach my work from an intersectional-feminist approach (what does it mean to be a woman in this world under the patriarchy and other forms of oppression - and how does that can impact mental health). In addition to this overall philosophy, I also specialize in some areas that can impact many women (but not only women, and not all women). These include Perinatal Mental Health (infertility, pregnancy loss, birth trauma, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders), Body Image, Self Esteem, and Disordered Eating.

I have many years experience working with women in these areas and have taken part in countless training in these areas to really hone my specialty.

I have a virtual privately practice called Hopeful Horizons and I can work with residents of Alberta, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick.

I have a deeply rooted passion for empowering women in therapy and outside of therapy (which is where this account comes in).

Follow for content on women’s mental health and relationships! .womens.therapist . To learn more about my clinical work, visit my website (link in bio).

Peace ❤️

Here is a feminism inspired tweet carousel in honour of (Possible part 2 coming later)As always:🤍I speak to larger soc...
08/03/2024

Here is a feminism inspired tweet carousel in honour of

(Possible part 2 coming later)

As always:
🤍I speak to larger social trends and patterns and not commentary on individual’s behaviours
🤍There are no universal truths when it comes to mental health
🤍This post is for informational purposes only and not a replacement for therapy
🤍Much of what I talk about can be worked on in therapy. If this resonates, connect with a mental health provider in your area

_________________________
I am a Registered Psychologist and a Certified Perinatal Mental Health Professional (PMH-C). I specialize in women’s mental health. This means I have done extensive training and really get the challenges of motherhood and being a woman in modern society. I offer virtual therapy to residents of AB, NS, and NB 🇨🇦. Currently accepting new clients.

Address


Opening Hours

Monday 09:00 - 20:00
Tuesday 09:00 - 20:00
Wednesday 08:00 - 12:00
Sunday 09:00 - 16:00

Telephone

+14039880944

Website

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