Author: Lyndsay Mathews
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A Counsellor’s Reflections on Wicked: Glinda and ACT
I know I am a few months behind in writing a reaction piece to the much-anticipated release of Wicked: For Good, but it’s never too late to gush about our favorite witches from Oz, right? As I sat in the theatre in November (because, yes, I saw it the weekend it came out) listening to…
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Connecting: The Potential Power of Volunteering
The benefits of volunteering may seem obvious to those on the receiving end, but have you ever thought about how volunteering can be beneficial to the volunteer as well? Research shows volunteering can positively impact one’s mental health and overall life satisfaction, especially for those 60 and above. (Mayo Clinic, 2023; Nichol, Wilson, Rodrigues, and…
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Further Thoughts on Kindness in Children
A quick google search about kindness in children will reveal all sorts of excellent strategies and activities for encouraging kindness. Reading books about kindness, modeling it in your family, and talking about it with your kids – all great things to implement in your household. In this article, however, I want to go one step…
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Communication & Long Distance Relationships
I spent my first Valentine’s day with my then boyfriend, now husband, thousands of miles apart from him. He held up a sunflower to the screen on our long distant date via Skype (Yes, this was back on the day…). Long distance is not for the faint of heart. More than once I stood in…
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Moving Beyond Stages of Grief: Current Thoughts and Understanding
Perhaps you’ve heard about the stages of grief. It’s a popular concept that was developed by renown Swiss-American psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross during her work with individuals in the end stages of their life. The original concept was people move through five stages of grief while facing their death — denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.…
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The Importance of Play for Adults
When was the last time you played? Is your first thought to that question, “I’m an adult, I don’t play” or “I’m not a kid, why would you even ask me that”. Fair enough – play is usually thought about as something only kids can and should undertake. In other words, it’s not for adults.…
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Self Care: What it is, what is isn’t, and why it’s important
“Self-care” is a bit of a buzzword that we often hear, but have you ever stopped to think about what it really is, what it isn’t, and why it’s important? It’s not uncommon to see a picture on social media of someone having a spa day or on a holiday with #selfcare in the caption.…