Three Year Old Emperor of Sensory Mindfulness Faye Archer Wilson, MA Registered Psychologist (Prov) While out for a walk at Calgary’s small and beautiful Inglewood Bird Sanctuary with family, I found myself in the ironic, or perhaps incredibly appropriate, role of trying to ensure my three year old nephew did not become horribly lost and left behind.  Going for a walk with three year olds is like wrangling cats.  Do not plan on going for long distances, or travelling quickly.  This a rule I knew, but had forgotten.  Thus, as I observed the rest of our party be ..read more

Lessons Learned Sara Ailia, MC, R. Psych (Prov) I love what I get to do in my role as a psychologist. I feel so blessed to be in the unique enriching position which allows me to offer support to so many. One thing I love most about my role is that I get the privilege of receiving,as well. In my years of counselling I have gained some pretty valuable lessons in my work with clients. Here’s some of the most valuable lessons and truths about life I have gained in working with both young and old: 1. Our deepest pain can reflect who we are at our core. In other words, when I feel really sad or h ..read more

How can I prepare for my first Couple’s Counselling session? Courtney Bell, MA (R. Psych)   How can I prepare for my first Couple’s Counselling session? Couple’s counselling can be so intimidating. We often see couples come into their first session seeming defeated, embarrassed, and hopeless. First of all, let’s get rid of the stigma! Couple’s counselling can benefit most couples. We can all agree that there are things we can improve when it comes to connecting, relating, communicating, understanding, and loving our partners. So now that we can kick embarrassment and shame out the window ..read more

Believe it or not, our psychologists are real people too!  We all like to go out, enjoy some time with friends, and occasionally enjoy a night out.  some of us like to sit back with a good book and enjoy a little “Self Care”.  On the heels of the interview completed with our friends at Career Connection Bow Valley College, here’s a fun 10 questions in 2-ish minutes to get to know Sara and Courtney a little better!  Enjoy!   The post Get to know us! appeared first on Allan & Robyn Manzano ..read more

Mental Health Strategies during a Pandemic Bow Valley College – Career Connections interview   We are proud to have a couple members of our team support community initiatives such as Career Connections at Bow Valley College.  Please click watch the video below to hear some tips our team is recommending to take care of your mental health during this COVID crisis.     The post Mental Health Strategies during a Pandemic – interview appeared first on Allan & Robyn Manzano ..read more

                  Unprecedented Karyn Zuidhof, MA, R.Psych A word I’ve heard about a billion times in the last few weeks and hardly ever before is unprecedented. Anyone else with me on this one? I looked it up, and it means “never done, or known before”. Simply put, no one has ever gone through this before. Truly, we haven’t. If even 6 months ago you were to tell me we would all be staying home because of a worldwide pandemic, I might have questioned your conspiracy theories. We’re all going through something we have never gone through before, and ..read more

How Emotion Focused Therapy can help you face difficult emotions Courtney Bell, MA How often do you experience a difficult emotion and lean right into it? You are not alone if your answer is rarely, or never for that matter. Difficult emotions (sadness, fear, anger, loneliness for example) often elicit the same response as putting our hand on a hot stove top: we pull away in the opposite direction! However, what if I told you that facing and leaning into difficult emotions can bring great healing? Emotion focused therapy does just that, helping you fully arrive at your difficult emotions so ..read more

Family Therapy and Building Blocks Robyn Manzano, MA When was the last time you played with Lego blocks?  Recently, I have rediscovered this nostalgic childhood activity.  There is a certain relaxation that comes with just sitting and building.  Although there are no real rules or expectations (despite what the strong Type-A people might argue!), it is an opportunity to engage our creativity, imagination and innovation (areas of our brain that are often neglected).   Being around children and Lego has definitely inspired this analogy — the family is like a box of free-play Lego.  Just as ther ..read more

What Does Anxiety Feel like? Love this image to help describe what people feel on the inside.     The post What does anxiety feel like? appeared first on Allan & Robyn Manzano ..read more

    UNDERSTANDING HEALING We have all experienced some kind of hurt, pain and discomfort in our lives and it’s because of this commonality that we can relate to one another.  Whether it is pain in the form of having your heart broken by a loved one, facing rejection in school, at work or among friends, loss of some kind, mistreatment or a lack of support when it’s most needed, we have each faced some form of such difficulties.  How we cope with undesired relational events can truly impact us. Said another way, the ways in which we handle such pain can be relieving or healing.  An important que ..read more