Kathleen is a registered psychologist and the owner of Pinnacle Psych. As a former police officer and a mom of three children with some exceptional needs, she understands how tough life can get. And how we can find the tough within ourselves to get going and rise above. The post This Is Perimenopause appeared first on Pinnacle Psych ..read more

Oh, wow – the next month or so is going to be BUSY for most of us! ‘Tis the time for many-a concert, work party, school party, shopping adventure, baking extravaganza, decorating festival, Zoo Lights, snow fort building, and so forth. Various amounts of stress and fun can ensue. Let’s take care of one important thing that you might not realize should be on your list at this time of year! It’s a gift you’ve already been given, and may not realize: Your health insurance and benefits plans. Many workplace health insurance and benefits plans have a renewal date of December 31 – this means that if ..read more

This is the one everyone is scared of – fear not! I’ve got your back. We can tackle this together in therapy, and you can take charge of your life again. It’s not your fault – and there is a way to beat it. Let’s discuss… Trauma. Definitely a buzzword in our current milieu. Big T, little t? How do we define it? How do we “catch” it? Most of all, how do we beat it? What is PTSD? The American Psychiatric Association (2022) outlines the diagnostic criteria for PTSD: First: There needs to have been exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence by direct ..read more

Ever been there? Where you’ve had enough and just want to get going already? Sometimes we really just want to go full-throttle in order to solve a problem. We have reached our limit, and are going to allow nothing to stand in our way. Except that maybe we haven’t a clue what to DO… There are many reasons that might lead someone to seek intensive therapy: Desire to use up benefits before they expire: Be sure to check with your benefits provider on how your coverage works (i.e., total amounts, timing of benefit year, daily allowances, etc.). Travel and time-off considerations: This format w ..read more

Each of us has a history – individual and collective. The works of Gabor Mate and Thomas Huebl provide breathtaking discussions in this area – truly brilliant stuff. Worth checking out – each of them has a wealth of knowledge, experience, resources, insights, strategies, and so forth: https://thomashuebl.com/ and https://drgabormate.com/ In the meantime, let’s discuss… As humans and as a planet, we hang onto stuff from the past – artifacts. These artifacts can be tangible items (i.e., trophies, report cards, love letters, birthday cards, photos). They can also be more abstract (i.e., memories ..read more

The SSP framework provides a fantastic, straightforward, and very-low-risk way to help regulate our nervous systems, which, for many of us, have had an onslaught of stimuli over the course of our lives. The SSP is based on Porges’ Polyvagal Theory (PVT), which is made up of 3 core pillars: Co-Regulation, Connectedness, and Reciprocity. We are looking to effectively stimulate our vagus nerve – the longest of the 5 cranial nerves, and running from our brain stem into our abdomen – in order to make a state of calm and safe become increasingly accessible. This is our ideal state, though many of u ..read more

Some people come to therapy with a clear conceptualization of why they are there. Some people come to therapy and essentially melt into the chair (or wobbly stool – we have options here, as well as many spectacular fidgets), feeling defeated and desperate for relief…with no idea how to get there. It’s all good. A crucial part of my job is to figure out the core thing – the root of the dismay, disgust, and despair in clients’ lives – and to triage and guide a way to get in charge of it. Sometimes there are a lot of “red herrings” in the process – things we think are the problem, or co ..read more

In cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in Calgary, the relationship between ideas, emotions, and behaviours is the main focus of treatment. People who utilize it learn how their ideas and beliefs affect their moods and attitudes. It is a popular and scientifically proven therapy approach. CBT seeks to identify and make changes to harmful or unproductive mental patterns in order to enhance general well-being. When you partake in CBT sessions, a cognitive behavioural therapist near you  will work with you to define clear objectives and create plans for helping you achieve them. Typically, t ..read more

Feeling anxious or panicked is something that all of us have experienced before. It’s common to have these emotions when we’re stepping outside our comfort zone or making a life change. But some of us experience these things a little bit differently than others; anxiety and panic attacks are two conditions associated with mental health. Dealing with these on a regular basis isn’t something that you deserve, not to mention that these occurrences can be an indication of other, more serious health conditions. To learn more about this, schedule a consultation with our therapist in Calgary today. H ..read more

What about the co-occurrence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) withADHD, and what it means for the individual and treatment? Both ASD and ADHD are neurodevelopmental disorders, and they share a lot of overlapping symptoms; they can also co-occur. The origin of the symptoms can be different, even with what appears to be a similar expression. For example, what can be perceived as social awkwardness in both, could be stemming from challenges with lack of perspective-taking and social skills in ASD, and could be stemming from challenges with staying on track in a conversation in ADHD. My friend su ..read more