Today on our collaborative blog, we have a guest post from PMVC member Natasha Huff. In this post, Natasha discusses the relationship between sexual assault, abuse and mental health. We would like to thank Natasha for her thoughtful discussion of sexual violence and for contributing to the Psychotherapy Matters community. What Is Sexual Abuse & Assault?  Shame, guilt, embarrassment, sadness, disgust, fear, mistrust, anger, powerlessness and anxiety are only a few of the countless emotions that sexually abused and assaulted survivors are made to live with.  Sexual abuse and assaul ..read more

Today, we have a guest post from our PMVC member Lydia Charak. In this post, Lydia discusses Expressive Arts Therapy and complex mental health. We would like to thank Lydia for her thoughtful discussion of Expressive Arts Therapy and for contributing to the Psychotherapy Matters community. Expressive Arts Therapy Expressive Arts Therapy is a form of therapy that utilizes and embraces the energy of the arts in its many forms. It provides an inroad to understanding ourselves from a subconscious and intuitive place. With the guidance and witnessing presence of a trained expressive arts therapis ..read more

Going beyond negative thinking and mindfulness towards helping people build emotional resilience and valued living. Do you know anyone who has not felt distressed, anxious or stressed in some way? You might be hard-pressed to think of someone. This is because it is difficult to live a rich and valued life without encountering hardship, upset, or emotional suffering at some point. It is widely known that most people experience disruptions in their mood and some form of anxiety from time-to-time. Many people, from all walks of life, including therapists, attend therapy as they look to navigate l ..read more

Today, we have a guest post from our PMVC member Natasha Huff. In this post, Natasha discusses trauma and its impact on our lives. We would like to thank Natasha for her thoughtful discussion of trauma and PTSD and for contributing to the Psychotherapy Matters community. In some ways, trauma is a metaphorical slap in the face – it is extremely painful and sudden, and completely tears our attention away. When we finally overcome the shock and are able to realize something has happened to us, we are left in a state of feeling that we cannot accept or believe that whatever happened is true or re ..read more

The mental health care system in Ontario was flawed long before the pandemic arrived in our province. Still, this new crisis is likely to exacerbate the problem. If you are a psychotherapy professional, you’ll agree that the current mental health care system in Ontario is fragmented and lacks integration, leaving many therapists without support from the mental health care community. Ultimately, this lack of professional support and collaboration hurts the clients, who require quality care and prompt access to mental health care. Part of the problem is the fragmented structure of the mental hea ..read more