adhd in adulthood

ADHD in Adulthood: Understanding Assessments and Treatment Options

Kate KolskogADHD, Uncategorized Leave a Comment

ADHD can be diagnosed at any age. While we’re used to hearing about ADHD assessments for kids, these evaluations can be just as important for adults. We can only imagine how frustrating it can be to live with undiagnosed ADHD. It might feel like a constant battle with managing your time, staying focused, and avoiding impulsive decisions. These challenges can impact your relationships, careers, and everyday life in ways that are hard to explain if you don’t know what causes them. And yet, less than two out of ten adults with ADHD actually know they have it.1 Without that awareness, people often struggle in silence, feeling like something’s off but not knowing why. Getting assessed can be the key to understanding those challenges and finding ways to manage them. In this guide, we’ll cover ADHD in adulthood – from what an assessment entails to the treatment options that can help. The more you know, the better equipped you are to …

couples-counselling-calgary

The Benefits of Couples Counselling Earlier in The Relationship

Kate KolskogUncategorized Leave a Comment

Relationships are an essential part of being human. The people we choose to share our lives with foster the opportunity to continue exploring and understanding the world and ourselves in new ways, as well as expand our support system and coping. While there are inevitable excitement and pleasure to be found in selecting a romantic partner, it also exposes us to opportunities to feel a wide range of emotions.  In any relationship, romantic or not, there will be instances where there is conflict, miscommunication, misaligned values or desires, all of which can be challenging for couples. Significant challenges likely feel more visible, but smaller problems often go undetected or unaddressed, especially early on in a relationship. A beautiful aspect of couples counselling is that it allows the couple to reflect on their relationship while gaining meaningful tools and insights that can improve their relationship.  How Couples Counselling Can Help Think about the examples you have seen of couples in therapy …

pyscho-educational assessment

Give Your Child the Skills to Succeed with Regular Counselling

Kate KolskogUncategorized Leave a Comment

It’s no secret that our kids are under a lot of stress and pressure to excel at school, home, and in extracurricular activities. While some children can manage competing priorities well, others struggle with these demands and expectations.  Regular child counselling with a psychologist in Calgary can help your child develop the coping skills they need. In doing so, they can manage the stress and challenges they’re facing. This type of investment in your child’s mental health can also go a long way towards putting your mind at ease. The Pressure to Succeed is Everywhere Regardless of how old they are, we tell our kids that their ability to succeed is of the utmost importance. These messages could be in the form of feedback coming from well-intentioned teachers and classmates, or in directions from a favorite coach on the soccer field. Though what success looks like will vary in each situation, the consistent message is that it is crucial. As …

Child counselling Calgary

Easing Back to School Anxiety with Child Counselling

Kate KolskogUncategorized Leave a Comment

While it can be exciting the start of another school year can bring feelings of anxiety with it for some children. There is a certain amount of anxiety that can be expected when returning to school, meeting new teachers, and negotiating new friendships. Our kids may not know how to fully express their feelings and as a result may be more likely to act out and test boundaries. This type of behavior is normal while going through a seasonal transition like back to school. Kids may also be withdrawn, sad, or overly emotional while they say goodbye to summer and fall back into their routines. Each child is unique in how they adjust to being back in the classroom, and there is no way to predict how long this will take. For some children, the return to routine and busy schedules can be overwhelming and challenging to deal with. It may trigger significant feelings of anxiety that start to impact …

Counsellor in Cold Lake

Take Your Relationship from Good to Great with Couples Counselling

Kate KolskogUncategorized Leave a Comment

It can be easy to dismiss any need for couples counselling when your relationship is going well. Some might even say, “If it isn’t broken, don’t try and fix it.” While this wisdom may ring true for some, there is no reason to wait for something to be wrong in your relationship before you experience the benefits of regular couples counselling in Calgary. Good relationships take commitment from both partners and an equal investment of time and energy. By attending couples therapy when there isn’t a significant issue to be addressed, you can reap the benefits of working with a Psychologist or Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist without added emotional strain. Regular couples counselling can take your relationship from good to great by enhancing communication, improving your sex life and developing a deeper appreciation for your partner. How Couples Counselling Can Improve Your Relationship  Great Relationships Need Strong Communication The key to a great relationship is strong communication between partners. …

couples counseling

The Benefits of Attending Regular Couples Counselling

Kate KolskogUncategorized Leave a Comment

There is a pervasive myth that couples attending counselling together are experiencing challenges or difficulties in their relationship. While this might be the case for some, it doesn’t apply to everyone.  Couples counselling is often associated with significant issues in a relationship like infidelity, addiction, or a breakdown in communication. While visiting a psychologist in Calgary when your relationship is in an acute crisis is very important, this doesn’t need to be the case in all circumstances. In fact attending couples counselling in Calgary on a regular, ongoing basis can act as a preventative or protective factor for your relationship. It can help you to identify issues before they become a significant source of stress and develop into an ongoing issue that requires immediate attention. Regardless of marital status or intention with your partner, attending couples counselling together can help you to learn more about one another, manage strong emotions, and identify potential problem areas. How Couples Counselling In Calgary …

psychologist calgary

Use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to Challenge Distressing Thoughts

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Finding time to take care of yourself can be a challenge, but it’s vitally important if you want to be able to keep up with the daily demands of life. Psychologists can provide the support and guidance you need in order to thrive both now and in the future. One of the tools psychologists in Calgary use to help clients overcome unwanted, distressing or difficult thoughts and their associated emotions is called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT. This therapeutic approach is supported by decades of research that demonstrate its ability to help you understand your thoughts and change your reactions to them. By engaging in CBT, you and your psychologist work together to identify specific unwanted or challenging thoughts, and then develop strategies to manage them effectively. The Steps To Successfully Utilizing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Understand Cognitive Distortions Psychologists use CBT to identify what are called cognitive distortions that impact your thoughts, attitudes and beliefs. These can be the things …

Emdr therapy Calgary

What to Expect During EMDR Therapy

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EMDR therapy is a tool that psychologists in Calgary and other trained providers use to help you heal from past trauma. This can include things like being in a car accident, experiencing violence or surviving a natural disaster. Events like these are often deeply disturbing and impact a person’s sense of control over a situation. Trauma can also be caused by smaller events or experiences, often referred to as ‘small t’ trauma, that surpasses your ability to cope with a situation. These can include divorce, financial difficulties or ongoing conflict with a loved one. EMDR, which stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, therapy is well researched and endorsed by the American Psychiatric Association, the World Health Organization and the United States Department of Veteran Affairs. EMDR therapy can quickly improve symptoms related to trauma, including flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance of people or places that are triggering, emotional numbness, and irritability or anger. If you’re considering EMDR therapy in Calgary to …

Emdr therapy Calgary

How EMDR Therapy Can Help You Heal from Past Trauma

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You may have heard of EMDR therapy somewhere online, in passing a conversation on the street, or from a friend. In recent years this form of psychotherapy has moved into the mainstream as an effective tool psychologists in Calgary and other trained providers have at their disposal for helping to heal past trauma. There is more and more attention being paid to previous trauma and its impact on our everyday mood and emotions. Over the last few years, there have been scientific studies published that show a direct link between traumatic events and brain development in children. In adults, traumatic events can have a long term lasting impact on the ability to cope with everyday life.  Healing from previous trauma is a difficult process, but with EMDR therapy it’s possible to regain a sense of peace and control in your life. What is EMDR Therapy? EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and it’s a powerful tool for helping …

How Psychologists Can Be Part of Your Self-Care Plan

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It can be hard to balance the demands of daily life and take care of your own health at the same time. We tend to focus on the needs of others, whether it’s our kids, partners, other family, and friends, well before our own. Between responsibilities at work and at home, and the constant push to get more done, you can be left feeling drained and overwhelmed. You can help address this by prioritizing your health, including your mental health, and psychologist services can be an important part of a larger self-care plan. Self-care is a term used to describe activities that we do to promote and nurture our health. These can be things like getting enough sleep, eating a balanced diet, exercise, regular relaxation, managing stress – and seeing a psychologist on a regular basis. Establishing an effective self-care plan that includes regular visits to a psychologist in Calgary, gives you the chance to build a trusting relationship with …