Blog Articles

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International Friendship Day: What the Science Says About Building Meaningful Friendships

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one.'" — C.S. Lewis July 30th is International Friendship Day, and in honour of friendships, Edmonton-based therapist Shaheen Alarakhia has written a book review on Platonic: How

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Health at Every Size: A Compassionate Framework for Care

Health at Every Size (HAES) is a framework of care rooted in the belief that everyone deserves respectful, compassionate, and comprehensive healthcare regardless of body size. Rather than focusing on weight as a measure of health, HAES centers dignity, autonomy, and well-being. Edmonton-ba

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The Psychological Impacts of Time Poverty

In today's modern world, we often find ourselves rushing from one thing to another and multitasking throughout the day. Busyness seems to be a normal part of our everyday life. But sometimes, we feel so busy that it can feel impossible to complete our task list while also having time for o

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Why Teen Counselling Isn't Just for "Big Problems" - And How It Can Help Your Teen Thrive

Many times, when people think of teen counselling, they picture it as something that's only needed in a crisis. Maybe a major mental health concern, a traumatic experience, or a situation that feels out of control. And while counselling can absolutely help in those moments, that's not the

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Why It Feels Like Everyone Has It Together - Except You (And What to Do About It)

Have you ever felt like everyone else knows what they’re doing, and you’re the only one barely keeping it together? Like people around you are confident or motivated, and somehow always in the right friend group? Here’s something most people won’t say out loud: almost everyone feel

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Interview with CTV On "Indie and the Emotion Creatures"

Recently, director of Holistic Healing Counselling, Shaheen Alarakhia was interviewed by CTV Morning Live about her new children's book Indie and the Emotion Creatures. Shaheen explained how she uses therapeutic techniques to teach children and their parents & caregivers a unique way to de

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Coping with Life Transitions

Life is full of transitions. Some are exciting, some are difficult, and some are completely unexpected. Maybe you're moving, starting a new job, or stepping into a different season of life. Even smaller changes, like adjusting to a new routine or navigating a personal challenge, can feel o

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Improving Your Relationship with the Gottman Method

Relationships can be challenging. Even in the best of times, we all face ups and downs with our partners. But sometimes, these challenges can leave us feeling stuck or disconnected. That’s where the Gottman Method for couples therapy comes in. Developed by Drs. John and Julie Schwartz Go

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Arriving At Your First Session

Welcome to Holistic Healing Counselling! My name is Stephanie, and I am the office manager here. I'm here to help you with any scheduling needs, as well as answer any questions you might have. If you need to reach your therapist directly, feel free to reach out to me for that as well, and

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Conflict Communication Strategies Series: Validation

When working with couples and families, one common concern is communication. One of the most requested problems that partners will outline is that they would like to improve communication with each other. This is because often, when in conflict with others, we can feel unheard and misunder

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Adapting to Life's Challenges

From the beginning of time, humans have been adapting to challenges. What is this process like and how can we support a healthy adaptation to the challenges of life? In this blog, Edmonton-based Psychologist, Linda Forde, explains how the human body is designed to adapt and how by tapping

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Exploring Feminist Therapy: A Unique Approach to Mental Health

The author bell hooks famously said, "Feminism is for everybody" and we couldn't agree more. If you see the word "feminist," you may think it's not relevant to your life or perhaps that a feminist therapist won't be a good fit for you. The truth is, feminist therapy can benefit many people

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Understanding the Impulse to Say "Yes" and Embracing the Power of "No" for Better Mental Health

In our fast-paced world, the impulse to say "Yes" often feels powerful and automatic. From agreeing to additional tasks at work to accepting social invitations or volunteering for new projects, many of us find ourselves constantly saying yes, sometimes to our own detriment. In this blog po

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What is Burnout?

Burnout is a term often thrown around, but what is it really? Counsellor and owner of Holistic Healing Counselling, Shaheen Alarakhia, sat down with Daria Laine Photography to talk about burnout. You can watch the full conversation below and check out the blog to learn even more about burn

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Tools To Use When You Feel Overwhelmed Or Anxious (Part 2 - Grounding)

In our previous blog post, we explored how anxiety can often catch us off guard, causing us to feel a variety of sensations and no longer in control of our thoughts. Anxiety can be the result of our brains attempting to keep us safe based on learned triggers in our environment. Although th

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Tools To Use When You Feel Overwhelmed Or Anxious (Part 1 - Breath)

Sometimes, often seemingly out of nowhere, we can experience intense feelings of anxiety or overwhelm. This may be experienced as, but not limited to, a rapid heartbeat, sweaty palms, racing thoughts, an upset stomach, and feelings of fear or panic. You may feel completely out of control a

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Interview with CBC News on Regulating Counselling Therapists

Recently, director of Holistic Healing Counselling, Shaheen Alarakhia was interviewed by CBC News on the importance of regulating counselling therapists in Alberta. Read the article below. To learn a bit more about the importance of regulating the counselling therapy professions in Alberta

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Goals and Intentions: Paving Your Own Path in 2024 (Part 1)

A new year is often associated with setting new goals but did you know that most goals set on January 1st are tossed aside by the end of the month? As January comes to a close, you might be noticing that the New Year's resolutions you set are starting to feel harder to accomplish. Canadian

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Goals and Intentions: Opening Up Opportunities in 2024 (Part 2)

It is common to struggle with keeping New Year’s resolutions. In fact, 64% of New Year's resolutions are given up on by January 31st! In Part 1 of this blog post, Edmonton-based Canadian Certified Counsellor, Kelsey Lummer discussed how sometimes we create goals that are hard to attain a

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Interview with 630ched on Climate Anxiety

Recently, director of Holistic Healing Counselling, Shaheen Alarakhia was interviewed by 630ched on her blog post on Climate Anxiety. Listen to the clip from the interview in the attached video. To learn a bit more about climate anxiety you can read the full blog post here.

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5 Ways to Avoid the End of Summer Blues

For many, Summer is a time filled with fun, visits with friends and family, vacation days, and soaking up some Vitamin D. If you’ve noticed that your mood improves in the summer, you are not alone. Researchers have found that mental well-being tends to improve in the summer months. So, w

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Self-Compassion

Self-compassion is a form of self-kindness, where we offer ourselves the empathy that we often extend to others. Self compassion can be a transformative tool to help improve mental health. Some studied benefits of self-compassion are reduction in stress and anxiety, and improvements in res

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Climate Anxiety

Climate anxiety, also known as eco-anxiety, is a term used to describe anxiety caused by the climate crisis. Often, individuals with climate anxiety will experience a feeling of imminent doom around climate change. Some symptoms of climate anxiety include feelings of helplessness, hopeless

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Interview with Global Edmonton on Psychological Spring Cleaning

Recently, director of Holistic Healing Counselling, Shaheen Alarakhia was interviewed by Global News on her blog post on psychological spring cleaning. Watch the interview below. To learn a bit more about psychological spring cleaning you can read the full blog post here.

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WELCOME TO HOLISTIC HEALING

Meet our certified therapists, Ron, Linda, Adam, Danielle, and Shaheen. No matter what you want to work on, we have a therapist to help. Our Counsellors focus on helping you feel at ease by allowing you to feel heard and understood. By using a holistic, or whole picture approach, our trained Counsellors can help their patients live a happier, more authentic life. Our therapists offer adult counselling, partner counselling, family counselling, and adolescent/teen counselling. Interested in learning more? Need to book a session? Contact Us here.

LIVE A HAPPIER LIFE

Counselling doesn’t just have to be for those who have reached a crisis situation. If you want to live a happier life by discussing the issues that are causing you stress, anxiety, or fear, contact Holistic Healing today to book your free initial consultation.