JG Gillis Counselling

The last eight weeks has been a whirlwind of stress and unexpected need. It has me asking myself the question: Clients come to therapists for help in their lives, navigating a sudden change, healing a trauma (or hundreds of traumas), dealing with addiction, getting back on their feet after a loss, or whatever. But who helps the therapist?  What happens when the therapist goes through that valley they are so good at helping others through? Well, I have learned a few things in the last few weeks. And here, in no particular order, are some of the things I've learned. It hits different when it's YOU . There's a degree of separation when you suggest techniques for someone else, and when the crisis is actually happening in your own life. You feel intensely alone, even though you know you are surrounded by people who care. You know it's only a perception, but the perception ... is strong. And admitting that helps the healing process start.  The feelings are real. And no less ...

Most of my clients don't mention Thanksgiving; it's an excuse to have a long weekend and they only talk about it after it has happened and only if it was stressful for them. Their stressors mostly and usually centre around Christmas, Easter, Valentines Day, Mothers Day and Fathers Day. Royalty-free photo from Pixabay To me, Thanksgiving (in the US, Columbus Day) is bittersweet. In 2013, while my youngest was still alive, and homeless in her car in Edmonton Alberta, I was so discouraged and was thinking of cancelling the big meal. She got wind of it, and pleaded with me: "Oh Mom, don't cancel Thanksgiving. Look at me; I'm living in my car but I'm still thankful. I'm thankful that I have you and Dad, and my friends who love me, and a place to sleep at night. Please Mom. Please." So, touched and moved by her concern for ME, I did Thanksgiving traditions that year. Less than 2 weeks later, she was gone. So yeah, bittersweet. I still celebrate...

With most if not all of my clients, I recommend a simple (but sometimes hard) exercise: self-care. Many people don't understand why. Some misunderstand what I mean by self-care. I thought I'd take some time this morning and briefly talk about what self-care is and why it is so important to everyone, but especially to everyone who is dealing with mental health issues. Self-care isn't all massages, manicures, and bubble baths. If those things make you feel great about yourself, by all means, do them, but I'm talking about small things that you can do in your daily routine, as simple as brushing teeth (or other hygienic things, which for people with depression, may seem hard) right up to taking a walk or having an outing with or without a human or animal friend.  Free photos available at Pixabay.com The purpose of this kind of activity is simple. It is to feed the part of you that rarely gets any thanks or gratitude from anyone, the part of you that feels alone, misunderst...

  I've heard it said that a diamond is still a diamond even if you find it in a pigsty. Well, I can't say that the past week has been a pigsty week, but it's been pretty crappy (the whole family has COVID-19). However, news I've been waiting for has finally arrived: I passed my qualifying exam for the CCTPEI (College of Counselling Therapists of PEI) and the subsequent jurisprudence exam. Then, I received an email from the CCTPEI welcoming me to the College, and so I am a Counselling Therapist! Just like that! These are gates through which I hope never to have to pass again! As long as I keep my membership and education current, I won't have to! And they also mean that I can offer my services to more people and have those services covered by more health insurance companies. Implied in the title of Counselling Therapist is the word "registered" - which means automatic recognition by the provincial (and in some cases, federal) government as a provider of cou...

  They sleep. Dormant beneath the cold ground, beneath the snow and ice, the hardy crocus sleep, awaiting the first signs of spring: the sunlight's increasing duration, the softening of the maple's skin, the increasing temperatures, the melting, the run-off, the smells of decomposed grass and leaves.  The crocus bulbs wait beneath the earth, held in suspended animation until the first signs of life return to the land. In PEI, these come in April, no matter what the calendar says is the first day of spring. In warmer climates, they arrive in February. Here, winter is long and it can be harsh. However, these little cloves of crocus are not destroyed. They are one of the harbingers of hope that warmer times will return. Others are the return of the female mourning doves, which sends the males into bursts of billing and cooing. And the last - the very last - is the appearance of the robins on OUR lawn, the last to get these rare beasts because the neighbourhood (outdoor) cats use ...

  What an ordeal the last few hours has been! First I discover that my WordPress site at judygilliscounselling.wordpress.com is inaccessible to me, then I discover that I cannot report this fact to them without logging into my wordpress account, which I cannot do. Anyway, you'll note some of my archived information in my previous post. :) Since the last time I posted, in the summer of this year, much has changed and I wanted to update my readers, if they ever find me (LOL).  I'm now almost a year into private practice. I wrote my entrance exam to the PEI College of Counselling Therapists on October 27, 2022, and I am awaiting the results. Passing the exam means that I will be able to become a member of the College (like the College of Physicians and Surgeons, only for Master's level counsellors!) and use the title, "Counselling Therapist." It also means that more health insurance companies would be covering my services for those with such plans. So if all goes wel...