Our Blog

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01.01.2022

Finding Hope During the Pandemic

During the pandemic, initial days of isolation turned into weeks, then into months, and now nearly two years later, our lives have become entirely uprooted and far from the reality we once knew. Normal routines and tasks became increasingly stressful, with more demands placed on us, and the lockdowns proved it was not just our routines that became disrupted, but our relationships too. Facing uncertainty or an upheaval of our routines can wreak havoc on our minds

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01.12.2021

Brushing Up on Personal Boundaries

It’s hard to believe we are already nearing the end of 2021. The holiday season is right around the corner and this can lead to many mixed emotions and overwhelm. That said, this is a great time to improve or brush up on boundary setting in your personal relationships with your partner, family, friends, and in the workplace. What are “boundaries” and why do healthy boundaries matter? Adopting healthy boundaries protects your emotional well-being to prevent emotional and

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18.11.2021

Back to School. Back to Normal?

We’re currently three months into the new school year and it is evident that this has been yet another different year for parents, caregivers, educators and of course, children. The COVID pandemic is still going strong and there are many new protocols within schools that have been put in place to attempt to keep children and families safe. Although they are there to ensure safety, these changes and protocols can be scary and overwhelming for all involved. Let’s talk about

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26.10.2021

Reframing the Pandemic as a Positive for Your Family

As many families are focussed on moving out of the pandemic uncertainty and are holding out strong hope for the return to “normal”, let’s take time to examine exactly what normal is, and whether or not we really want to return there anyway.  We can start by spending some time reflecting on the pandemic experience.  From those first uncertain days of shock and denial, moving to some anger and sadness, and finally landing on acceptance, we all

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11.05.2021

Co-regulation: What you (and your child) need right now

Our ability to regulate ourselves as adults comes down to two basic, yet challenging, abilities: attention and emotion regulation. These abilities are less developed in children; so why is co-regulation so difficult for us parents? Photo by Sai De Silva on Unsplash When we talk about self-regulation, it speaks to our ability to manage our own emotions and thoughts. This regulation is not just about our own intentions. It is also influenced by many things around

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11.01.2021

Ambiguous Loss- and what to do about it

Ambiguous Loss- and what to do about it. Rebekah Laferriere MSW, RSW This pandemic sucks. It’s taking a toll on all of us mentally and emotionally. I’m missing my family.  I’m missing tea with my mom.  Missing normal playdates for my kids. The hard days feel like they roll into other hard days in hopes that we will all get through the other side. We will, but that’s not the point. We are all experiencing something called ambiguous loss

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08.01.2021

Tips for Finding a Therapist

We at Maratos Counselling and Consulting Services hope you have had a safe holiday season. As we move into the New Year, you may be thinking it is time to seek out professional support.  Here are a few tips and strategies to get you started on your search. Consider what type of support is feasible for you: Free Resources: We have many community resources that offer free counselling services. Those can be found here:

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Tips for Studying as an Online Student

14.10.2020

Tips for Studying as an Online Student

Feeling Overwhelmed? Anxious? Overthinking everything? Here are a few strategies to help build quality into your study time and to be more effective in your space.   Use the STOP skill.    When you notice you are getting caught in a cycle of overthinking, the first thing to do is to get out of the “spin cycle” and into the present moment. You will not be productive when stuck on the hamster wheel of “what if’s” and “should haves”.

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COVID PANDEMIC

01.06.2020

Taking care of you, when things feel heavy

This has been a hard time for each of us as we collectively grieve. COVID-19 has created an undercurrent of anticipatory grief of what’s to come, while we all adjust to our new “normal”, continue to experience the up’s and down’s of being human, and attempt to hold on to hope that we can cobble together a normal we recognize after all of this. We have passed the first wave of crisis. For many of us, the

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20.04.2020

What is Postpartum Rage?

You’ve made it home with your new babe. You’re adjusting to the lifestyle changes and working through the hormones and the new everyday intensity that come along with postpartum life. You’ve possibly heard of “Postpartum Depression”, “Baby Blues” and “Postpartum Anxiety”. The trouble is, none of these searches online or discussions with your friends and loved ones fit the bill of what you are experiencing.  Maybe you’re feeling tired, a little sad, and worried about your new

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