Last Friday in Ottawa, Canada where I live, there was a serious bus accident on our transitway, the dedicated route for buses that runs from East to West through the city. Three people died and many people were seriously injured. The accident happened just before 4 p.m. so not only were people coming home from …
Last week, I worked more during the 16 hours I was on call that I had during the preceding day – or the following day for that matter. I was so tired that I almost fell asleep during one particularly contemplative portion of the art therapy session I was conducting. I fell into bed just …
A New Year begins tomorrow and many families will likely resolve to spend extra time together. However, just after the holidays you may also be thinking about keeping spending down. An inexpensive activity that is shown to improve mental health, and that can give your family some positive and meaningful experiences, is volunteering. I am …
Tomorrow you and I will wake up and join millions of other people from around the world to celebrate Christmas. The day will make some of us happy and others very unhappy, but why? There is a story to Christmas – a story beyond the Christ Child, or Santa Claus. The story is linked to …
Sunday afternoon, as I was running around my kitchen cooking, the doorbell rang. It was late in the day for a salesperson, and not really a reasonable time for sales, either. There are Spanish-speaking Christmas Carol Singers who visit homes in my neighbourhood and I thought, “They’re here!” I opened the door happily expectantly and …
Last week in Ottawa, 650 people slept out to raise money to support a local agency’s efforts to help homeless youth. The agency was Youth Services Bureau and, with their shelter system and other support services, they have the most robust assistance for homeless youth in Ottawa. Youth Services Bureau’s Sleep Out event does more …
As December starts, I thought I should review a few basic guidelines to have a stress-free holiday season. For any readers looking for reassurance that this can be done, you’ve come to the wrong psychiatrist. Now, make no mistake, these are great guidelines. I’ve been avoiding them for years. I provide them to you not …
Since the announcement last Thursday that the Ontario Child Advocate’s office would be closed, many groups have expressed their concern that the voice of children and youth in Ontario will be silenced. Many have made an impassioned plea to Premier Ford and his government to reverse this decision. Rather than reiterate their concerns, let me …
A card arrived in the mail Wednesday. A good friend remembered that my sister’s birthday is November 18. It is six months since she died and I spent her birthday with her last year. This November 18 is the first time in my life that I will not be able to say “Happy Birthday” to …
Yesterday, at 11 am, as Canadians began the 2 minutes of silence to mark Remembrance Day, I found myself contemplating what it must have been like for all those at the front line when they learned that the war was over. I contemplated the members of the Medical Corps in particular. I could imagine them …
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