Tara Forgeron Psychology & Associates Inc.
45 Weatherbee Road, Suite 402 Sydney, NS, Canada

Wow. How amazing is this? This beautiful studio is offering FREE yoga all day on October 10 to celebrate World Mental Health Day. I am a huge advocate of what yoga can do for one's mental health, and truly believe it is such a wonderful practice for everyone. <3

We are still open at the office. We will keep you updated if anything changes as the storm progresses. :)

Caregivers are often asked how their loved ones are doing. However, the caregivers mental health is often forgotten about, or simply not acknowledged. This role can be a challenging one and can often feel quite isolating. The next time you run into someone who may be caring for a loved one, ask them how they're feeling, and if they need someone to talk to. Those simple questions can make the world of a difference. <3

Oftentimes we believe that we have to sabotage our own needs in order to 'be there' for someone else. This is your Friendly Friday reminder that you can hold compassion and empathy for someone as they go through difficult times, yet can also set your own boundaries and acknowledge your own needs. You don't need to abandon your own personal health and well-being in this process. Happy Friday! :)

How do you respond when anxiety arises in your body? Do you try to ignore it, push it away, distract yourself? What about telling yourself that you shouldn't be feeling this way- there's nothing to be anxious about, and that you're completely blowing this scenario out of proportion? When we're met with anxiety, we typically default to trying to get rid of it. It makes perfect sense, right? Why the heck would we want it to stick around? The problem is that we're rarely successful when we push anxiety away. In fact, it typically shows up ten-fold. Bringing an acceptance-based mindset to anxiety and other uncomfortable emotions sounds incredibly counterintuitive, but can make a significant difference in how you experience it. Are you aware of any experiences or feelings that you've been resisting in your life? Tune in.

Hi everyone-Tara here. I'm pretty excited to share that I'm going to be offering psychoeducational assessments again. I loved conducting these assessments in the past, and took a mini hiatus to focus solely on counselling, diagnostic assessments, and running the practice. However, beginning this Fall, I'll be reserving some time in my schedule to conduct these with individuals 16 and older. If you're interested in learning more about this, please read below. A psychoeducation...al assessment involves a standardized assessment of an individual's academic and intellectual abilities. They're helpful in identifying whether an individual has a learning disability or developmental disability, or any particular cognitive or attentional challenges. If you're interested in learning more or booking an appointment, please call (902) 567-3756 or email us at [email protected]. See more

How did everyone's first day of school go? In an effort to spread some positivity, I'd love to hear one part of your experience today that went really well, or one part that you're grateful for. Feel free to share a picture if you'd like. :)

I've been personally finding that the social media world has been a LOT lately. This is to be expected, as there is so much going on in the world, and therefore lots of different opinions, triggering posts, and difficult news. It's got me thinking a lot about judgments that we make about others. And how draining this can be on our own energy. I'd like you to challenge yourself today to practice letting go of judgments, or stories about other people. How cruel or ignorant or 'wrong' they are. I'm not suggesting that you need to agree with them, but can you choose to drop the energy that you would use speaking negatively about them, just for today? See how that feels. <3

To everyone who is heading back to school tomorrow, we're wishing you lots of peace, kindness, and connection for the school year ahead. It will certainly look and feel different, but ask yourself how can you bring a positive or peaceful attitude to the situation. Be aware of the words and energy that you carry. <3 And to the parents- don't forget to pack your kid's lunchbox ;)

Just a friendly reminder that your weight isn't supposed to be perfectly stable throughout your adulthood. Life shifts and fluctuates, we shift and fluctuate. Give yourself some grace. You're so much more than your body. Happy Friday, everyone!

With the school year fast approaching, we've had many inquiries for appointments with our Child and Adolescent Psychologist, Dr. Boudreau. Dr. Boudreau has some openings remaining for September for counselling, as well as for ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) assessments (for ages 6-18 years and 2.5-18 years, respectively). Please call (902) 567-3756 or email [email protected] for more information, or to book an appointment.

In a perfect world, the therapist and client do not have any relation outside of the therapy room. There are many reasons for this- and they're all in the client's best interest. Simply put, you're likely to be much more comfortable in the long-run, and make more progress in therapy when your Psychologist is 'just' your Psychologist (i.e., not your friend's relative, acquaintance, running buddy, 'so and so's daughter, etc.). You're not worried about what they're *really* thin...king, whether you should tell them about a particular situation where they may know of someone it involved, etc. You can simply have an unbiased relationship with him/her when there are no other relationships or factors to consider. Unfortunately, we can't always avoid this situation where we live, mostly due to a shortage of Psychologists and Therapists, and the fact that we live in a small community. If you're wishing to seek therapy and know one of the practitioners at our office, you can certainly request to be seen by another practitioner. Alternatively, you can avoid our clinic altogether ( ). We're more than happy to make recommendations to some of the other practitioners within our area that might be a good fit for you based on your concerns. There are a few great resources that some local psychologists are listed on. Two of our favourites are https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca and https://apns.ca/. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions. :)

On the drive home from work today, my typically calm 4-year-old son was particularly emotional/a wee overdramatic. ;) He dropped his PJ Mask water bottle, and all hell broke loose in the backseat. 'I'm having a really hard day!', he said through his tears. We chatted about what that was like for him, normalized his emotions as I assured him that it's ok to feel sad, etc. I could have looked at this situation as a simple temper tantrum, rolled my eyes and became frustrated, ye...t it occurred to me-he's just having a day. Just as I have days where I become much more agitated and stressed at seemingly minor issues that I'm typically able to brush aside. Just as I have days where I'm much more emotional when I think about people who I've lost, or personal stressors that I thought I'd dealt with. Just as I have days where I spill a coffee and exclaim some words that I won't type here ( ;) ), as opposed to laughing at my clumsiness as I would on another day. My point to this little anecdote is to simply normalize that your emotions, and your child's emotions, are fluid. We all have our days where we react a bit more than respond. Where we don't always think rationally or practice our mindfulness as smoothly. Where we need to take it easy on ourselves and be extra gentle. So, take some time to check-in with yourself (and perhaps your kiddos), to see how you're doing every once in a while. And then ask what you might need to feel more of a sense of calmness. <3

Many parents are dealing with a lot of uncertainty, questions, and stress with the upcoming school year approaching. If you have a child who will be returning to school in September, you are likely wondering what their return will feel like after 6 months at home, how they'll cope with the transition and changes, if their anxiety will increase, how it'll impact their mental health, etc. Here are some tips to help them along this transition: 1) Talk to them. Have a conversati...on around how they're doing, what concerns they have, and how you guys may be able to navigate the concerns together. This can allow them to feel heard, supported, and confident that they have somewhat of a plan in place for this transition. 2) Visit the school ahead of time to help settle any anxious jitters about this environment. Of course, you won't be able to enter the school at this time, but simply allowing your child to visit the outside of the school, play on the playground, etc., can help the child feel more secure. This can be particularly helpful for younger children. 3) Set up some playdates with children who will be going to the same school. This can help the adjustment by having children see familiar faces. 4) Ensure your family is as prepared as possible for the school year. I don't mean that you need to prepare in a Type-A fashion, but simply by having a list of lunch ideas, quick breakfasts, outfits planned the night before, and bedtime routines in place, it can help the whole family feel a sense of preparedness and security. 5) This was mentioned in number 1, but I'll mention it again- give your child the space to voice their concerns, and let them be heard. Normalize their worries as opposed to telling them 'it'll be fine', and 'don't worry about it'. We all know what it feels like when someone tells us to calm down, and this is the equivalent of that. ;)

Some wise words from The Holistic Psychologist.

How often should I come to therapy? This is a great question, and one that can (not surprisingly) vary from person to person. We discuss your specific situation in the initial session after we have a comprehensive understanding of your situation. There are a number of factors to consider when we determine how often you should come to therapy. Here are a few of the determining factors: -Your presenting concerns (i.e., the concerns that brought you to therapy, along with the in...tensity and frequency of symptoms, or simply put, how much you may be struggling in managing them). -Your treatment goals and therapeutic approach we'll be working from. -Whether you have insurance for psychological counselling, and the amount. While we wish this wasn't a determining factor, it is, and it's a big one. If your insurance only covers a few sessions-that's ok- we'll work with that, but it may mean spreading out your treatment sessions a little more than we might ideally like. If you have a significant amount of insurance, we have more flexibility in setting up a schedule for you. If you have any particular questions about therapy, or what this process may look like, feel free to send an email to [email protected], or give us a call at (902) 567-3756. PS- if you're waiting for a response from us via email, please make sure to check your Trash Inbox. We hope we didn't end up there, but we may have. ;)

What will the new provincial mandatory masks rule mean for therapy? Will I be required to wear a mask in my therapy session? No. Our therapy offices are spacious enough to accommodate 6-feet distance between you and your Psychologist/Therapist. Furthermore, psychology private practices are not considered personal service businesses.... Please take note that any public spaces used by you, the client, on the way to our office would require wearing a mask (I.e., elevator, general waiting area, public hallways, etc.). Our Office Manager will also be wearing a mask when youre in the office and interacting with her- I.e., scheduling appointments, processing payment, and more. Lastly, we, as practitioners, will also be wearing a mask to come get you from the waiting area and bring you into our therapy office. Once in the office, were able to remove the masks and proceed with business as usual.

Parents can feel an overwhelming sense of guilt when making the difficult decision to divorce from their partner. They're often faced with uncertainty as to how they should speak to their children about this issue, and aren't sure what's *really* going on with them. This article discusses the impact of divorce on children and specifies some key differences on how it affects children vs. adolescents.

A little humour on this Monday ;)

There are many concerns regarding the relationship between adolescents and smoking marijuana. What's the best advice parents can implement where this is concerned? Open and honest dialogue. Take a peak at this article for more information.

'How do I help my little guy, who's been struggling with all of the recent changes?' The last number of months have been particularly challenging on our children. There's been an increase in confusion, anxiety, loneliness, behavioural challenges, and more. Our Child and Adolescent Psychologist has particular training in providing children with support and strategies to help navigate through their emotions. Dr. Boudreau also provides counselling for parents who have concerns about their child's mental health and well-being. Dr. Boudreau is booked until the end of August, but has some space open in September. You can also be placed on the waitlist for openings that arise before your first appointment. Please call us to book an appointment, or if you have any further questions, at (902) 567-3756.

We'd like to take a moment to thank all of our existing and new clients, and our community, for all of your support over the last few months. Telepsychology services may have felt out of the norm for most of you, and we so appreciate your trust in us. For over a month now, we have been able to gradually begin offering some in-person services in addition to our virtual sessions. Please note that safety guidelines are in place, which include a limited number of people in our of...fice at once, along with a sanitization station. Furthermore, all of our therapy offices are able to comfortably accommodate physical distancing- making it feel as 'normal' as possible. If you have any questions whatsoever about booking an appointment, please contact us at (902) 567-3756. We're so enjoying connecting with all of you, regardless of the medium in which we connect. :) See more

I believe that there is a lot of pressure to stay in unhealthy relationships because 'it's family.' Family is important; however, if you're experiencing abuse or consistently putting your own mental and emotional health second, it may be important to explore how to navigate these relationships.

When someone we care for is hurting, it's tempting to jump into advice-giving mode. While this has a time and place, typically the best way to help support this person is through simple validation of their experience. Let them be heard. <3

Love this wisdom from The Holistic Psychologist

We're thrilled to officially introduce you to the newest member of our team- Dr. Elyse Boudreau. Dr. Boudreau is Registered Psychologist who works with children and adolescents in many different capacities. Please read below for more information. Dr. Elyse Boudreau is a Registered Psychologist with a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of New Brunswick. She provides assessment and treatment for children and adolescents with anxiety, depression, trauma, emotion re...gulation difficulties, and behavioural concerns. She believes parents play a very important role in their childrens mental health. She therefore offers sessions to parents, when appropriate, to learn effective parenting strategies, behavioral interventions, and/or attachment-focused methods to strengthen the parent-child relationship. Dr. Boudreau also offers diagnostic assessments for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) for children and adolescents. Dr. Boudreau uses evidence-based treatment approaches, meaning they have been shown to be effective in research studies. She incorporates cognitive-behavioral, attachment-focused, trauma-informed, and acceptance and commitment therapy methods depending on the clients needs and goals. Dr. Boudreau creates a warm and accepting therapeutic environment where clients feel comfortable exploring their thoughts and feelings and making changes in their lives. She also adds fun and creativity into her sessions to encourage engagement. Dr. Boudreau is very happy to be home in Cape Breton, where she enjoys spending time with family and riding her horse. If you'd like to book an appointment with Dr. Boudreau, please phone our office at (902) 567-3756.

I know this can be difficult to practice in 'the thick of it', but what a beautiful reminder that we can see difficult experiences as those to grow from. That doesn't mean you have to have a smile on your face and only experience gratitude, but such a reminder can help to provide hope in moments of darkness. <3

Theres been so much discussion around concern for school-aged children. The Canadian Psychological Association just shared a free webinar that will be taking place on this very topic. Check out the link below for more information.

Leanne is a Registered Psychologist who offers psychoeducational assessments to help identify academic and learning-based strengths and weaknesses in children. She is now able to see clients and can be contacted via her Facebook page if you have any questions about her services.

Wonderful news!

Some of you may be wondering why you (or others in your home) have been more irritable or more easily bothered by stressors in the last month and a half. This is normal during stressful periods. Ask yourself how you can begin to proactively reduce stress or how you might be able to create more space in your life amidst this difficult time.

Happy Administrative Professionals Day to the glue that holds our office together- Amanda. I speak for everyone on our team when I share how grateful we are that you are in our lives- both personally and professionally. When we're able to open our physical practice doors, you can wish Amanda a belated Happy Admin Day. :)

There are simply no words to describe the sorrow and heaviness were feeling after the recent tragedy. So many innocent lives were lost. Our hearts go out to everyone impacted. May this heart in our window be a symbol of the love and support were sending to all of you, and as an expression of solidarity with our province. #novascotiastrong

Thinking of all of the individuals who have lost loved ones in the recent tragic events, and to those who put their lives on the line for us every single day. Thank you. Our hearts are with you while we try to process these inconceivable acts.

At the moment you become angry, you tend to believe that your misery has been created by another person. You blame him or her for all of your suffering. By looking deeply, you may realize that the seed of anger in you is the main cause of your suffering. -Thich Nhat Hanh

Does anyone else feel as if your confidence in handling this situation and emotions change daily? One day I'm feeling as if I've got a handle on the situation, and the other is complete mayhem. Know that whatever you're experiencing, it's all normal. Resentment toward your spouse, gratitude for your health, irritability, anxiety- all of it. Most of us have never been in a situation like this one before, and so we can expect to be feeling so many different waves of emotion. Every person is also in a very unique situation, and that's ok. Let's practice not holding any judgment- only love. How are you feeling and doing throughout all of this? Comment below and share with us. We're all in this together. <3