Who's Your Therapist

Shame and stigma can be powerful forces, and Alex is on a mission to confront them in his life. We talk about his experience attending an all-boys Catholic high school, the confusion of trying to date women, and wondering, “what’s wrong with me,” and finally in his 20’s more fully embracing his sexual orientation as a gay man. Alex talks about his journey to becoming a psychologist, and wonders whether focusing on others was a subc...

There’s no question that the theme of loss has permeated throughout Tanya’s life: the loss of innocence, the loss of ideal family relationships, the loss of health… And while that shone through in our conversation, what stood out MOST is her unbelievable resilience and tenacity. Tanya talks about the confusion and loneliness of being a child witnessing domestic violence, and exposits the questions that children can ask themselves: ...

Who am I outside of the therapy room, and why can’t I turn my brain off? We discuss working in a profession that beckons us to keep it together, and then needing a place to let it all out. Alison touches upon a family history of mental illness, and what she refers to a Capital “D” and Lower Case “D” depression. We also share our own “going to a therapist” horror stories and the lengths we go to not repeat them with our clients. 

Ali...

Abby is the self-proclaimed “World’s Okayest Therapist,” at least that’s what her t-shirt says. As such, she is constantly meeting pressure head-on with humour and a healthy dose of reality. We sit down to talk about the many “flavours” of shame and how it can be a barometer at times to gauge burnout and stress. Abby discusses growing up with refugee parents who lived in the shadows of the Holocaust, and how “fixing the problem” be...

Candice does it all… she’s a mother, a therapist, and an entrepreneur, seemingly finding time for everyone and everything, even, herself? Candice talks about the notion of not having enough time to not be okay; feeling like an “outsider” throughout her life, and how this may have contributed to a strong sense of independence. Sometimes being overly independent, however, had the unintentional consequence of pushing people away. Toge...

Mike was never someone who liked being told what to do. Growing up with learning disabilities and ADHD, he struggled through high school, until finally discovering what the admonition, “You need to apply yourself,” meant for him. When he was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of fourteen, he used this opportunity to look at things through the lens of a challenge, as opposed to tragedy. Together we explore the role humour plays in l...

Gillian comes from a long line of doers. In fact, “just keep going when times get tough," was sort of a family trait. When depression hit in high school, she did what she knew best, keep forging ahead and keep achieving. By the time she reached university, however, years of stuffing it down had taken its toll, which led to an emotional crash. Gillian talks about how this became a turning point in her life, ultimately setting he...

Cim is no stranger to overcoming adversity; in fact she’s had more than her fair share, from a life-changing injury that forced her to dash her dreams as a professional dancer, to the ensuing chronic pain that has stuck around till this day. Yet all of these experiences couldn’t prepare her for when her husband experienced a severe brain injury one year into their marriage. She talks candidly about the impact on their relationship,...

Daniel Farb a.k.a. MC Fübb is no stranger to taking the road less travelled. Some of these roads, however, led him down some dark paths; getting in trouble with the law, a visit to the psych ward, among other things. Daniel talks about his experiences with addiction and severe clinical depression, and how he found a sense of freedom by shifting the way he related to his pain and suffering. This ultimately became part of his salvati...

Bonnie moved around a lot as a child, and pretty quickly had to get used to being the new kid on the scene. She talks about having a mom who partnered with women, and the implications that had on child protection in the 1960s. Bonnie reflects on her identity as an accomplished artist, the impermanence of things, and how ethical non-monogamy has come to play a meaningful role in her life.

Bonnie teaches at The Hincks-Dellcrest Centre...

Sam talks about his experience of childhood sexual abuse, and how that experience spawned a seemingly lifelong on-again/off-again relationship with what he refers to as existential aloneness. Getting fired without cause, and several bouts of depression later, he ultimately got back on the horse by reinventing himself in order to get through a really dark time. Sam touches on his new book of short stories, "Neither...Nor," a...

Who's your therapist, anyway? Do we really know? We tend to regard therapists as enlightened healers of the mind, but do they have problems too? Behind their professional persona exists a life not all that different from yours or mine. Find out the common humanity that has us linked more than you'd believe.

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If you're a therapist and interested in be...