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During the individual counseling sessions, you have the opportunity to work privately with a counsellor.  This one-on- one interaction is focused on setting goals to help you overcome your personal hurdles. In addition, your counsellor sets aside time to journey with you in achieving your established goals thus ensuring that ongoing, personalized support exists throughout the process.

Couples and family counselling, on the other hand, are conducted within a group setting.  This allows all parties to communicate openly and affords them the space to express their thoughts and feelings.  In this setting, the counsellor spends most of his/her time facilitating the discussion and ensuring that all involved is able to work better together.

At the Sounding Board Consulting, your story is indeed our concern and so we make it our highest priority to create an environment where you will be able to share your story in a safe and confidential way.

When a loved one dies, feelings of sadness and sorrow can seem very overwhelming. It is important to note that these feelings are natural, however, if it gets to the point where it feels like it is out of control, then you may need to take action.

Healing isn't an easy task. However, fortunately, there are some things you can do to diminish the emotional pain of loss. These include accepting the feelings and using relaxation techniques as much as possible.  Another effective way to manage this is to try thought stopping and talk about the loss by remembering the good times.  Honoring their memory is also a great technique and even setting up a dialogue with the lost loved one through journaling can help.

When a person has an addiction to something, that individual has a strong and dangerous compulsion to use a specific substance. Generally, addiction starts very innocently and, in many cases, begins when the substance consumption is for gratification.  This then escalates into more frequent, uncontrollable use and eventually results into negative consequences. Addiction doesn't have to be drugs or substance related. Many people are addicted to gambling, relationships, and even food. When thinking of dependence vs. addiction, remember that both can negatively affect one's health, relationships, and also responsibilities if they go to the extreme. Surprisingly, the addict may not be aware of the negative effects their habits have on others. Experiencing addiction? Speak to one of our counsellors.

Trauma is a wound that injures us emotionally, psychologically, physically, and spiritually. As a result, the impact of trauma can be far-reaching and enduring. The most common form of trauma is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This is developed after an individual witnesses or experiences a life-threatening event, whether short or prolonged, such as combat, natural disasters, car accidents and sexual assault. According to studies, 60% of men and 50% of women experience a traumatic event at least once in their lives. PTSD can develop and affect anyone and is not a sign of weakness or inability to "get over" traumatic events.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been proven to be the most effective therapy method for treating PTSD symptoms. The two types of CBT therapy that are proven to be effective are: Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Prolonged Exposure (PE)

During a CPT treatment plan, your Sounding Board counsellor teaches you new skills to understand how the traumatic event changed or altered your thoughts and feelings regarding the trauma. This is important because changing how you think about the trauma can change how you feel about it which, in turn, allows you to take control of the symptoms of PTSD.

On the other hand, during a PE session, you are asked to talk repeatedly about the trauma until the memories that were once debilitating no longer bear any weight. This gives you control over the trauma, and the feelings and thoughts that were once provoked by the symptoms of PTSD are now fully under your control.