Illumination Therapeutic Services

Illumination Therapeutic Services Illumination Therapeutic Services offers individual and group counselling to adults and teenagers.

Illumination Therapeutic Services offers individual, couples, family and group counselling to both adults and youth. I will be offering both in-person as well as virtual services to Alberta residents. Together, I hope to help illuminate patterns and ways of being that no longer are serving you and indeed may be hindering you from thriving and living your best life. I have been working in the field of social work for over 17 years and working in counselling for the past decade. Please visit my website www.illuminationtherapeticservices.com if wanting more information or reach out to book a free 15 minute phone consultation to see if I'm the right fit for you.

03/02/2026

To the caregivers of someone who is terminally ill 🤍

If you have ever wanted to run away…
If you’ve fantasized about escaping for just one day…
If you’ve caught yourself wishing it would just be over — even wishing they would die — because you are so deeply exhausted…

You are not a monster.
You are tired.

Anticipatory grief, chronic stress, and round-the-clock caregiving strain the nervous system in profound ways. When there is no break, no relief, and no clear end, your body and mind will naturally search for escape. That isn’t a lack of love. It’s a sign you’ve been carrying too much for too long.

You can love someone fiercely
and still long for the suffering — theirs and yours — to end.

Both can be true.

If this is you, please know: your thoughts do not define your devotion. They reflect your humanity.

And you do not have to hold this alone. The therapists at Illumination deeply desire to support caregivers navigating anticipatory grief, compassion fatigue, and the invisible weight of loving someone through the end of life. Reach out if you’re ready for a space that holds you with care, too. 🤍

02/27/2026

Connection After Bedtime 🤍

Bedtime can be one of the hardest parts of the day for children.
It means separation. And for a child’s nervous system, separation can feel like danger.

From a brain science perspective, children borrow regulation from us. Their sense of safety is built through connection. When connection feels steady and predictable, their bodies settle. When it feels uncertain, their nervous system can move into protest, anxiety, or dysregulation.

Small rituals before bed can make a big difference.

A few extra minutes of presence.
A predictable phrase.
A hand on their back.
A simple “I’ll see you in the morning, and I’m always thinking of you.”

These micro-moments help “fill their love tank” and build felt safety — the embodied sense that I am safe, I am connected, even when we are apart.

My daughter has created her own ritual. She draws us pictures and leaves them outside her door for us to colour while she sleeps. It’s not exactly how I imagined spending kid-free time… but the five minutes it takes is nothing compared to the security it builds.

When she wakes up and sees them coloured, the message is clear:
You were on my mind. We are still connected.

Connection doesn’t end at the bedroom door.
Sometimes it just takes a small, intentional act to help a child’s nervous system rest.

02/25/2026

Today we wear pink to stand for kindness, courage, and connection. đź’—

Bullying thrives in silence — healing begins in safe spaces. At Illumination Therapeutic Services, we believe every child, teen, and adult deserves to feel seen, valued, and safe to be exactly who they are.

Let’s raise kids who are brave enough to be kind. 💕

02/24/2026

So excited to become a member of the Okotoks Chamber of Commerce this month!

02/21/2026

Try this today:
Notice when you say “I have to”
and see what happens when it becomes “I get to.”
Perspective changes everything. ✨

02/18/2026

What we choose to pay attention to truly matters.
Our brains are shaped by focus, and with gentle intention, we can begin to create new neural pathways by noticing moments of gratitude, small joys, kindness, beauty, and simple pleasures—especially during seasons when life feels heavy or painful.

Pebbles of Happiness isn’t about denying devastation or “looking on the bright side.” It’s about intentionally allowing moments of beauty to exist alongside the hard. One pebble at a time.

I invite you to try this practice for a month and simply notice what shifts, if anything. Many of my clients share that it becomes one of their most supportive tools for perspective-shifting and emotional regulation—something they return to again and again.

Gentle. Intentional. Powerful. ✨

02/15/2026

When I look at this picture taken hours before my late husbands death, I’m filled with so much compassion for this 29 year old version of me.

For the exhaustion she felt at having been a caretaker for 19 months. The dread she had learned to live with every day wondering if today would be his last. The secret hope that it would be over soon as she didn’t know how long she could go on. The guilt as wishing it would be over meant he would be dead and her biggest fear would have come true. How these two things existed inside her at the same time.

Compassion for what was about to come and the horrible things she would see and impossible decisions she would have to make in the coming hours. For the intense loneliness she would feel that there aren’t words for as she learned to walk without her best friend and husband.

Today on the 12th anniversary of my late husbands death, I honour and remember him, but I also hold my younger parts with so much love, compassion and grace.

If you are navigating caretaking or at any stage of your grief journey please know you don’t have to do this alone. Grief is not meant to be experienced alone. We would be honoured to walk along side you here at Illumination.

02/14/2026

Celebrating the small wins of grief not physically taking over my body for the first time in years.

02/14/2026

Tonight we played Know Me If You Can by — a game where you answer questions about the people you love.

I pulled the card: “Three words that describe me.”
My daughter didn’t hesitate.

She said: calm, peaceful, loving, polite, hopeful, kind, positive.

I’ve never felt more seen. Or more proud of the work I do every single day to show up as the mom she needs.

Because loving her is easy — but raising her can be exhausting.
There is no off switch. She feels everything deeply, intensely, fully. There have been seasons where I genuinely didn’t know how to support her in the way her nervous system needed. Seasons of overwhelm, confusion, and self-doubt.

So hearing her casually describe me with such gentleness was a reminder I didn’t know I needed:
That showing up matters more than getting it right.
That imperfect presence still lands as safety.
That love, consistency, and determination are felt — even when we’re unsure.

I’ll keep showing up. Overwhelmed at times. Learning as I go. Full of love.
And tonight, I’m letting myself believe that that is enough. ✨

02/13/2026

Well I’d say Chat GPT nailed this one…

02/11/2026

After busy days, activities, or social time, many children need a reset when they get home.
That might look like quiet play, time alone in their room, zoning out, or doing something that feels regulating to them.

Especially for introverted kids or those who are easily overstimulated, downtime isn’t avoidance — it’s recovery.
When we honour that need, we send a powerful message: I trust you. And in turn, they learn to trust themselves and their ability to know exactly what they need.

Connection can come after the reset. đź’«

02/08/2026

The Illumination team had a wonderful day at a Galentine Market by .love.co with a couple other practitioners from

Address

#10B, 109 Stockton Point
Calgary, AB

Opening Hours

Monday 5pm - 9pm
Wednesday 5pm - 9pm
Saturday 9am - 1pm

Telephone

+14039787045

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Illumination Therapeutic Services posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Illumination Therapeutic Services:

Shortcuts

Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share via Email
Share on WhatsApp Share on Instagram Share on Telegram

Category