Expressive Minds

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Orillia, ON
Expressive Minds

Helping children and youth overcome challenges, feel good about themselves, experience a fulfilling life and develop resilient and secure relationships.

Empowering, supporting and promoting emotional wellbeing, through individual and family sessions, working with children, youth and their parents to overcome challenges and realize their potential. Helping parents in their journey, providing strategies and reflecting on what works for their family, to support themselves and their children. I am registered psychotherapist in Ontario, specializing in working with trauma and adverse childhood experiences, anxiety, emotional regulation, attachment and relational difficulties, grief and loss, divorce and separation. I bring authenticity and deep connection along with playfulness and creativity in my work with kiddos and their families. Through the Expressive Minds page, we will strive to promote emotional wellbeing of parents and children and advocate the importance of play and mindfulness in everyone’s lives. We will be posting easy to follow resources, tips and creative strategies to support kiddos and their families.

11/12/2025

This post outlines the "7 A's of Healing," a concept developed by Dr. Gabor Maté. These principles are designed to help individuals develop emotional competence by learning to manage emotions and stress, which are key factors in the healing process for both mental and physical health.

The "7 A's" include:

Acceptance: Acknowledging one's situation and emotions without judgment.
Awareness: Being conscious of one's internal state and external environment.
Anger:Learning to express anger in a healthy and constructive way.
Autonomy: Developing a sense of self-governance and personal responsibility for one's life and choices.
Attachment: Building and maintaining healthy connections and relationships with others.
Assertion: Speaking and acting on one's own behalf in an honest and authentic way.
Affirmation: Believing in and validating oneself and one's own experiences.

As the owner of Expressive Minds Therapy, my vision is to provide tailored and developmentally appropriate services taking into consideration the uniqueness of each child and the uniqueness of their family. My passion for the parents to access the most fitting information and support for their family as early as possible and for children to build their confidence and resilience to manage the ups and downs of life.

Reach out to us to learn more about our services www.expressive-minds.com

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11/10/2025

Check out our updated website and learn more about our services!

As the owner of Expressive Minds Therapy, my vision is to provide tailored and developmentally appropriate services taking into consideration the uniqueness of each child and the uniqueness of their family. My passion for the parents to access the most fitting information and support for their family as early as possible and for children to build their confidence and resilience to manage the ups and downs of life.

Reach out to us to learn more about our services www.expressive-minds.com

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11/05/2025

Our friends at Playful Room had a wonderful time today using music, rhythm, and movement to express themselves, calm their nervous systems, and boost their self-esteem!

In the therapy room, music and movement can effectively reduce stress and anxiety, improve mood, and foster social connections. The focus is not on perfection but on expressing what needs to be expressed, having fun, and feeling good about oneself.

As the owner of Expressive Minds Therapy, my vision is to provide tailored and developmentally appropriate services taking into consideration the uniqueness of each child and the uniqueness of their family. My passion for the parents to access the most fitting information and support for their family as early as possible and for children to build their confidence and resilience to manage the ups and downs of life.

Reach out to us to learn more about our services www.expressive-minds.com

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11/03/2025

Following last week's post about setting intentions for the winter months, I wanted to share an exercise that helped me visualize which inner resources and strengths I need to tap into over the next few months to be the captain of my own boatl.

I focused on a photo that resonated with me and identified three key areas: patience towards myself, compassion towards myself and others, and faith in my own resilience.

As the owner of Expressive Minds Therapy, my vision is to provide tailored and developmentally appropriate services taking into consideration the uniqueness of each child and the uniqueness of their family. My passion for the parents to access the most fitting information and support for their family as early as possible and for children to build their confidence and resilience to manage the ups and downs of life.

Reach out to us to learn more about our services www.expressive-minds.com

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10/29/2025

I'm excited to share that Monkey is interested in collaborating with me to support children in feeling better, more confident, and more resilient in managing life's challenges by integrating EMDR into our sessions. He has already started reading a book to help him communicate effectively with children and their families about how we can best support them.

Monkey was also open to me demonstrating how to incorporate toys into our work, which is a fantastic step.

As the owner of Expressive Minds Therapy, my vision is to provide tailored and developmentally appropriate services taking into consideration the uniqueness of each child and the uniqueness of their family. My passion for the parents to access the most fitting information and support for their family as early as possible and for children to build their confidence and resilience to manage the ups and downs of life.

Reach out to us to learn more about our services www.expressive-minds.com

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10/27/2025

As winter approaches and the days grow colder and shorter, these two photos remind me of the importance of setting intentions for my physical and mental well-being during the challenging months ahead. My intentions include exercising, connecting with nature as much as possible—even if it's just a short walk in the snow—and engaging in hobbies I enjoy (I already have a couple of puzzles ready to assemble!).

What are your intentions for this winter?

As the owner of Expressive Minds Therapy, my vision is to provide tailored and developmentally appropriate services taking into consideration the uniqueness of each child and the uniqueness of their family. My passion for the parents to access the most fitting information and support for their family as early as possible and for children to build their confidence and resilience to manage the ups and downs of life.

Reach out to us to learn more about our services www.expressive-minds.com

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10/22/2025

When you leave the office and everything is ‘in order’… all the emotions sorted, listened to and being taken care of… and you come back and they have something new or more to say…to express… to take care of… to process… to be seen!

As the owner of Expressive Minds Therapy, my vision is to provide tailored and developmentally appropriate services taking into consideration the uniqueness of each child and the uniqueness of their family. My passion for the parents to access the most fitting information and support for their family as early as possible and for children to build their confidence and resilience to manage the ups and downs of life.

Reach out to us to learn more about our services www.expressive-minds.com

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10/20/2025

A beautiful photo capturing the storm and the clear sky… there was a rainbow as well in the background at some point. Turbulence and hope at the same time!

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10/15/2025

I was just thinking about the things I'm grateful for, and I wanted to share: I'm grateful for my health, the support I receive from my family and friends, and having the best job ever! What are you grateful for?

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10/13/2025

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the wonderful people in our neighbourhood who have helped Pepper become more comfortable being in the presence of others during our daily walks. With your patience, understanding, and compassion, Pepper has made a few new friends over the last few months!

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10/08/2025

I wanted to share some thoughts on the importance of limits and boundaries in helping children understand expectations and develop their understanding of others.

When I work with a child, I typically establish a few key expectations:
"Keeping ourselves and the room safe."
"Meeting for a specific amount of time."
"Tidying up the room at the end of our special time together."

Within these boundaries, children are free to explore and express themselves as long as it's safe. While setting limits is a normal part of a play session, it doesn't happen very often in my experience.

Examples of setting a limit and setting the expectations might include:
"Zoe is not for hitting. You can choose to throw the ball softly towards Zoe, or you can choose to throw the ball hard towards the wall."
"The sand stays in the box."
"You are very upset that our special time together is over today and you really want to continue playing, but it is time to finish now."

These moments of setting limits are valuable opportunities to observe a child's tolerance levels and understand their struggles in real-time. They also provide a chance to repair the relationship, as children learn to trust that their feelings are accepted and that the relationship remains intact even when limits are established. This process also helps children develop a sense of their own boundaries—how far they can push—and an understanding of others' boundaries, such as "Hmm, Zoe is not comfortable with me throwing the ball hard towards her."

When we clearly communicate our boundaries and what we will do, it helps children learn their own limits. For instance, if a child continues to throw a ball at me after a limit has been set, I might introduce an ultimate limit, such as: "Hmm, you really want to throw the ball hard on Zoe, and Zoe is not for hitting. If you choose to throw the ball hard towards Zoe, Zoe will end this game." If the child continues once more, I would calmly state: "You chose to hit Zoe, so you chose to end the game." This approach helps children develop self-control, accountability, and responsibility.

As the owner of Expressive Minds Therapy, my vision is to provide tailored and developmentally appropriate services taking into consideration the uniqueness of each child and the uniqueness of their family. My passion for the parents to access the most fitting information and support for their family as early as possible and for children to build their confidence and resilience to manage the ups and downs of life.

Reach out to us to learn more about our services www.expressive-minds.com

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10/06/2025

In my article Understanding and Connecting with you teenI share some insights about the developmental stages teens are going through that may impact they way they see the world and relate to others and/ or themselves.

As the owner of Expressive Minds Therapy, my vision is to provide tailored and developmentally appropriate services taking into consideration the uniqueness of each child and the uniqueness of their family. My passion for the parents to access the most fitting information and support for their family as early as possible and for children to build their confidence and resilience to manage the ups and downs of life.

Reach out to us to learn more about our services www.expressive-minds.com

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Address

53 Andrew Street S
Orillia, ON
L3V5J2

Website

https://expressive-minds.com/

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