Sonya MacDonald Psychological Services

10/01/2024

Note to Clients
New rate October 1st, 2024
$225

06/12/2024

🙏It’s not just a profession, but an honour.

01/24/2024

Messenger is not working.

03/25/2022

After today, I will be away from the office until April 4th.
I won’t be checking voicemails, messages or emails during that time.

03/03/2022

After 2 years into the pandemic and the political strains/strife of the world, this can start to rise up.
Good read!

It’s hard to go about daily life when existential dread sets in. This article will teach you how to cope and find peace.

02/24/2022

While people in professions outside the mental field are interested in providing trauma-informed services, training opportunities are limited and some experts worry about that.

02/04/2022

February is Psychology Month. Watch for our postings and webinars on self-care.

12/03/2021

This caught my eye, beautiful way to support a grieving friend and family around the holidays.
‘Inviting the grief to attend as well’ ❤️

Holiday host etiquette: If you’re inviting someone to your home and they’re grieving, be sure you’re inviting their grief to attend, too. It will be there, anyway.

Don’t invite someone with the goal of cheering them up for the holidays. Don’t expect them to put on a happy face in your home. Don’t demand they fake it til they make it or do something they don’t want to do, either.

Invite them with the loving intention of offering cheer and companionship and unconditional care during the holidays. To do this, you will need to honor and be responsive to their needs and emotions.

You can do this by privately acknowledging their grief when you make the invitation:

“I know this season is extra hard and your heart is hurting. You and your grief are welcome in our home. Come as you are, we’d be honored to have you with us.”

It’s also incredibly loving to honor the reality that it’s often hard for grieving folks to know what they will want, need, be up for, or able to tolerate at the holidays.

Giving them an invite without the need for commitment and permission to change their mind is extra loving:

“You don’t have to decide right now. If it feels good to be with us, we will have plenty of food and love for you-just show up! I’ll check in again the day before to see if you’re feeling up to coming over and if there’s anything you’d like me to know about how we can support you.”

Your grieving friends and fam need attentive care and responsiveness at the holidays, not plans to keep them busy, distracted, and happy.

If they’re laughing, laugh with them.

If they’re weeping, ask if they’d like your company or your help finding a quiet place to snuggle up alone for awhile.

If they’re laughing while weeping, and this is more common than you’d think, stay with them - this is a precious moment of the human experience that is truly sacred.

We don’t need to protect ourselves or each other from grief at the holidays. In fact, the more we embrace grief as an honored holiday guest, the more healthy, happy, and whole our holidays will be. 🙏

In solidarity,
Sarah Nannen

11/16/2021

Forgiveness isn’t always about saying what someone did was ok. This is a common misconception.

It can be about letting it go for yourself, so you can heal and have peace.

It doesn’t always reset the relationship just as it was, however, sometimes that can be a gift in the end.

11/05/2021

Starting my EMDR journey of training.

First phase: 3 day intensive this weekend 🤩November 5-7
Second phase: 3 day intensive, December 17-19

Looking forward to learning and the integration of EMDR into my practice. 🙏

Just finished the morning segment and I’m saying “wow! “ 🤩

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy treatment that was originally designed to alleviate the distress associated with

10/14/2021

Sometimes we can mistake people pleasing for kindness.
You have to count in the equation.
When you assert these boundaries and people leave, they were never truly “in” your life.