#TipstoBloom

23 May

As of 2020, there were 8 million kids in Canada. Can you guess what these youth all had in common? The answer is: their rights! November 20th is National Child Day in Canada, and it is on this day that we honour the rights of these children and carry on our faithfulness to supporting these rights. According to Children First Canada, there are 12 main areas of child rights that everyone should know. I will not go through all of them,...

18:00 / Guest Post / Therapy / Uncategorised / Uncategorized
18 Nov

Guest Post By: Alyssa Sinicropi November 20th is National Child Day in Canada and World Children’s Day across the globe. This date commemorates when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959 and when they adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. While the United Nations set a universal standard for human rights in 1948 with the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, children’s legal rights were recognized...

21:05 / Guest Post / Students / Uncategorised / Uncategorized
29 Sep

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (September 30), also known as Orange Shirt Day, honours the children who never returned and Survivors of the residential school system. It recognizes the ongoing impacts of the residential school system on Survivors, their families and communities.  The colour orange was chosen because of Phyllis Webstad’s experiences. She wore a brand new orange shirt for her first day of school at the St. Joseph Mission Residential School, outside of Williams Lake, BC in 1973....

21:30 / Uncategorised / Uncategorized
15 Nov

Self Care 101 Self-care isn’t selfish. “Self-care is giving the world the best of you instead of what’s left of you”  - Katie Reed.  Self-care… What does it really mean? Self-care is a term that has been thrown around a lot lately, especially during the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic. Employers, teachers, professionals, family, and other parents have all been pushing this idea of taking care of yourself because it’s becoming more known of how important mental health is, and how some...

15:23 / Child Therapy / Guest Post / Self Care / Uncategorised / Uncategorized
16 Oct

Play therapy is an innovative and effective form of therapy for individuals of all ages, particularly for children whose natural form of expression comes through play. Play therapy dates back to the 1940s. It is usually done in a non-directive, child-centered format. Self-directed, child-centered play therapy means that the child is the center of attention. They are the most important person in this setting and are completely in charge of the situation and themselves. There are no suggestions, mandates, restraints, criticisms,...

21:34 / Child Therapy / Guest Post / Therapy / Uncategorised / Uncategorized
24 Aug

Covid-19 has brought astronomical levels of disruption and uncertainty. It’s like we are all wearing a 20lb weight vest. Although we are all in the same storm, we are not in the same boat so that vest may be heavier for some than others. Nonetheless we’re all impacted.  One group that has faced significant disruption is athletes. When this group is discussed we may automatically think of professional sports organizations who had altered seasons, or elite athletes having to wait another...

08:13 / Child Therapy / Guest Post / Uncategorized
28 Mar

March marks the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic and it is safe to say that everyone has been impacted in one way or another, including children. Children have experienced changes in their routine, missed significant life events, loss of security and safety, along with many more challenges based on the family’s unique situation. Ask yourself: Are you physically and socially distancing from a grandparent or other loved one? Has your child had a disruption in their school or learning...

17:26 / Child Therapy / Grief / Guest Post / Uncategorised
07 Mar

Guest Blogger: Sarah Nyland, Certified Child Life Specialist WHAT IS A CHILD LIFE SPECIALIST? HOW CAN A CHILD LIFE SPECIALIST HELP MY FAMILY? Children process stress and trauma in many different ways, depending on their age and development, that is very different than adults. Child life specialist understand the developmental impact of trauma and assist children and their families when dealing with an illness, trauma, or loss (death, divorce, or relocation). Child life specialists are trained professionals with expertise in...

18:40 / Child Therapy / Guest Post
28 Feb

Guest Blogger: Laura Teutsch, MMT, RP(Q), MTA What is Music Therapy? How can it help my child or teen? According to the Canadian Association of Music Therapist’s, music therapy is “a discipline in which Certified Music Therapists (MTAs) use music purposefully within therapeutic relationships to support development, health, and well-being. Music therapists use music safely and ethically to address human needs within cognitive, communicative, emotional, musical, physical, social, and spiritual domains.” Well that’s wordy… Let’s break that down together. The basic belief...

16:40 / Guest Post / Uncategorised
30 Sep

Play is the language of children. In play therapy the child is given the opportunity to play out their feelings and experiences. Play therapy can be directive in that the play therapist can provide guidance to the child to meet the child's goals. It can also non-directive where the child leads and decides on the direction of the play. Virginia Axiline, the creator of play therapy, suggests that non-directive play therapy is based on the belief that every individual has upon...

17:15 / Child Therapy