Marie Holowaychuk, DVM, DACVECC, CYT

Ever wondered how Brainspotting could enhance your therapeutic practice? 🤔 Our recorded webinar provides an in-depth exploration of the foundational principles, techniques, and real-world applications. Whether you're seeking to expand your toolkit, enhance client outcomes, or deepen your understanding of trauma healing, this free webinar equips you with the knowledge and confidence to make informed decisions. 🧠 Sign up today! https://lnkd.in/gNpbU-ia . . . #awakenconsultingservices #mentalhealthcounseling #traumahealing #holistichealth #mentalhealthawareness #brainspotting #somaticpsychotherapy

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<​meta name="description" content="Discover the healing power of equine-assisted therapy. Learn how horses can aid in trauma recovery and emotional well-being in this unique counselling approach that takes therapy beyond traditional settings."> I hate coding - and I haven't got a clue how it works - or how it's meant to work - or what the f'ing heck that's meant to be ... But on the other hand, this is where AI is a perfect tool for me - as it talks me through the exact questions that are flummoxing me. It also turns what I write into short coding opportunities - so even if I don't have a clue what I'm doing - it does actually enable me to use short phrases which can be impactful for other people. Now I just wish it would attend all the Freshers' Week events and tell me what on earth I'm meant to be doing ... I have a diary full of things that I haven't got a clue what they mean - and somewhere I have zoom links for me to attend but goodness knows where!

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💭 Imagine healing from grief without rehashing old wounds. 💭 Dr. Louise Peters is leading an RRT training that flips traditional grief therapy on its head. No need to dive back into painful memories—just simple, effective techniques to bring you (and your clients!) fast relief. 📅 It’s starting October 9th. Are you in? Let’s heal together: https://lnkd.in/edrjxfW8 #GriefNoMore #HealWithRRT #MindShift

Post-elections, I’ve seen waves of grief expressed as betrayal and broken trust. I find myself wondering: are we dealing with new betrayals, or is this more about the resurfacing and aggravation of old wounds, where cumulative grief overlaps with familiar scars? Our emotional lives don’t operate in binaries or neat timelines, so perhaps it’s both—a betrayal that echoes through layers of ancestral pain and trauma, where grief compounds across generations. At the heart of this grief is #disenfranchisedgrief—loss and sorrow that society fails to recognize or validate. When our grief over injustices and racial trauma is met with dismissal or indifference, it remains unacknowledged, complicating our ability to heal. Racial trauma compounds this experience, as each betrayal reopens and aggravates wounds tied to a legacy of oppression and exploitation. Each new hurt connects back to generational memories of harm, furthering the psychological toll that racialized people endure. True trust requires a foundation; it can only be broken if it was present to begin with. So when we feel betrayed yet again, it’s not just a single act but an aggravation of long-standing wounds, tracing back to colonization’s original betrayals. The cycle feels all too familiar: promises of change that fade into false alliances dressed up as progress. Much like how colonization cloaked itself as “civilization,” and saviorism disguises itself as “allyship,” what’s offered as trust and solidarity often serves to exploit. This is why our #collectivegrief carries layers of exhaustion and disillusionment. Each betrayal recalls countless times we reached for connection only to be met with harm. And yet, as these wounds reopen, we have the power to see through the illusions, recognizing the deep-rooted patterns at play. True healing, however, can’t come from simply prescribing individual solutions to systemic problems or promoting self-care as a fix for toxic environments. These responses only shift the burden onto individuals while leaving the structures of harm untouched. What we need isn’t superficial coping strategies but a commitment to equity—a transformation of the colonial systems that perpetuate betrayal, racial trauma, and disenfranchised grief, all of which impact our health. Healing requires collective action that dismantles these structures, not merely more resilience from those enduring the pain. To my fellow melanated women of African descent who are Racialized as Black, I see you in your wholeness, I hear your cries and I stand in solidarity and ubuntu centred sisterhood with you. Your kin Sistar 🫶🏾✊🏾🙏🏾🦅🪶🦋

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 📢 Attention #MentalHealth Professionals, are you ready to transform lives? Our Certificate in #trauma counselling: Level 1 with Natalie Zlodre is your gateway to mastering trauma-informed approaches and enhancing resilience. 🗓️ Choose Your Path: • Start Sept 9: https://cvent.me/gkENbn OR • Start Nov 18: https://cvent.me/gkEy3V Gain: • Cutting-edge insights on biopsychosocial trauma • Ethical assessment and response strategies • Tools to boost personal and professional resilience • Expertise in handling various trauma types, from childhood to work-related Transform lives: • Help single-incident trauma survivors reclaim baseline functioning • Guide complex trauma clients to break free from maladaptive patterns • Develop systematic processes for core belief transformation 🌞 SUMMER SALE ALERT! Use code SUMMER2024 to SAVE 20%! That means your investment in this program is only $1,440 (regular $1,800) 👉 Don't miss this chance to revolutionize your practice and make a lasting impact. Register now and become the trauma counselor you've always aspired to be. #TraumaCounselling #traumainformed #SummerSale 

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How do you start your first session? This is for new counsellors. Besides talking with your client, what do you do? It's really about what modality or script you use. When I started coaching, I had a 10-session pre-scripted pack, which greatly helped. If you're new and need clarification on whether you're a Solution-Focused, CBT, or ACT (or whatever else) fan, start by finding pre-scripted session plans online, or create your own. Practise with it, adjust as needed, and eventually, you won't need a script anymore. Feel free to reach out if you need help creating or refining a script.

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ADHD-ers usually have an interest-based nervous system. Meaning that a task needs either novelty, urgency, competition or interest for them to be motivated or focused. Learning this and adapting boring, everyday tasks to fit into one of these categories can be life-changing. This concept was coined by Dr William Dodson and makes so much sense to me. So, for example, I can only wash my hair when I have to be out of the house by x time and I am rushing. Most of my boring tasks are done when I am in a rush. Parcels are returned the day of the deadline. That’s because of urgency. I get really excited and invested in new projects and ideas, then get bored of them quickly and can leave them half finished. That’s because of novelty. Making boring tasks into a competition can make them easier to do. So I might call my boyfriend and have a competition of who can make their bed the quickest. Gets it done. Or, adapting things to your interests. I hate cooking. But I love creating things. So I am creating a booklet of each recipe I follow. This motivates me to cook because then I can write the recipe down. I wrote about this on my blog last year, after Leanne Maskell set me the task of learning about it as homework during my ADHD coaching sessions (which were SO valuable). https://lnkd.in/eknws53K

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Dear #MentalHealthProfessionals: #therapists #psychotherapists, #psychologists #counsellor #teachers #coaches, fellow #socialworkers and all healing curious humans, Both Regulated and Unregulated: Decolonizing our ways of supporting people isn't just a cultural competency or preference—it’s an ethical responsibility. We decolonize to prevent the recolonization that perpetuates harm. Prescribing colonial approaches to equity-seeking and deserving people while claiming to be an ally and a safe space is contradictory and harmful. 🦅 Decolonizing ourselves, our ways of knowing, and our methods of support is not optional. It’s necessary to avoid perpetuating intergenerational, cultural, racial, institutional, and collective traumas. 🪶 We are all shaped by colonial structures, and failing to actively decolonize risks reinforcing the very harms we seek to dismantle. If you accept this community call to move from cultural competence to embodying trauma-responsive and liberatory cultural humility, click the link below to explore our upcoming offerings, including Tree of Life, Narratives in the Suitcase, COURRAGE, and OUTTRAGED 👇🏾 https://lnkd.in/gUXRC239 You can also amplify this offering by sharing, tagging someone who might be interested and sharing the post- thank you for your support, #itatakesavillage In Communal Solidarity, Your Bantu Sista, Sima

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Are you wondering about the differences between Brainspotting and EMDR therapy? 🤔While both are effective for trauma treatment, Brainspotting focuses on accessing the brain's natural healing ability by utilizing and processing on focused eye positions connected to trauma in the brain. EMDR uses bilateral eye movements and a protocol, while Brainspotting emphasizes the therapeutic relationship and internal processing guided by the client’s nervous system. ✨ . . . #awakenconsultingservices #healingtrauma #mentalwellness #mentalhealthmatters #mindfulness #counselingservices #healingpractices #decolonizedtherapy

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The presentation by Dr. Chris Palmer at a BSI Medical Society event in Boston delves into the critical link between mental health and metabolic disorders. Dr. Palmer challenges the conventional view by proposing that mental disorders should be viewed as metabolic disorders affecting the brain rather than just neurotransmitter imbalances or trauma. By emphasizing metabolic health, he suggests a holistic approach that integrates various risk factors like genetics, stress, and environmental influences. Mitochondrial dysfunction in the brain is highlighted as a potential root cause of many mental health issues, explaining the frequent co-occurrence of mental illnesses with metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes. This bidirectional relationship underscores the importance of addressing mental and metabolic health in treatment. Dr. Palmer advocates for metabolic interventions, such as the ketogenic diet, to enhance mental health outcomes by improving mitochondrial function. He notes the impact of psychiatric medications on mitochondria, with some benefiting and others potentially harming metabolic health, leading to adverse effects on long-term well-being. Through ongoing research, Dr. Palmer aims to validate the metabolic theory of mental illness. His work seeks to develop more effective interventions, including lifestyle modifications like diet, exercise, and supplements, in conjunction with traditional mental health therapies. This integrated approach holds promise for advancing mental health treatment strategies. #mentalillness #metabolicdisease #mitochondrialdysfunction #brokenscienceinitiative #ketogenicdiet #lifestyle

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NEW FREE ACAMH Topic Guide on Tourette Syndrome (TS) https://bit.ly/3isCRm2 "Up to 85 percent of people with TS will have additional symptoms to tics. These co-occurring conditions may include #ADHD, #OCD, #Anxiety, as well as #Depression, #SleepProblems and #SensoryProcessingDifficulties (Eddy and Cavanna, 2014) . The co-morbidities mean that children with TS and co-occurring conditions may present for treatment in CAMHS. These additional features and conditions can, for some people, be more challenging to live with than the tics themselves." Learn more with the full updated FREE Topic Guide at https://bit.ly/3isCRm2. Author(s): Dr. Seonaid Anderson, Dr. Tara Murphy, Joe Kilgariff, and Dr. Kevin J. Black #TouretteSyndrome #TicDisorders #Tics #CAMH #CAMHS #Psychiatry #Psychology #MentalHealth #MentalHealthMatters #MentalHealthAwareness #Wellbeing

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