Vicki and MaryClaire Decker explore the significant link between menstrual cycles and emotional and mental health. MaryClaire describes using curiosity and mindfulness to support awareness and greater self-understanding, offering suggestions for intentionally planning counselling strategies to coincide with where a person is at in their cycle for greater growth and effectiveness. For more info on this topic, check out this free webinar and MaryClaire’s training on empowering clients to reclaim their cycling bodies. Read More

In this episode, Vicki gets into the details about AI and counselling with Candice Alder. They explore ways AI can be a positive resource and unpack some common missteps counsellors may take without AI literacy. Candice outlines some practical steps every counsellor should take to ensure their AI use is ethical and effective. This is part one of two conversations with Candice, and you can find the guidelines Candice has written here. Read More

Vicki and Wilma Schroeder discuss the new CTRI workshop, De-escalating Potentially Violent Situations for Health Care Workers. They review de-escalation as primarily verbal intervention aimed at calming escalation before it becomes physical, and note violence in health care has increased dramatically since the pandemic. Wilma outlines challenges specific to health care, including patients arriving with already elevated stress baselines (especially in emergency rooms), family distress, system and environmental “enablers”, and cognitive impairment factors such as dementia, ICU psychosis, or substance effects. Read More