Counselling and Psychotherapy services in Hamilton, Ontario

Hamilton Psychotherapy.
The shingle is out and I am open for business.

After almost 6 years of study and practical training I am now a practicing psychotherapist.  This is the culmination of a long and circuitous road for me.  Counselling and support services, as well as the study of psychology, have been a part of my life and career path for over 25 years and I've finally taken it to the next level by completing the required course work for a post-graduate diploma in psychodynamic psychotherapy.

The Fire Service is behind me, gone but never to be forgotten; a quarter century of hard work, good memories and life-long friendships as a result.
But now it's time to help in another way.
I'm looking forward to this career change and continuing to help bring about positive change in the lives of my clients.

PIZZA. Nature's perfect food!

Well, something I have long suspected has, in fact, turned out to be true.
Pizza, long recognized as nature's perfect food, has now been proven to save lives.

Face it, regardless of what you may have heard, it is indeed, the perfect food.
All the major food groups are represented.
No animals were used in testing
and no rainforest was destroyed to produce it
(discounting the takeout box which I never eat although I have been known to lick off the excess cheese).

And now it seems that pizza can save lives; at least one so far.
Apparently, there is an elderly lady right here in my home province who has, for the last few years, ordered a pizza to be delivered from the same establishment every single night at the same time.
A few weeks ago, she did not put in her regular telephone order.
An erstwhile employee, recognizing that her usual phone order had not yet come in, contacted the authorities.
Upon investigating they found that the woman had taken a fall at home and was unable to call for help.
Thanks to pizza, she was found in time and rescued.
Thanks to pizza she is alive and well today.

I am overwhelmed by a sense of vindication.
All you diet fiends and naysayers move aside.
Like red wine, the double short espresso and dark chocolate before it
pizza has finally joined the ranks of true health foods.

Bev Oda Scandal "finally" being brought to light.

Once upon a time Canadian Conservative MP named Bev Oda signed a document saying "YES" to funding for an ecumenical charitable organization. A couple of other people signed it too.
A few months later, this document turns up saying "NO" (or, more precisely, "NOT") instead.

Changes like this are made in legal documentation all the time.
Any one who has ever negotiated a contract (New Car? New Mortgage?) knows this.
What stood out for me was that the changes were neither initialed nor dated.
I will not debate the merits of the decision.
I don't know enough about the agency in question or the reason for the change and nobody seems forthcoming.
It does warrant mentioning that the agency in question, Kairos, has been a regular recipient of this funding for charitable work that it does on the international stage.


What is obvious is that somebody changed their mind; not the end of the world.
The problem is that somebody changed their mind and did not want anybody to know about it.
That is a big deal.
There is something else I find equally unnerving.
This situation was brought to light last April (at the latest). That's almost a year ago.
So why are we just beginning to see this barrage of media attention now?

Let's see...
How many people on Parliament Hill have an agenda?
Go figger!

PARDONS CANADA AND THE CONSERVATIVE PLAN TO RAISE THE COST

WHO WILL REALLY PAY?

coming soon

Halton Ontario Catholic School Board Bans Gay-Straight Alliance Groups

Allow me to introduce Alice Anne LeMay, chair of the Halton Catholic School Board just outside of Toronto (Canada).  She was interviewed recently by several media groups regarding the Board's ban of Gay-Straight alliance groups on campus at their schools.  

For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, Gay-Straight Alliance groups are springing up on university, college and high school campuses all over in direct response to bullying and intolerance.  It is a show of support for diversity in our schools and a means of offering protection and support for those who might (would) otherwise become targets of verbal and physical abuse.  

It stands to reason that any school not allowed to have a such group is essentially sanctioning violence against gay or lesbian students.  Whether directly or implicitly, the result is the same.  There is no excuse, ecclesiastical or otherwise for allowing violence in our schools.

I went through the Catholic School system right through to the old grade 13 back in the ’70s and my school, staffed in part by clergy, was openly supportive of gay rights in general and gay individuals in particular.

I remember one priest telling my grade twelve religion class that the editor of “The Body Politic” (now known as “Extra”) was a graduate of the school and that the staff were very proud of him. He actually said he hoped that, in some way, this graduate’s experience at the school had helped instill the courage and self esteem that allowed him to “be himself” (The expression ‘coming out’ was not yet in common parlance in them days).

Alice Anne LeMay and her gang at the Halton board have been called brave.  They are not brave. They are lazy. They lack empathy and understanding. They are usurping archaic traditions and using them as an excuse to bury their heads in the sand. The Bible and the Catholic Church are not something to hide behind blindly. Positive change takes time and only happens when people expect and demand it from within.

The Catholic School boards of Ontario are fully funded by the Province and have an obligation, regardless of the religious implications to uphold the same standard of tolerance and acceptance as any other government organization.

By openly banning GSA groups for the reasons given the Halton Board is in direct contravention of Provincial Policies on equity. Want to see the facts Anne? Maybe you better leaf through this document again. I’m sure there must be a copy of it somewhere in your building: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/inclusiveguide.pdf