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NOTE: My blog has moved to Substack. You are welcome to sign up here. Just note that future emails will come from the Substack server.
I love offering encouragement, motivation, and tips for living life well. I started the Encouragement Along the Journey Blog with a mission to give others a taste of my thoughts and experiences, offering a little sampling of what it is like to be in my counselling office with me.
The topics I write about here are close to my heart—the kinds of things I find myself coming back to often in conversation, in my counselling office, in reflection, and in my own journey of growth.
Take some time to explore the blog and find what sparks your interest. Feel free to reach out if you would like to collaborate on a project together. Read on and enjoy!
My Approach to Counselling
Background: As Master's students in a counselling psychology program, we were encouraged to do the work ourselves that we would be asking...
Grief Has No Expiry Date
Grief doesn’t arrive only with death. It shows up in lost dreams, unmet hopes, and the quiet ways life changes shape over time. And once it arrives, it doesn’t follow a neat timeline or disappear when we think it should. In this reflection, I write about the ongoing nature of grief. About how it changes us, how it revisits us, and how we learn to keep living even when loss becomes part of our story. I also share personally about missing my brother and sister-in-law decades af
On Being and Becoming: Hope, Humility, and Staying Teachable
This reflection brings my On Being and Becoming series to a close, although it feels more like an invitation to continue than an ending. What began as a simple list of questions I often return to, slowly unfolded into a series that asked for time, attentiveness, and space to breathe. Along the way, I explored themes of time, love, grief, presence, writing, and authenticity. Each theme is shaped by lived experience rather than tidy conclusions. In this final piece, I turn tow
My Approach to Counselling
Background: As Master's students in a counselling psychology program, we were encouraged to do the work ourselves that we would be asking...
Haide Giesbrecht
Oct 2, 20236 min read
Grief Has No Expiry Date
Grief doesn’t arrive only with death. It shows up in lost dreams, unmet hopes, and the quiet ways life changes shape over time. And once it arrives, it doesn’t follow a neat timeline or disappear when we think it should. In this reflection, I write about the ongoing nature of grief. About how it changes us, how it revisits us, and how we learn to keep living even when loss becomes part of our story. I also share personally about missing my brother and sister-in-law decades af
Haide Giesbrecht
2 hours ago1 min read
On Being and Becoming: Hope, Humility, and Staying Teachable
This reflection brings my On Being and Becoming series to a close, although it feels more like an invitation to continue than an ending. What began as a simple list of questions I often return to, slowly unfolded into a series that asked for time, attentiveness, and space to breathe. Along the way, I explored themes of time, love, grief, presence, writing, and authenticity. Each theme is shaped by lived experience rather than tidy conclusions. In this final piece, I turn tow
Haide Giesbrecht
Jan 241 min read
On Being and Becoming: The Quiet Work of Character
This reflection explores the relationship between writing, character, and authenticity.
At the heart of the piece is a gentle tension between honesty and discernment.
This post is part of the On Being and Becoming series, a collection of reflections on presence, growth, and the ongoing work of becoming who we are beneath the surface.
Haide Giesbrecht
Jan 161 min read
Celebrating Ourselves: A Birthday Reflection
Birthdays used to be simple for me. Cupcakes, candles, and celebrations that marked who someone was and what mattered to them. Somewhere along the way, that kind of care quietly shifted outward, and I stopped offering it to myself. In this reflection, I write about the slow accumulation of mental load, the experience of feeling unseen, and what it means to begin celebrating ourselves again in small, honest ways. Not as performance or productivity, but as care. This piece expl
Haide Giesbrecht
Jan 111 min read
Staying Present (On Being & Becoming)
In last week’s reflection, I explored love and grief through questions that asked how we remain open to relationship while knowing that loss will return. This week, the focus shifts. The next part in the series turns toward the lived implications of that awareness. How does knowing grief shape the way we show up in relationship now? How do we create safety for others? And what are we teaching our children, not just through our words, but through how we live and care for ourse
Haide Giesbrecht
Jan 41 min read
Reflections on Love, Grief, and Relationship
Grief and relationship are deeply intertwined. To love is to open ourselves to loss, not only through death, but through change, distance, and the quiet endings that happen when relationships shift. We grieve people, moments, and versions of ourselves that can no longer be held in the same way.
This reflection is part of my Being and Becoming series, an exploration of love, loss, and what it means to remain present as we change. Read the full essay on Substack.
Haide Giesbrecht
Dec 30, 20251 min read
Reflections on Aging, Love, and Meaning: A New Reflective Series on Substack
The Questions I’m Sitting With Lately Lately, I’ve been noticing the questions I return to again and again. Not urgently, but persistently. Questions about aging, love, meaning, and what we choose to nurture as life changes. Some of the questions I’m exploring include: How do I want to age? What do I want to nurture now? How do I live with meaning as life changes? I don’t have tidy answers. Instead, I’m spending time with these questions slowly and honestly in a new reflectiv
Haide Giesbrecht
Dec 14, 20251 min read
If We're Willing: What My Clients Continue to Teach Me
Raising a neurodiverse family has shaped me in countless ways, but so has the work I do in the therapy room. Over the years, I’ve realized how deeply my clients continue to teach me—about perspective, healing, resilience, and what it means to show up with presence. Their stories offer a kind of wisdom no textbook can capture, and I carry those lessons with me far beyond the walls of my office. I’ve learned how past experiences shape present reactions, how authenticity builds
Haide Giesbrecht
Dec 6, 20251 min read
If We're Willing: Learning from the Little Humans Who Change Us
Insights from parenting a beautifully neurodiverse family—and how our children can become our greatest teachers if we’re willing to learn.
Haide Giesbrecht
Nov 30, 20251 min read
Substack: What Neurodivergence Has Taught Me About Love
Some lessons in life continue to unfold long after we first learn them. This post is one of those for me. Originally written years ago and now gently revised, it remains significant in my journey as a reminder of what becomes possible when we stay open to being taught by the people we love. In it, I share pieces of my story of partnership and relationship: the unexpected challenges, the shifts in understanding, and the slow, meaningful work of learning to communicate with cla
Haide Giesbrecht
Nov 24, 20251 min read
New On Substack: The Trouble With Things I Think I Know (Until I Pause Long Enough to Ask)
How a single misunderstood question taught me why checking our assumptions can change the trajectory of any relationship.
Haide Giesbrecht
Nov 16, 20251 min read
For anyone seeking a little pause, perspective, and presence
Post originally published on Substack I’m glad you’re here. This space grew out of my desire to be more present in my writing. My reflections often emerge from conversations—with friends, clients, and family—as well as from the themes that surface in what I read and the experiences I move through in daily life. As I’ve entered my middle years, I’ve grown to be more at ease with myself. I am learning to live authentically, unapologetically, and with intention. The work of quie
Haide Giesbrecht
Nov 11, 20252 min read
Little Reminders, Big Impact
In a busy world, it is easy to lose touch with our center. These simple daily reminders grew out of counselling conversations. They are simple reminders to help us stay grounded, compassionate, and intentional in our daily life. They’re not rules or to-do’s, but touchpoints to return to when we find ourselves struggling. They can be good reminders towards continued growth and development. They are intended to encourage and strengthen as we seek to live life well. 🌸 Self-Comp
Haide Giesbrecht
Nov 2, 20252 min read
When Stories Create Possibility
Stories connect, heal, and create possibility — when we truly listen, empathy grows and understanding begins.
Haide Giesbrecht
Oct 26, 20251 min read
Is This Therapy-Appropriate? Asking for a Friend..
Wondering what you can talk about in counselling? From crying and laughter to spirituality and everyday stress, discover what’s welcome in therapy and how a session can become a safe, healing space to explore your story.
Haide Giesbrecht
Oct 8, 20254 min read
Reframing: Helpful or Harmful?
Psychology terms often make their way into the mainstream. I believe this reflects our deep human desire to understand how our inner...
Haide Giesbrecht
Sep 20, 20253 min read
The Beauty of Friendships That Last (and Those That Don’t)
We are wired for connection. Relationships are a thread that runs through every stage of our lives, shaping who we are and how we move through the world.
We currently have good friends staying with us. They were both some of my best friends before they even knew each other. In fact, we were doing some calculations, and it turns out I have known them for more than 37 years—longer than I’ve known my husband.
We have walked through many different stages and challenges together
Haide Giesbrecht
Aug 27, 20254 min read
Creativity and the Road Trip to Success: Why Checkpoints Matter More Than You Think
Recovering from surgery taught me something surprising: success often starts with a simple check-in. Making Space for Creativity This...
Haide Giesbrecht
Aug 14, 20252 min read
Neurodivergence and the Gentle Art of Rule-Bending
At one time, I found security in rules.
There were some turbulent times early on in my life, and a whole lot of unrecognized inattentive type ADHD.
Rules and religious traditions may have saved me from some unhealthy self-medicating risks. Along with books.
However, I have come to see strict rules as more shackle than gate.
Instead, I have guiding questions, which I have carried mostly internally and unarticulated.
Art Koop
Aug 1, 20254 min read
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