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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
The Importance of Stories
In his book "The Growing Season" Nelson Boschman writes: "When things are especially painful or difficult, and they've been that way a...
Haide Giesbrecht
Dec 17, 20235 min read
Body Memories and Hope: A Personal Reflection
Two weeks ago, my husband and I had the chance to spend two nights away in Victoria with good friends. We love spending time with these...
Haide Giesbrecht
Nov 11, 20233 min read
The Importance of Being Heard
I love the quote by Karen Salmansohn of NotSalmon.com. She states that: "Sometimes you just need to talk about something - not to get...
Haide Giesbrecht
Oct 25, 20233 min read
Lower Mainland, BC: Support Through Current Events in Gaza
Thanks to a fellow counsellor who has put together this list of resources for those impacted and struggling with the current events in...
Haide Giesbrecht
Oct 19, 20231 min read
Mental Health Day
October 10th has been proclaimed Mental Health Day in British Columbia, Canada. Mental health awareness is growing in our society, and...
Haide Giesbrecht
Oct 12, 20232 min read
My Journey With Obesity
This post is adapted from a post I wrote on my personal social media blog during the summer of 2023. As a counsellor, my sessions are for...
Haide Giesbrecht
Oct 10, 20236 min read
Having Difficult Conversations Well
I would venture to guess that most people do not enjoy having difficult conversations. I don't love them myself! But sometimes, because...
Haide Giesbrecht
Sep 13, 20233 min read
Why do counselling? And how do I choose a counsellor?
Why should I consider doing counselling? There are lots of different reasons people seek out counselling. Some people may be facing a...
Haide Giesbrecht
Sep 7, 20233 min read
"Counselling, Medications, and Autism Moms"
Check out Episode 3 of my podcast where I share a recent podcast when I was a guest of Au-ticulate. My daughter and I share our...
Haide Giesbrecht
Sep 3, 20231 min read
Relationship First? What Guides You?
This question posed by James Clear is one that my husband and I found crucial in our parenting journey as well as in our marriage. Often...
Haide Giesbrecht
Aug 29, 20232 min read
Living Life With Balance
It has been longer than anticipated between my first and second podcast episodes. Sometimes life is unexpected! Here are some of the...
Haide Giesbrecht
Aug 28, 20233 min read
Podcast? How do I do that?
My 22-year-old daughter has been encouraging me to start a podcast. She even went so far as to invite me to be a guest on her podcast so...
Haide Giesbrecht
Jul 28, 20231 min read
You Are Enough!
I need to share this post once in awhile. If this is you, be encouraged! Do what you can to bring in support that works for your family....
Haide Giesbrecht
Jul 22, 20231 min read
Living life as your unique and wonderful self!
A question regularly raised in counselling is "who am I?" In our society, we are often valued for – and thus we place value on – what we...
Haide Giesbrecht
Jul 2, 20234 min read
The balance of life
So much about life feels like it's about learning balance. My husband and I just got back from 2 weeks away. We knew it was necessary. We...
Haide Giesbrecht
May 30, 20234 min read
If We're Willing - Part 2
I have often said that people in our lives can teach us so much, if we allow them to. I have found this to be true in many areas of my...
Haide Giesbrecht
Apr 26, 20237 min read
If We're Willing - Part 1
I have often said that people in our lives can teach us so much, if we allow them to. I have found this to be true in many areas of my...
Haide Giesbrecht
Apr 16, 20238 min read
When the going gets tough
How we navigate difficult times
Haide Giesbrecht
Mar 23, 20231 min read
When The Going Gets Tough
This week I had reminders on my timeline of events that were unfolding three years ago. The world was experiencing a new reality that we,...
Haide Giesbrecht
Mar 23, 20237 min read
Inspiration and Encouragement Along the Journey
The last two days of Psychotherapy Networker Symposium have been engaging, encouraging, and inspiring. A few more significant quotes....
Haide Giesbrecht
Mar 19, 20231 min read
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