The Psychology of...

In Canadian politics, (and I'm sure in most if not all democracies) we have a system in which political parties, with their carefully marketed brands and historically established norms, compete for our check-mark every four years or so. They take our vote and then draft policy, pass bills, and make decisions on our behalf. The only power we hold over them is that in a few years we go back to the polls so that we can "hold them accountable". My observation is that conservatives get into power long enough to pass policy that discourages enough liberals to mobilize themselves to the extent to which they can then elect a liberal government, then the liberals do the same. Back and forth. The Left stays in long enough to raise taxes on the rich. The right stays in long enough to lower corporate taxes... yadda yadda yadda. It's absurd these days to suggest that a good idea could get bipartisan support in parliament or congress. In the US we've seen 8 years of congress ...

po·lit·i·cal cor·rect·ness noun the avoidance, often considered as taken to extremes, of forms of expression or action that are perceived to exclude, marginalize, or insult groups of people who are socially disadvantaged or discriminated against. In my attempt to try and genuinely understand why so many good and intelligent people are still supporting Donald Trump for POTUS I keep stumbling across the general frustration with "liberal PCness" gone amok. If I understand correctly, conservatives  feel like their freedom of speech has been threatened and limited by the liberal media. That their favourite jokes are now scorned. Their ideologies are unpopular. Their worldview is devalued. All of this makes being mainstream seem shameful. White, heterosexual, cysgendered, males are the enemy! As far as I can see, I agree that there is an argument that in the attempt to stick up for the little guy we have overzealously created some unnecessary conflict. Wh...

I love education. I love learning. I love learning about how to be a better person. Which is why I am often left with an uneasy feeling whenever the topic of morals in public schools is brought up. I have been working in the school system for seven years, across various grades, schools, and school divisions and my experience tells me that morality is being taught to our kids more than ever before. Anyone that says to me that morals are no longer taught in school has obviously not spent time in today's classrooms. I have observed lessons on kindness to others, gratitude, teamwork, self-regulation, respect, delayed gratification, multiculturalism, healthy relationships, etc. You get the point. I think where most parents who have this concern are coming from is an issue not with the absence of morals but the source of them. Parents assume that since values aren't being taught from a religious point of view then they aren't values at all. The institution of education, whil...

In 2012 Charles Duhigg wrote a best-selling book called the Power of Habit  in which he discusses the concept that there are "keystone habits" that act as a sort of behavioural linchpins. Having worked extensively in behaviour addictions I saw this concept in action. I observed that some people have habits that, while not taking up much of their day, permeate every aspect of their lives, and in the case of my clients, for the worse. It was incredible to see how many other behavioural changes occurred when people started exercising regularly or stopped looking at pornography.  Just one change was initiating a domino effect, providing the individual with the impetus and the motivation to tackle their other previously impossible goals. I have observed this phenomenon recently with my wife Sarah. With her permission I share her story. We have two beautiful girls and on the surface it appears that we have a perfect life. Most people, even in our closest of circles, were not ...

A few years ago Drs. Dan Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson wrote one of the most helpful parenting books I have ever read;  The Whole Brain Child . I think every parent should read it... twice. One of the most effective strategies presented in the book is the "Connect & Redirect" approach to dealing with an emotionally escalated child. The more I use this technique with children however, the more I realize that it works just as effectively with EVERYONE. Not just as a technique to get someone to stop freaking out but a skill that will allow you to maintain and even improve your relationships, even in times of distress. Let me explain, We are all aware of the neurological concept of a left and right hemisphere. The left hemisphere is logical and linear while the right is more emotional and experiential. Small children have not developed their left hemisphere sufficiently enough to rationalize their way through some problems so they experience elevated emotional states. ...

"Failure is instructive" - John Dewey. I made this post in 2016 and in light of the last few days I think it's time to update it. Just to be clear, this is not a pity party. I heard of the idea from a Ted Talk and the idea is that we celebrate our failures so that we highlight the incredible risk of trying difficult things. I don't regret anything on this list. Unsuccessful initiatives 2019 - Placed in a distant third in my bid for MLA in Lethbridge West  2017 - Participated in my first and only professional wrestling match in which I botched a move twice and then got submitted with very painful "camel clutch" in front of my family. 2016 - Charter school in Lethbridge did not pass local school district phase. 2015 - Rejected by publisher for my book of affirmations. 2014 - Private practice not busy enough for full-time work. 2013 - Did not complete Master's thesis research; graduated with project instead. (supposedly closing the do...

It has been a long while since I shared anything but given that we are heading into a new school year and my focus has shifted towards elementary school counselling I thought I would share what I think are essential elements for our youngsters to have a great year. These ideas are adapted primarily from Dr. Martin Seligman who is considered the father of Positive Psychology. He laid out a framework for well-being which I believe fits across age levels, The acronym to help you remember this framework is P.E.R.M.A. ( P ositive emotion, E ngagement, R elationships, M eaning, and A chievement ). Each facet of PERMA is separate although interconnected piece of your child's "have a good year" puzzle. I am going to briefly explain some empirically supported strategies to help you help your child develop each of these facets so that they can be happier and more successful this year. Positive Emotions Before I launch into the admittedly overly optimistic and sometimes naive...