The Psychology of...

I am dead-set against unnecessary government spending. If tax revenue is going to be used for any purpose, as a taxpayer I want to see exactly what social/financial gains are made of our investment. As I look at the numbers, universal childcare is exactly the type of investment I want to be making with my tax dollars. First let me explain as best as I understand what universal childcare means. This is when the government uses funds to create more, regulated childcare spaces which are covered to the point that parents have a considerably lower daily fee. Often the paid portion is altered according to the family's income but it remains significantly more affordable (Denmark pays 3% of their income to childcare whereas in Canada families often are paying up to 30%). More spaces. More quality control. Less expense to working parents. Let's be clear on two  three things. First, I believe that the parents bond with their child is the most important factor in early chi...

photo from www.chooselethbridge.ca Let's get one thing straight. We need mental health professionals. Skilled ones. But in order to reduce the epidemic of mental illness (I prefer saying brain illness and will do so from here on out) we need a broader approach than supplying therapists on every corner. At the risk of drawing ire from my colleagues I feel that part of my ethical obligation is to promote wellness not just the wellness business. What I'm suggesting in this post is that there are ecological factors to brain illness that have to be remedied by forces beyond the walls of a psychologist's office. Primarily, we as a society are suffering from social disconnection. Our brain health relies deep, meaningful bonds and there are a few ecological realities that make it difficult for us to form and maintain those bonds. Neighbourhoods are more like isolated living pods. Few people know their neighbours anymore and therefore miss out on the psychological benefits of...

Allow me to speak on behalf of educators and specifically school counsellors for a moment and say that we admit that our efforts to counter bullying have resulted in some unexpected and less desirable outcomes. First, we cry "bully" too often. Two boys have a foot race and when one wins and celebrates his victory the vanquished tells his teacher that he's being bullied. Two girls play tag and in her excitement one tags the other aggressively causing her to fall and scrape her elbow. The fallen tells her Mom when she gets home that her once "friend" bullied her at recess. The term bully has come to replace actions like aggression, bragging, or even horseplay. Let's be clear on what bullying really is so that we can focus our efforts on this very real but very misrepresented phenomenon. Bullying is more than just aggressive behaviour. At its core, bullying is about an abuse of power. It's coercion and repeated intimidation from a place of power. Examp...

It's Valentine's Day and I've been talking to the kids about love all week. Here are my sappy two cents. Fact: Love songs are corny. Follow-up fact: They are true. I was reflecting the other day on how many amazing songs have the words "I'll be there" in the title. Let's see there's: I'll Be There for You by Bon Jovi (one of my childhood favourites) Reach out (I'll Be There) by the 4 Tops I'll Be There by Jackson Five (I was more familiar with Mariah Carey's version) I'll Be There for You by the Rembrandts (Friends theme song. People forget that it was a chart topper on its own) Michael Jackson has a great tune titled "Will You Be There" I'm sure I'm missing plenty of others examples. Why is it that this message permeates some of the best pop music? Dr. Sue Johnson in her book Hold Me Tight wrote that it's because "our need for others to come close when we call is absolute". She exp...

Whether you have children or not; whether you work in education or not; you want education to be world-class. In Canada, and particularly in Alberta, we have exactly that. It's nowhere near perfect but there are only a handful of jurisdictions that out perform our system. So what do we do? We pay our teachers better here than just about anywhere. We invest in quality teacher training and professional development and we provide a certain level of choice. Studies show that this is what is needed and we do it. Good for us. But most parents and many teachers still see massive holes in our system and significant opportunities for improvement. Our kids seem less and less ready for the world of work or post-secondary. Anxiety, depression, ADHD, interpersonal conflict, and low achievement are bigger problems in our system now than ever and everyone has an opinion as to whose fault it is. Parents blame teachers for being blind, playing favourites, over-pressuring kids, not providing enou...