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Major family shifts—from moving or welcoming a new baby to separation or co-parenting—can bring a complex wave of emotions for both parents and kids. Discover how to make space for big feelings, maintain safety through uncertainty, and guide your family through life transitions with clarity and compassion.

Watching your teenager struggle with academic pressure, social stress, or burnout can leave you feeling helpless as a parent. Discover practical strategies to spot the signs of teen anxiety, foster open communication, and help your teen build lasting emotional resilience through school and life pressures.

One of the most powerful tools in your parenting toolbox is also one of the simplest: dedicated one-on-one time with your child. This is time where you set everything else aside, your phone, your to-do list, the laundry, and focus completely on your child. No teaching, no correcting, no multitasking. Just being present. This kind of focused attention is often called special quality time, and it’s one of the most effective ways to build connection, foster cooperation, and supp

Managing ADHD is about so much more than focus—it starts with how we nourish our bodies. Drawing from personal experience as both a therapist and a parent, discover how executive dysfunction impacts eating, why the ADHD brain craves specific foods, and compassionate, low-friction strategies to feed yourself or your child without power struggles.

Living through a family cancer diagnosis can leave you feeling profoundly isolated, even among well-meaning friends. Reflecting on experiences at RISE Family Cancer Camp, discover how shared understanding, community connection, and compassionate grief support create a safe space where families can process pain, rebuild hope, and feel truly seen.

When your child is upset, melting down, or caught in big emotions, it can be tempting to jump straight into correcting the behaviour, offering solutions, or trying to stop the outburst. We want the screaming to stop. We want the disrespect to end. We want peace restored. But before a child can listen, learn, or calm down, they need one thing first: connection. In those stormy emotional moments, your child isn’t being difficult on purpose, they are dysregulated. Their nervous

As Thanksgiving approaches, many families are preparing for gatherings, travel, and shifts to regular routines, moments that can bring both excitement and stress. For children, these changes can feel especially unpredictable, and for parents, managing it all can sometimes feel just as overwhelming. This is why forecasting, helping children know what’s coming next and involving them in the plan, can make such a positive difference. It gives kids a sense of security and helps e

Register today for FREE at Risetoday.com Advance Counselling is volunteering at the Rise Today Family Cancer Camp on Gambier Island, BC. If you know a family who is battling cancer would benifit from a fun family day at camp, please share this with them. Advance Counselling offers in-person counselling and walk-and-talk counselling in North Vancouver, as well as secure online counselling across British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories. Th

The holiday season, often depicted as the most wonderful time of the year, can bring unexpected stress and anxiety. Between shopping, hosting responsibilities, endless parties, and revisiting childhood homes, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. If the holidays leave you feeling more frazzled than festive, you’re not alone. Let’s explore why this time of year can be particularly challenging and how you can navigate it with greater ease. Why the Holidays Can Be Stressful 1. T

I once heard someone say, "Prepare your child for the road, and not the road for your child." As a parent, this is often easier said than done. We have an innate desire to protect our children from the bumps, detours, and pitfalls we see ahead. We believe we know what’s best for them, whether it’s anticipating conflicts with a particular teacher, avoiding difficult peer relationships, or sheltering them from the disappointment of not making a team or acing a project. Our inst

Have you ever wonder why siblings can be so different, even though they grew up in the same family? Birth order has always intrigued people, especially parents, since it seems to shape personalities and family dynamics in unique ways. Alfred Adler (1870–1937), a psychologist, was one of the first to dive into this idea with what we now call Adlerian Theory. His theory suggests that our place in the family—whether we’re the oldest, middle, youngest, or an only child—plays a bi

Parenting a willful child can feel like riding an emotional rollercoaster. While it may be tempting to think that parenting is easier when we have a compliant, agreeable child, there's a deeper truth that often goes unnoticed: the most challenging children to raise can grow into the most interesting, capable, and resilient adults. We’ve all experienced the validation that comes from hearing how well-behaved our child is. It’s like a reassuring pat on the back. “You must be do

The attachment bond that you form with your child is like the foundation of a house; it provides the stability and support that your child needs to grow, learn, and thrive. Through loving interactions and responsive caregiving, you help build this strong foundation, which is crucial for their emotional regulation and ability to form healthy relationships throughout their lifespan. However, there are many reasons why attachment can become interrupted or disrupted. Every effor