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For many, the Christmas season is a time where family and friends get together to enjoy each other’s (often rare) company. One of the drawbacks of these festive occasions is that they are usually associated with copious amounts of money spent on gifts, food, alcohol, and the extra utility costs of accommodating a larger household. […]

School holidays are a great time to be with your kids and have some fun together. Unfortunately, the reality of heading back to school or work after the break comes around too soon. Over the holidays, some routines may slip and transitioning back to school may become challenging or worrying for some children (and even […]

This Dr Seuss classic has certainly stood the test of time - it was first published in 1957! - and it's easy to see why. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is a face-paced and entertaining read for ages 5+ with it's clever rhyming verse and simple illustrations by Seuss himself.

For the first few years of Ethan’s life, Deanna McFadden and her husband, Brian Poirier, had a simple request for family when it came to celebrating their son’s birthday: no presents. Now aged four, Ethan receives gifts on his birthday and at Christmas. And while she’s grateful for the generosity of her relatives, McFadden still […]

Thousands of adults are about to return to their childhood homes and spontaneously turn back into adolescents. What gives? Holiday family gatherings can be “the ultimate mindfulness training ground”: if you can remain centred and calm in the middle of Christmas dinner, you can presumably do so anywhere. True, I’m sure. But for any of […]

The Christmas season is meant to be a time of joy, but for many people it can be a time of stress, anxiety, disappointment or loneliness. Christmas comes with high expectations of perfect, happy families enjoying luxurious celebrations and gifts, but not all of us are able to live up to these ideals. For those […]

Attention last-minute shoppers: We’re sorry that you still have no idea what you’re going to buy for friends and family this holiday season. So we asked some psychologists what, from the point of view of how the mind works, might make a great gift. There’s no far-reaching research that will tell you definitively what is […]

Have You Filled a Bucket Today? A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids The book focuses on the concept of “bucket filling”, which is being kind and positive toward others. When you have a full bucket, you feel happy and special. The goal of this book is to teach children that showing compassion benefits themselves, […]

Selective mutism is a type of childhood anxiety disorder where children have difficulty communicating in particular social settings or with unfamiliar people, but can easily speak in comfortable, familiar settings like at home. Our own psychologist Monique Holmes has experience in treating children with selective mutism. This article contains a thorough description of selective mutism, […]

When stressed, we tend to focus too closely on the problem causing stress and lose sight of the bigger picture, in which the stressor is usually not such a big deal. This is a common behaviour exhibited by students and workers alike. Effective and easy stress-management techniques are well known, but, surprisingly, implementation of helpful […]