Lindsay Dupuis, MA, CCC, Author at Kingston Integrated Healthcare Inc.

Online Counselling Support

Written by Lindsay Dupuis, MA, CCC on May 2, 2020.

Greetings from the East Coast!

As I write this letter to my old friends and colleagues at KIHC in early May, this marks my 1.5-year anniversary here in Nova Scotia.

A lot has happened during this time. While continuing to provide remote counselling sessions for some of my old KIHC clients, I’ve extended my online practice for those living in remote areas of Atlantic Canada. With services reaching rural Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, PEI, and New Brunswick, I’m proud to offer more affordable services for those who might not otherwise have access to mental health care.

In addition, I had the opportunity to return to Tanzania last year, launching “phase II” of a fundraising project that I began in 2008.

Helping Others Boosts Happiness and Health

Written by Lindsay Dupuis, MA, CCC on April 24, 2019.

Having recently returned from a working holiday trip to Tanzania, a place that I visited in 2011 and that continues to draw me back, I’ve been reflecting on why it holds such appeal to me. One might think that volunteering at a children and women’s centre, housing a number of orphans and disadvantaged widows, would breed some pretty heavy emotions, but I beg to argue that the opposite can actually be true.

3 Steps to Avoid Unpleasant Arguments

Written by Lindsay Dupuis, MA, CCC on February 4, 2019.

By Lindsay Dupuis, M.A., C.C.C.

When couples fight, they often report going over the same problems time and again. Furthermore, many people express frustration around not feeling heard by their partners during an argument, and nothing really changing afterwards. This is a problem seeing as the root of most arguments lies in unmet needs in one or both partners. When needs go unmet, it often causes a rift in the pair bond,

A Visualization to Prevent Your Next Downward Spiral

Written by Lindsay Dupuis, MA, CCC on November 1, 2018.

In my field of work, I see several clients struggling with chronic stress and anxiety. These individuals often find themselves pulled into habitual and problematic thinking patterns, which usually include (in cognitive behavioural therapy terms) catastrophic thinking, worrying and over-planning, should-ing, rumination, black and white thinking, and mind reading. Because thinking in this way has become quite automatic to the stressed or anxious individual, it can happen outside of their conscious awareness. Before realizing it,

Sometimes, the Answer Lies in the “How,” Not the “Why”

Written by Lindsay Dupuis, MA, CCC on June 1, 2018.

We often search for answers to life’s big questions: “Why did this happen to me?”… “Why didn’t that?”… “What’s the point of it all?”…

We feel like we need to have the answers in order to relax, let go, carry on with life, and feel happy. This is the nature of the human brain. We think, theorize, and analyze for the sake of accomplishing practical tasks, which can be helpful and exciting in many ways. However, emotionally speaking, the thinking brain has the potential to do a lot of harm.

A Scandinavian Model of Nature-Based Therapy

Written by Lindsay Dupuis, MA, CCC on April 1, 2018.

Stress is a growing problem across the globe. The World Health Organization (WHO, 2017) ranks stress-induced disorders, such as depression, as a leading cause of disability worldwide. In response to the growing number of individuals suffering from stress-related mental disorders, researchers in Scandinavia have designed a nature-based therapy model for those on stress-leave. In 2001, The Healing Garden in Alnarp was established at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, and soon after, in 2010, Nacadia Healing Forest Garden was constructed at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.

This emerging model of green care is based on findings that individuals suffering from stress experience limited cognitive, emotional, and social resources, which often makes it difficult to think, learn or otherwise problem-solve in ways that might be required, for example, in talk therapy (Stigsdotter & Grahn, 2002; 2003).

Learning to Love Thyself (2 min read)

Written by Lindsay Dupuis, MA, CCC on February 1, 2018.

With Valentine’s Day soon approaching, love is in the air, but instead of focusing merely on romantic love, it’s important to consider the love that we have for ourselves (self-love!).

Why Not to Make New Year’s Resolutions. And, what to try instead.

Written by Lindsay Dupuis, MA, CCC on January 4, 2018.

I don’t like to sound like a downer, but only about a quarter of Canadians who set new year’s resolutions will actually keep them in the long-run, according to a recent Ipsos poll. That means that if you’re one of 77% of people who make a resolution come the new year, then statistically, you’re more likely than not to keep it.

I’m personally not a fan of new year’s resolutions.

Get More this Christmas by Giving Less

Written by Lindsay Dupuis, MA, CCC on December 3, 2017.

The holiday season is officially upon us. We can’t deny it any longer.

For some people, this stirs up feelings of stress and anxiety.

The pressure is on to get the shopping done, put up the tree, hang the lights, decorate the house, prepare baking, wrap the presents, send out cards, attend work parties, visit the in-laws, keep the kids entertained, shovel the driveway, make the perfect dinner, travel, and, oh yes, if there’s any time left over, actually enjoy the season!

Mindful Forgiveness: Finding Peace in the Hurt

Written by Lindsay Dupuis, MA, CCC on November 1, 2017.

For many, forgiveness is viewed as a way of giving in, making allowances or excuses, letting another person “win,” or showing weakness.

For the unforgiving, grudges are held, intense emotions are clung onto with a sense of desperation, for the purpose of fighting back, trying to obtain justice, or somehow attempting to prove a point or change what was done in the past.

However, resisting forgiveness in this way is exhausting, defeating, and ultimately, a way of letting the other person take control over you.

Author: Lindsay Dupuis, MA, CCC