top of page
Blog Articles & Resources
Practical Mental Health Education Through the Lens of Trauma, Neuroscience & Internal Family Systems
Explore articles, practical strategies, and neuroscience-informed insights to help you better understand trauma, anxiety, grief, ADHD, relationships, attachment styles, nervous system regulation, emotional wellbeing, and the protective patterns that shape how we think, feel, and connect with others.
Topics include: Trauma • PTSD & Complex PTSD • EMDR Therapy • Anxiety • Grief & Loss • ADHD • Relationships • Attachment • Nervous System Regulation • Burnout • Internal Family Systems (IFS) • Mental Health Education
All Posts
Anxiety During Divorce: How Parental Stress Affects Children and What Helps
FAMILY TRANSITIONS | PART 1 OF 3 Understanding divorce-related anxiety, the developing nervous system, and the importance of emotional security during family separation. Divorce is rarely just the ending of a relationship. It is often the unravelling of a familiar life, accompanied by uncertainty about finances, parenting arrangements, identity, and the future. Even when separation is necessary or brings relief from an unhappy relationship, its emotional consequences can be
Farnaz Farrokhi-Holmes, RCC, CCC
Oct 156 min read
Co-Parenting Between Two Homes: Managing Conflict, Boundaries, and Emotional Safety
FAMILY TRANSITIONS | PART 2 OF 3 Understanding different parenting styles, difficult co-parenting relationships, children's transitions between households, and the role of healthy boundaries after divorce. The end of an intimate relationship does not necessarily end the responsibilities, disagreements, or emotional patterns that developed within it. For separated parents, co-parenting may require continued communication with someone with whom they have experienced considerabl
Farnaz Farrokhi-Holmes, RCC, CCC
Oct 158 min read
The Invisible Partner: Stepparent Anxiety and the Emotional Complexity of Blended Families
FAMILY TRANSITIONS | PART 3 OF 3 Understanding the overlooked experiences of stepparents and new romantic partners, including grief, resentment, emotional labour, belonging, and the challenges of building a blended family. Entering a relationship with someone who has children often means becoming part of a family system that existed long before the new relationship began. There may be established parenting routines, financial commitments, custody arrangements, extended family
Farnaz Farrokhi-Holmes, RCC, CCC
Oct 1510 min read
Part 1: The Different Faces of Narcissism: Why It Can Be So Hard to See
Taylor Swift’s Patient Zero video and lyrics has struck a nerve because it captures something many people struggle to explain: knowing one version of someone in private while everyone else seems to know a completely different version. That is part of what can make narcissistic relationship patterns so confusing. Narcissism does not always look arrogant, cruel, or obviously self-centred. Sometimes it looks confident. Sometimes hurt. Sometimes extremely generous. Sometimes lik
Farnaz Farrokhi-Holmes, RCC, CCC
Oct 77 min read
Part 2: Raised by a Narcissistic Parent: When Their Needs Always Came First
Some adults come into counselling knowing their childhood was difficult. Others are much less certain. They may describe a parent who loved them, worked hard, made sacrifices, and was deeply involved in their life, while also describing a home where they learned to be careful, perform well, keep the peace, or monitor a parent’s emotions. That is part of what can make narcissistic family dynamics so confusing. A parent does not have to be cold, cruel, or obviously neglectful f
Farnaz Farrokhi-Holmes, RCC, CCC
Oct 76 min read
Part 3: When Your Child Shows Narcissistic Traits: What Parents Need to Know
Parents sometimes become worried when a child or teenager seems unusually self-focused, entitled, competitive, or unable to handle criticism. Maybe they struggle to apologize. Maybe losing feels unbearable. Maybe every limit turns into an argument, or they seem to have difficulty understanding how their behaviour affects other people. It is easy to search these behaviours online and quickly land on the word narcissism. That can be frightening for a parent. But children and te
Farnaz Farrokhi-Holmes, RCC, CCC
Oct 76 min read
Part 4: When Narcissism Runs in the Family: How Patterns Get Passed Down
Sometimes people come into counselling because of one difficult relationship and slowly realize the pattern is much bigger. A parent could never tolerate criticism. A grandparent controlled the family through guilt. A sibling always had to be right. Apologies were rare. Keeping up appearances mattered more than talking honestly about what was happening. Eventually, the question becomes: Is this just how my family learned to relate to one another? That can be an uncomfortable
Farnaz Farrokhi-Holmes, RCC, CCC
Oct 76 min read
Part 5: “I Think I Have Narcissistic Traits”: What Happens When You Recognize Yourself
Sometimes people begin reading about narcissism because they are trying to understand someone else. Then something uncomfortable happens: they recognize themselves. Maybe you notice that you become defensive when criticized. Maybe you struggle to apologize, need a lot of reassurance, or feel compelled to control how other people see you. Maybe you have lied, manipulated, changed the story, or blamed someone else even after being confronted about it. That realization can bring
Farnaz Farrokhi-Holmes, RCC, CCC
Oct 76 min read
Part 6: Breaking the Cycle: You Can Love Your Family Without Repeating Their Patterns
There often comes a point in therapy when understanding the past is no longer enough. You may already know where some of your patterns came from. Perhaps criticism felt dangerous in your family, so you learned to defend yourself quickly. Maybe admitting fault brought shame, so you learned to blame, hide, or change the story. Maybe control helped you feel safer in relationships that once felt unpredictable. That understanding matters. It can help you see that many behaviours d
Farnaz Farrokhi-Holmes, RCC, CCC
Oct 76 min read
Stop Gaslighting Yourself: Betrayal Blindness and Self-Trust
Betrayal Blindness, Grief, and Learning to Trust Your Reality Again Too Long to Read? Here’s What I Want You to Take Away You can spend a long time telling yourself you’re overreacting, being too sensitive, or making a big deal out of nothing — even when something in you knows otherwise. Betrayal can make you question your own memory, instincts, and judgment, especially when the truth feels painful or destabilizing. You may be able to explain something away logically while yo
Farnaz Farrokhi-Holmes, RCC, CCC
Sep 165 min read
Internal Family Systems (IFS): What It Is and How It Heals Trauma
Most forms of therapy involve altering thinking or behavior patterns. Internal Family Systems takes a different approach.
Farnaz Farrokhi-Holmes, RCC, CCC
Sep 25 min read
Conflict and Connection in Couples Counselling: Strategies for Lasting Change
Many couples enter counselling focused on the arguments they keep having or the feeling that communication has broken down.
Farnaz Farrokhi-Holmes, RCC, CCC
Sep 28 min read
What to Expect in Couples Therapy
Scheduling an initial appointment can be easy enough. The tricky part comes when you do not have any idea as to what will happen during the session.
Farnaz Farrokhi-Holmes, RCC, CCC
Sep 26 min read
How Does Relationship/Couples Counselling Work?
Two people who love each other can still end up feeling like strangers sitting across from each other every night.
Farnaz Farrokhi-Holmes, RCC, CCC
Sep 27 min read
Understanding the Importance of Seeking Help for Mental Health
Eleven years. Research shows that people who seek help for their mental health often wait about 11 years from when their symptoms first begin to when they first receive professional support.
Farnaz Farrokhi-Holmes, RCC, CCC
Sep 26 min read
EMDR Therapy for Trauma: Benefits, How It Works, and What to Expect
Some hurtful memories don't just stay in the past; they are embedded in our nervous system, ready to resurface at the smallest reminder.
Farnaz Farrokhi-Holmes, RCC, CCC
Sep 27 min read
7 ACT Therapy Techniques You Can Start Using Today
Most people dealing with anxiety or painful memories try the same thing: push the feeling away hard enough until it stops showing up.
Farnaz Farrokhi-Holmes, RCC, CCC
Sep 26 min read
7 Key Advantages of Counselling
Survival mode doesn't always look like crisis. Sometimes it looks like a person who seems completely fine on the outside while quietly running on empty underneath.
Farnaz Farrokhi-Holmes, RCC, CCC
Sep 25 min read
Coping with Trauma: Advice for Healing and Recovery
Trauma never goes away. It resides in our nervous system, altering the way we perceive safety, how we react to stress, and how we experience the neutral moments of our normal everyday lives.
Farnaz Farrokhi-Holmes, RCC, CCC
Sep 26 min read
Coping with Grief and Loss: Stages and Finding Hope
Grief should be seen as an integral component of life rather than something to avoid. Grieving is something everyone in this world faces at some point or another; unfortunately, none of us is taught how to cope with its aftermath effectively.
Farnaz Farrokhi-Holmes, RCC, CCC
Sep 26 min read
bottom of page