Meet the Author
Hi, I'm Sarah, a Registered Psychotherapist offering somatic and talk therapy at my Roncesvalles and Junction offices in Toronto's west end, and online across Canada. This is where I share what I'm noticing in my work, with practical Tend to It Tuesday posts and reflective Friday Field Notes. Take what's useful, and leave the rest. Learn more about me
For education only, not a substitute for therapy or medical advice.
The Myth of the "Fresh Start" (And Why We Love the Expression)
"Clean slate." "Fresh start." "New year, new me."
We hear these phrases everywhere in January, and there’s a reason we love them. The idea of a fresh start feels like a deep exhale. It offers us a momentary relief from the weight of our history, our mistakes, and the parts of ourselves we struggle with. It’s a psychological "reset button" that promises we can leave the heavy stuff behind.
Why You Don’t Have to Be in Crisis to Start Therapy
Therapy doesn’t have to be a last resort. It can be:
• A steady place to come back to yourself
• A way to notice stress before it becomes burnout
• A container for asking “What do I actually need right now?”
Like tending a garden, sometimes we prune, sometimes we rest. But it’s the regular tending that makes the difference.
What Kind of Grounding Actually Works?
In therapy and in wellness spaces, we’re often handed lists of “regulation strategies.”
But bodies aren’t checklists. They’re living systems. And when we override what they’re asking for, even a calming tool can become another form of pressure.
From the Therapist’s Chair: Unpacking the Systems We Live In
As therapists, we’re trained to notice roles in our clients: the helper, the fixer, the avoider, the explainer.
But these roles don’t disappear when we become clinicians. In fact, many of us were drawn to this work because of the roles we learned to play early on.