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 Kind 'No': How to Set a Boundary and Protect Your Joy
Learn simple, kind scripts for setting boundaries during the holidays. Frame your 'No' as an act of proactive self-care to maintain wholeness and connection.
Connection vs. Performance: How to Be Seen, Not Just Present
The holiday party circuit often brings a hidden pressure: the need to perform. We feel compelled to be witty, successful, high-energy, or perfectly composed. We are so busy trying to manage the external perception that we lose the opportunity for genuine connection.
Here’s what I want you to know: How are you connecting while performing?
Navigating the Social Energy Battery: A Proactive Tool for Holiday Parties
Work events and friend gatherings are kicking off, often demanding a high social performance. For many, this feels less like a celebration and more like a heavy drain on the nervous system. You may go home feeling depleted, having given away all your energy without making a single genuine connection.
Tending to your energy in all settings might feel daunting at first, but preparation is proactive care
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.
Let the Leaves Fall: Releasing What’s Heavy
As late fall settles in, nature is already showing us what release looks like. Trees aren’t failing when they shed their leaves, they’re conserving energy, making space, and responding to shorter days. In therapy, we can do the same.
From the Therapist’s Chair: What Happens in Therapy, Really?
Today, I want to pull back the curtain on what actually happens in therapy, especially somatic therapy. When we begin to track the body in context with our environment, what happens and what to expect.
One of the most common questions I get from new clients is,
“What should I expect in a session with you?”
It’s a fair question, especially when someone is already feeling dysregulated, overstimulated, or stuck in seasonal fatigue.
How to Ground Your Nervous System Without Overriding It
When stress builds, it’s tempting to manage it from the top-down. Meaning with thinking, planning, fixing or brain work. But somatic therapy reminds us: the nervous system doesn’t respond well to being managed. It responds to being heard.
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.
Settling In: Seasonal Light Shifts and Your Environment
This November, we’re returning to the body.
As the light changes, so do we. You might feel it already — that tug to go to bed earlier, the extra effort it takes to wake up, or a desire to stay cozy and close to home. These are not flaws in your motivation. They’re physiological cues from your nervous system.
The Unseen Work That Shapes Our Relationships
You know the feeling, remembering your partner’s dental appointment, your child’s shifting moods, your roommate’s dietary preferences, and the mental list of things no one else seems to track. And still wondering, “Why am I so tired?”
That’s invisible labour. And it’s exhausting.