30 January 2015

Bedwetting, how parents and caregivers can help a child

Before I get too into this subject, I need to apologize to my son, who I am sure at some point in his life will see this and be embarrassed that I am sharing this experience with the public.

I had a dream once that I was playing and splashing around in warm water, and then suddenly a storm came in and dumped cold rain, leaving me feeling chilled and damp. When I awoke, I was indeed damp and chilled. My four year old son had come into my room for cuddles and wet the bed.

He’s been day-time potty trained for some time now, but is still adjusting to waking up and going to the bathroom. Since he wakes up knowing something isn’t right, he comes and seeks comfort. Many times he is so sneaky coming into my room that I have no idea he is there until I awake, which sometimes is too late to avoid his bedwetting accident.

I have found though that there are preventative tips can help a child who is struggling with bed wetting.

First and foremost, do not embarrass or shame your child. The experience is uncomfortable enough with having to change pajamas and sheets, that pointing it out more with anger will just add to the discomfort. Simply acknowledge with empathy that accidents happen. If you as a child struggled with bedwetting, be brave and share.

Limit, not eliminate, fluids after dinner. Eliminating fluids is trying to avoid the problem; as with all things, avoiding the problem does not fix the problem. Limiting fluid intake is risk reduction.

Take your child to the bathroom at the beginning of their bedtime routine and at the end of it, just before hopping into bed.

When you go to bed, if you haven’t already fallen asleep putting your child to sleep, take your child to the bathroom.

If there seems to be a consistent time when your child is waking up after wetting the bed, take them to the bathroom prior to that time. For example say there is a theme of a 3 a.m. bedwetting, wake them up at 2 a.m. to go to the bathroom.

These are all preventative measures. If these problems persist with your child for a prolonged period of time, consider taking them to the doctor to rule out anything medical.


As for me in my house, it has been about two weeks since I have had a cold dump of rain alter my dreams.

29 January 2015

Top BlackBerry 10 (BB10) Apps for Counsellors and Therapists


I have been a die hard fan and a power user of BlackBerry devices for almost a decade now. I now own a Passport and love the device, especially since it is great for emails, calendars, contacts, and, of course, BBHub.

However, I have noticed that a lot of the apps (and rightfully so) focus on the business world... and I am not a traditional business person, I'm a counsellor. With that comes a different demand for the device, outside of the traditional apps. So I am compiling a list of apps that I found useful as a counsellor, therapist, mental health worker, etc. that uses a BB10 device. (Note that these apps will be found in either BlackBerry World, 1Mobile, or Amazon)

Counselling Related

  • RelaxBook Nature - plays relaxing nature sounds for a timed interval.
  • MindShift - made by AnxietyBC, this app provides information, tracking, calming tools, and mindfulness strategies.
  • 3D Brain - informative and interactive app for learning and understanding parts of the brain
  • PTSD Coach - information on PTSD, tracking symptoms, and ideas for symptom management
  • Psych Drugs - simple information on psychiatric medications; including names, dosage, side effects, and class.
  • Chatoms: Conversation Starters - great and simple way to build relationship, or to help with social skills.
  • Take a Stand Together - anti-bullying app aimed at creating safe and supportive environments.
  • Sesame Street: Divorce - designed for parents to use with their children to help explain and normalize feelings around divorce.
  • EyeMove 1 - simple eye-movement app for EMDR trained therapists.
  • Toxic Thinking - learning about unhelpful thoughts, feelings and actions related to mental health
  • iTouch iLearn Feelings - developing emotional and feelings language for pre-schoolers.
  • Know Yourself Personality Tests - all informal, but informative questionnaires.
  • Solar Explorer - exploring the solar system can help (some) put present struggles in perspective. Or it is soothing.
  • Days Lived - fun app that lets you know how many days you have lived, and time spent doing certain activities.
  • TED - TED talks are awesome and inspiring.
Productivity
  • Evernote - it's my brain, everything is stored here. Workshop materials, recent research, webpages, etc. (I interchange between using the Android & Blackberry app)
  • Dropbox - all my 'working'/'in-progress' documents are here. Access to my files anywhere at anytime.
  • Workwide - allows for multi-tasking (great for Passport users) by using two windows simultaneously.
  • Tilt - after it's latest upgrade, this app provides instant information at the tilting of the device. Can see recent emails, upcoming events with having to man-handle your device.
  • RSS Savy - all your feeds, one location.
  • BB Bridge - I still rock the Playbook, so this app is great for using my phone as a slide changer.

    Self-care
    • 7-minute Workout - pretty easy to find seven minutes to work out.
    • Phone Abuser - track how much time you have spent actively using your device, a nice reality check
    • Countdown - counts down to certain holidays, and also custom dates like birthday's, vacation, etc.
    Webpages on Home Screen

    I use these self informative tools to help increase my clients Johari Window so that they can understand themselves better, and so I can assist them better as well.

    20 January 2015

    Happy Wife, Happy Life

    You know that saying "Happy Wife, Happy Life"? Well, it turns out it is true! A predicting factor for the longevity of a marriage is how content the wife is, regardless of the content level of the husband. The article suggests that there tends to be a greater impact on the husband when the wife is happy in the marriage, compared to if it was the other way around.