High-Functioning Anxiety: When Everything Looks Fine on the Outside
Success and anxiety can exist side by side, even when no one else can tell. This post explores what high-functioning anxiety looks like and why it's often the hardest kind to recognize — even in yourself.
Are You Really Setting a Boundary?
This article explores the difference between boundaries, requests, and demands, and why understanding that difference matters in our relationships. Learn how boundaries can protect your needs and limits while respecting the autonomy of others.
Welcoming Chloe Sernasie to Being and Becoming Counselling and Wellness Services
Meet Chloe Sernasie, a Master’s counselling student at the University of British Columbia (UBC) completing her practicum at Being and Becoming. She offers affordable, collaborative, trauma-informed counselling for youth and adults in Burnaby and online across British Columbia, with a particular interest in anxiety, depression, relationships, self-worth, identity, grief and loss, and life transitions.
Welcoming Tara McSweeney to Being and Becoming Counselling and Wellness Services
Meet Tara, a Registered Clinical Counsellor and UBC PhD student who is completing a practicum at Being and Becoming. Tara provides collaborative, trauma-informed counselling in Burnaby and online across British Columbia. She has particular interests in supporting neurodivergent and disabled clients, as well as those navigating eating disorders, body image, identity, relationships, and marginalization.
Understanding Complex Trauma: How Survival Strategies Shape the Present
Complex trauma develops through repeated or prolonged experiences that can shape how we see ourselves, relate to others, and respond to the world around us. This article explores the survival strategies that can develop in response to complex trauma and how those strategies may continue to shape our lives long after the original experiences have passed.
The Link Between Sleep and Binge Eating: Why Rest Matters More Than You Think
Poor sleep can increase cravings, emotional eating, and vulnerability to binge eating by affecting hunger hormones, brain function, and emotional regulation. This article explores the connection between sleep and binge eating and offers practical ways to support better sleep and a healthier relationship with food.
The Window of Tolerance: Why Stress Feels Impossible to Manage
Ever wonder why the same stressor barely registers one day and completely overwhelms you the next? Learn about the window of tolerance — the nervous system's zone of regulation — and how somatic, body-based therapy can help widen it.
Why Trauma Can Make It Hard to Feel What's Happening Inside: Understanding Interoception and Exteroception
Trauma can make it difficult to recognize what's happening inside your body, leaving you feeling disconnected from your emotions, physical sensations, and needs. Learn how interoception and exteroception work, why trauma disrupts these processes, and how trauma-informed therapy can help you reconnect with your nervous system.
ARFID: Understanding Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder and How Treatment Can Help
Being called a picky eater your whole life doesn't mean you just need to try harder — for many people, extreme food avoidance is a recognized eating disorder called ARFID. Learn how therapy and nutrition counselling can support adolescents and adults with ARFID toward a more flexible and fulfilling relationship with food.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder: When Body Image Concerns Go Beyond the Ordinary
When concerns about appearance become all-consuming, they may be a sign of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) rather than typical body image dissatisfaction. This article explores the symptoms, causes, and treatment of BDD, and offers guidance on when to seek professional support.