Healing from the Bottom Up: A Guide to Somatic Therapy
Have you spent years in talk therapy, understanding every piece of your story, yet you still feel reactive, triggered, or physically stuck? You aren’t broken. Your body may simply be holding onto what your mind has already processed. Insight lives in the mind, but trauma often lives in the nervous system. If your body was […]
Starting therapy? Here’s What to Expect in Your First Session
A first therapy session usually focuses on getting to know you, reviewing confidentiality and consent, and discussing what brought you to therapy. Therapists may ask about your mental health history, current stressors, and goals for therapy. The goal of the first session is to build trust and create a safe foundation for future conversations. What […]
What Makes Karkiu Psychotherapy Different and How to Know If It’s Right for You
Choosing the right therapist is about fit, not perfection. This post explains what makes Karkiu Psychotherapy different and how to decide if this approach is right for you. What makes Karkiu Psychotherapy different from any other therapy clinic? How do I know if this is the right place for me? When I started this practice, […]
7 Clues That Your Therapy Is Working
We hear a lot of talk about “going to therapy,” like it’s all that simple. If you’ve never had a space to process feelings and life experiences, therapy can feel like such a foreign concept. What happens in our brains and in our hearts can be so intangible sometimes, you’re probably wondering: how to know […]
3 Key Ingredients of Effective Therapy
“Go to therapy.” “Talk to someone.” Okay, yeah. But, like, how is talking about the ‘bad things’ really going to help me? It’s already in the past, there’s nothing I can do about it. Trust me, we’ve heard all the reasons why people think therapy isn’t going to help. I hear it from my own […]
10 Questions to Ask for Your Psychotherapy Consultation
Psychotherapy Consultations are a great place for you to dip your toe in the water of talking to a therapist. You can get a feel for who they are, see if you feel comfortable talking to them, and ask them more specific questions about their approach, experience and style. Many psychotherapists now offer free 15-minute […]
What Does RP (Qualifying) Mean in Ontario Therapy?
Friend: “You should really go to therapy.” You: “I mean—sure, therapy sounds great, but… where do I even start?” Opens Google, types: “therapist in Toronto” Sees 10 pages of results “Okay… but do I need a psychotherapist? A psychologist? A social worker? And why does it say Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), what does that even mean?” […]
Redefining Our “Best”
Recently, I asked my mom what my Chinese name meant in Chinese. Apparently, 家翹 means “the best in the family”. So many things clicked in my mind. I thought to myself, “Wow! Even before I had accomplished a single thing in my life, she already named me as ‘the best in the family’.” And I […]
The Story Behind “Karkiu”
The name Karkiu (pronounced: car-cue) was inspired by my Chinese name. Raised as Chinese-Canadian, I’ve struggled with defining my identity. I was born with both my Chinese and English name – mainly referred to as my Chinese name at home and my English name outside of my home. At some point, I actively embraced only […]