Honouring Home: Clinical Counselling
Beyond the Therapy Room
Healing and learning don’t stop at the therapy room door.
Here you’ll find podcasts, research, and writing that shape my practice and support a slow, grounded, and reflective approach to care.
Socials
The Anxiety of Small Talk:
Why Simple Conversations Don’t Always Feel Simple
November 14th, 2025 | 28:00 | S1:E34
Episode Summary
For some of us, chatting about the weather or weekend plans comes easily, and for others it’s a source of stress and self-doubt. Why does something as ordinary as small talk spark such big feelings? Nisreen Abdel-Majid gets to the bottom of small talk psychology. Arslan Abakarov is a software developer at AMI who grew up in Russia where small talk is never the norm. Elysia Yardley lets us in on her perspectives on communication and connection, as someone who works in Human Resources at AMI, along with her tips navigating chit-chat at work. Dillon Lewchuk, Clinical Counsellor, Art Therapist, and Educator helps us get to the core of small talk, by unpacking the deeper emotional layers behind everyday interactions. From cultural differences to social anxiety, let's figure out the complexities under surface conversations.
Podcasts
Title: “Working Therapeutically with Gender & Sexually Diverse Clients"
Time: 1-3 Hours
Presentation: Virtual or In Person
Abstract: This presentation will introduce a trauma-informed framework aimed at enhancing clinicians' knowledge, skills, and comfort when working with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in therapeutic settings. Clinicians will gain a deeper understanding of the complexities faced by this marginalized community, with a focus on the historical and ongoing oppressive impacts of social, educational, religious, and governmental institutions in what is now called Canada. Topics such as gender, sexuality, language, best practices, intersectionality, potential risks, barriers, interventions, and case studies will be explored throughout. The goal is for clinicians to engage in reflexive practice and adopt a mindset of curiosity, integrating theory, history, and lived experiences into their work to provide better understanding and support for this ever-evolving and diverse community.
Fee: Depending on time and number of participants
*Email for inquiries*
