Checking in on what I’m reading… So often, I’m in a counselling session and caregivers come up. We learn how we have to be in order to get our needs met and we often unconsciously carry these patterns into our adult lives. … Two things can be true - our parents did their best and were great most of the time, AND they didn’t always meet our emotional or other needs. In this blog post I delve into Lindsay Gibson’s work on four types of emotionally immature parents and the internalizing and externalizing coping styles that often emerge.

In a world that often feels fast-paced and disconnected, the ability to truly listen and validate another person’s experience is a rare and transformative skill. Validation and reflective listening are not just communication techniques—they are pathways to deeper relationships, greater empathy, and a more fulfilling life…