Parents ask: “How can I use music at home with my child when I have no musical skills?” Regardless of culture or place of birth some aspects of childhood are universal. Different regions have different music, but all children sing! Fear or a lack of confidence may be getting in the way of a store of material that is likely there just beneath the surface. A little while ago a new mom from Thailand asked me for help find songs she could sing to her baby girl. As a music therapist, I am used to researching music from diverse regions of the world to serve clientele in their own language. She felt too shy to sing, so I suggested that she speak it in the rhythm that she remembered. She found herself singing in spite of herself because by then the song wanted to be sung! No skills are necessary. Sing with your heart!

Nejama Ferstman, Shiri Music Therapy Services, www.shirimysong.ca

Take your health into your own hands! The power of positivity can help you achieve health and prosperity in 2017 and beyond! Here are some reasons why I believe people are struggling to get better. Your MINDSET has everything to do with the ability your body has to heal itself. Stop these thinking negative patterns: “There is nothing I can do about my health,” “I am aging, and disease is normal,” “I have been convinced by someone of authority that this is normal.” “I believe my problem cannot be fixed.” “I like being sick – Brings lots of attention!” “I have not learned to love or forgive.” All of this fear and anger is feeding your illness – Let go of negative emotions! If you find yourself relating to one of the thoughts above and are not willing to change, reclaiming your health is much more challenging. Your mind is the most powerful tool. Use it to reach your health and wellness goals this year!

Louis Hoolaeff HR, HC, ACS, www.LeadingEdgeHealth.org

People often want to communicate better. Being clear with others helps keep our relationships running smoothly. But communication can get tricky – we can get threatened, defensive, overwhelmed, critical, get aggressive or passive aggressive, feel undermined, not feel heard, feel misunderstood, or not know what we want – so much happens when we try to talk through issues! Couples often have a few hot topics that they can’t easily talk about. Family relationships can often use better communication. Is your communication connection style working for you? It can feel uncomfortable to try talking in new ways. But in the end it is helpful to be able to say what you want, say what you mean, and feel reasonably confident that the other person will hear you. Good communication can improve your trust in yourself and in your relationship. Counselling provides a safe and non-judgmental place to find ways to communicate more efficiently.

Mary Munro, www.marymunro.ca

At some point in our adult life, most of us have set goals for ourselves. We somehow get distracted, and our willpower fades, whether the goal is to quit smoking, manage our weight, make a career change… the list is endless. A perfect example of this when people make New Year’s resolutions and are entirely focused on achieving their goals, but after a few weeks, their willpower fades and they fall back into old patterns of behavior. The reason that we can get off track is that our willpower is located in our conscious mind which makes up 5-10% of our potential mind power compared to our subconscious mind which makes up 90-95% of our potential mind power. Hypnotherapy works because hypnosis allows direct access to the subconscious mind and can change old, unwanted, outdated beliefs that cause us to fall back into negative patterns of behavior that keep us stuck.

Scott Metcalf, C.H.t, RCCH, www.abeautifulmindhypnotherapy.com