A parent with narcissistic traits constantly needs admiration, shows little empathy, engages in manipulation, and only gives love conditionally. Choosing to step away from a narcissistic parent is one of the most painful decisions an adult child can make. This decision rarely comes suddenly; it follows years of trying to be seen, heard, and loved.
Parents can find themselves carrying a mixed bag of emotions during the summer months. There’s excitement about longer, warmer days, leisure time with the kids, holidays away, and more. Yet parenting stress and anxiety loom overhead, like a thin fog ready to encase you. Parenting is one of the most fulfilling human roles, but it can also carry emotional and mental loads that often go unspoken.
Some people experience anxiety that is intense, frightening and accompanied by physical symptoms of chest pain, similar to a heart attack, and an inability to breathe normally. It can present suddenly when no apparent danger exists. This is an extreme form of anxiety called a panic attack. A person who experiences them recurrently to the point where they live in constant fear of them likely has a panic disorder.
Statistics across the world provide clear evidence of a problem with men’s mental health. Generations of men grew up when emotional restraint was considered a strength. They are now navigating the cost of a legacy that has left them emotionally undereducated. Society requires a paradigm shift to change the cultural definition of masculinity.
Helping a teen contemplating self-harm requires awareness, and it often begins with a conversation between friends. As a parent, you have the power to coach your child to respond courageously to save a young life. This subject warrants careful and honest dialogue. We encourage you to read this article and share it widely.
Cancer affects your mental health and seeking support for your mental wellness through this journey is not just a nice-to-have. It can be crucial for the best possible outcome. We have ample evidence indicating how our bodies and minds support each other. A healthy body promotes mental wellness, and robust emotional well-being can boost the immune system, lower blood pressure, and offer resilience to stressors.
When you’re grieving, the merriment of the holiday season feel painfully out of place with your inner world. Coping with grief over the holidays doesn’t mean forcing cheer. Instead, you can find gentle ways to honour your feelings by creating space for both sorrow and moments of comfort.
Narcissistic traits go well beyond vanity and large egos. It manifest in both personal and professional relationship settings as consistent behaviours like lying, manipulating, controlling narratives, avoiding accountability, and having no scruples.
Despite growing awareness about mental health, the stigma surrounding ADHD remains pervasive and deeply rooted in misunderstanding.
Here is a valuable list of resources that help students – yes, even International Students – maintain their mental well-being. Take advantage of them because your mental health matters.
School avoidance and back-to-school anxiety are growing trends in Canada. According to Anxiety Canada, more than 25% of youth will engage in some form of school avoidance during their education.
While summer brings the promise of sunshine, rest, and quality time with family, it is also when tensions can rise between couples. Summertime marital strife is more common than one would believe.
Being raised by a narcissistic parent can shape an entire life!
A child learns that love has to be earned and that their feelings come second. Those lessons follow them into adulthood, affecting relationships, self-worth, and self-perception.
Choosing distance is rarely sudden. It usually comes after years of trying to be seen, heard, and loved.
In her new article, Shanti clinician Rashmi Kumar, RP, who specializes in healing from narcissistic abuse, explores:
• Why children are wired to seek a parent’s approval, and what happens when love comes with conditions
• The lasting toll: people-pleasing, hypervigilance, self-blame, and trouble setting boundaries
• The breaking point, when no amount of effort will change their behaviour
• “Ambiguous loss,” grieving a parent who is still alive, and gentle ways to create your own closure
• What estrangement can mean for your relationship with the other parent
• Cultural pressure: when “family comes first” adds guilt to an already painful decision • How therapy can help you rebuild self-worth without losing your culture
Estrangement isn’t about ending love. It’s about ending harm.
It’s more common than you think, and you are not alone. You can heal from this, and we’re here to help.
📖 Read the full article: link in bio
📞 Free 20-minute consultation: (437) 747-0692
🌐 shantipsychotherapy.ca
#narcissisticparent #narcissisticabuse #familyestrangement #adultchildrenofnarcissists #ambiguousloss
My high five "why": NO ONE should have to put aside their culture before they can heal.
I`m Angie Agrawal-Holstein, proud mom of three, a trauma therapist, and the founder of Shanti Psychotherapy.
I grew up second-generation South Asian in Southern Ontario. After 25 years in mental health, I know culture is the missing piece in care.
Research shows culturally adapted therapy brings 4.7 times greater odds of symptom remission (Hall et al., 2016). Yet most people have never heard of culturally relevant therapy or language matching. So they settle for one-size-fits-all care, and too many end up back in a revolving-door system.
At Shanti, therapy is offered in 15 languages by clinicians who understand family expectations, faith, stigma, and what it`s like to live between cultures. You don`t have to translate your feelings or explain where you come from. You can simply begin.
If we win the High Five Grant, it will fund a Canada-wide awareness campaign so people know this kind of care exists and can find it:
• A video series of our clinicians explaining culturally relevant therapy, in their own languages • Targeted outreach to newcomer and international student communities • Translated pamphlets for campus events, including our seven Laadliyan university chapters • Subsidized sessions through our Making Therapy Accessible Program
Culture isn`t a bonus in therapy. It`s essential.
Thank you @usbank and @highfivegrant for investing in mom entrepreneurs.
#highfivegrant #culturallyrelevanttherapy #languagematching #mentalhealthcanada #momentrepreneur #shantipsychotherapy
Violence and aggression toward education staff are increasing, raising important questions about the mental health and behavioural supports available within schools.
In a recent CBC News article, Shanti founder and trauma therapist Angie Agrawal Holstein speaks to the growing expectations placed on educators:
“It is not possible for teachers to wear all these different hats of behaviour specializations, diagnostics, as well as the emotional counseling support.”
Supporting students also means ensuring educators have access to the right professionals, resources, and systems around them.
🔗 Read the full CBC News article for more on this important issue in our bio.
#shantipsychotherapy #mentalhealthinschools #teachermentalhealth #studentmentalhealth #mentalhealthsupport education
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/violence-against-education-staff-in-n-w-t-on-the-rise-union-says-9.7322079
Teen therapy isn’t just “adult therapy, but younger.” It’s its own specialty.
So how do you know if a therapist is actually equipped to work with teens?
It takes real training, not just general clinical skills. We created a free checklist to help the community, parents and caregivers find the right fit for their child or teen. 👇
🔗 shantipsychotherapy.ca
#TeenMentalHealth #ChildTherapy #Culturallyattunedtherapy #ParentingSupport #Toronto MentalHealthMatters
Meet Claudia Louis, RP (Qualifying) 🌿 One of our therapists supporting clients through Shanti’s Making Therapy Accessible Program (MTAP).
Claudia works with teens (14+), adults, couples, university and international students, supporting concerns such as anxiety, depression, relationship challenges, life transitions, school-based concerns, mood difficulties, and immigrant and newcomer experiences.
With a warm and culturally attuned approach, Claudia offers sessions in English and Tamil, both virtually and in person in Scarborough.
Through MTAP, Claudia also provides reduced-fee therapy from $60–$120/session, helping make ongoing mental health support more accessible for those experiencing financial barriers.
We’re so excited to have Claudia as part of the Shanti team! 💛
Visit the link in our bio to learn more or connect with our Intake Team to see if Claudia could be a good fit for you.
We’re so happy to welcome Andre Johnson, Registered Psychotherapist, to the Shanti community! 🌿
Andre offers a warm and supportive space for teens (14+), adults, couples, families, and first responders navigating trauma, relationships, grief, family concerns, and more.
Andre is currently offering virtual sessions in English! We’re excited for you to get to know him!
Book a consultation on our website or using the link in our bio!
Do you find yourself replaying conversations, expecting the worst, or getting stuck in the same thoughts over and over again?
Anxiety can make it difficult to switch off, even when you know your thoughts aren’t helping. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) helps you identify unhelpful thinking patterns, challenge them, and develop practical tools to respond differently.
Learn how CBT can help you break free from cycles of worry and build healthier ways of coping.
📞 Book a free consultation to learn more: https://www.shantipsychotherapy.ca/
#CBT #AnxietySupport #Overthinking #MentalHealthSupport #Psychotherapy
We have some exciting news! 💙
Shanti Psychotherapy has been selected as one of 100 Canadian small businesses to participate in the Backing Canadian Small Businesses program, funded by @amexcanada and administered by @dmzhq
With a $10,000 grant and 12 weeks of mentorship, we’ll continue expanding our community outreach and making culturally responsive mental health care more accessible.
Thank you to our clients, community partners, and everyone who has supported Shanti, we’re excited for what’s ahead! 🩵
#backingcanadiansmallbusinesses #shantipsychotherapy #communitymentalhealth #mentalhealthmatters
Meet Sonomi, Registered Psychotherapist at Shanti Psychotherapy. 🌿
Sonomi supports parents navigating stress, overwhelm, family challenges, and the everyday realities of raising children. She is passionate about helping parents build stronger connections with themselves and their families through compassionate, practical support.
📍 Virtual and in-person appointments available
📞 Book a free consultation to learn more
#MeetTheTherapist #Psychotherapy #ParentingSupport #mentalhealth
A wonderful day of learning, connection, and meaningful conversations at the OASDI Ontario K–12 International Education Symposium ✨
We were honoured to share our session, “What Do I Even Say? Scripts and Language for Mental Health Conversations with International Students,” and connect with so many educators dedicated to supporting student wellbeing.
Thank you to everyone who joined us—we left inspired by your commitment, compassion, and care for international students.
#internationalstudents #studentwellbeing #mentalhealthmatters #internationaleducation
As a second-generation South Asian kid growing up in Sarnia, Ontario, in the 1970s and early 80s, this production hit home in ways I wasn’t expecting.
From the music, to the vulnerability, to the beautiful and honest portrayal of family values, love, sacrifice, and struggle, it felt like watching pieces of my own story unfold on stage. The nuances of navigating multiple cultures, carrying expectations, finding belonging, and honoring the generations that came before us were captured with such authenticity and care. All in a one man show!
What moved me most was how thoughtfully the production normalized the mental health challenges that can exist across first-, second-, and third-generation immigrant families. These are conversations that so many of us have lived but haven’t always seen reflected in mainstream storytelling.
Thank you for creating art that helps people feel seen, understood, and connected. This is exactly the kind of storytelling Canada needs more of.
My hope is that this production receives the support and resources it deserves to travel across the country so more communities can experience its impact. The stories are universal, the message is timely, and the felt sense that comes from seeing ourselves represented is powerful.
Congratulations on an incredible production!! 🙌🏾 💗 #growingupbrown #mentalhealthawareness #bolbrownboybol #firstgeneration #canada🇨🇦
A warm welcome to Maheen Sayal, Registered Social Worker, who has joined the Shanti Psychotherapy team!
Maheen supports individuals (14+), couples, and families navigating anxiety, depression, OCD, ADHD, trauma, identity exploration, and relationship challenges. Her approach is integrative, trauma-informed, and grounded in creating a compassionate space where clients feel understood and supported 🫱🏽🫲🏾
📍 In-person & virtual sessions
🗣️ Therapy available in Urdu, English & Hindi
📅 Accepting new clients, book a free 20 minute consultation using our bio or website!
We’re grateful to have her expertise and care as part of our team. 🌿
#TraumaTherapy #EMDRTherapy #MentalHealthSupport #AnxietySupport #CulturallyResponsiveTherapy
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