dianastevanblog

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7 Thoughts on What to Look for in a Therapist

Since I just released Along Came A Gardener, in which I encourage anyone to go for therapy if they’re feeling emotionally stuck, I thought I’d write a blog post, giving 7 thoughts on what to look for in a therapist. I Used to Hire Therapists Back in the 1990s, as the B.C. Director for Corporate Health Consultants, a national EFAP firm, I hired counselors throughout B.C. to provide confidential…

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Folding Memories into Story

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The Cracks in Mental Health Services

Recently, in Vancouver, British Columbia, we became aware, once again, of the cracks in mental health services. They failed to help those in need and they failed to protect the public from harm. At a Filipino Street Festival in South Vancouver on Saturday, April 26, a mentally ill man drove his SUV into the crowd and killed 11 people and injured dozens more. Photo by Luke Jones on Unsplash What…

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Life's Emotional Roller Coaster

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Book Launch of Along Came A Gardener

Hurrah, my book launch of Along Came A Gardener happened this past weekend. The book, based on my 25 years as a family therapist, is now online for sale on Amazon, and soon on other online retailers as well. And to celebrate, I posted a video on my youtube channel. It’s a short one of me reading from a chapter that includes the poem (written by a client) which gave me the idea and title for this…

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Countdown to the Book Launch

With the coutdown to the book launch of Along Came a Gardener less than two months away, I share a few thoughts about what's inside and where I'm launching this book.

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An Enduring Love Story for Valentine's Day

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Counting My Blessings

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Celebrating 'A Cry from the Deep' with a Sale on its 10th Anniversary

My Debut Book Launch It was a dark and stormy night in October, 2014, when I launched A Cry from the Deep, my debut novel, at the local library in Campbell River on Vancouver Island. It wasn’t a night to be out. The wind howled, as it does across Discovery Passage, the waves crashed on the shore, and the rain lashed my car as I drove to the library. A wicked night, but the room for my launch was…

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Inside the Inspirational Pages

With fall fast approaching, I thought I’d share what’s inside the inspirational pages of my self-help book, Along Came A Gardener, out on November 16, 2024. Those of you who have been following me know this has been a work of love, starting in the late 1970s, when I was working at the Child Guidance Clinic of Winnipeg. Thankfully, I didn’t publish then. I still had a lot to learn. My Notes from…

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Along Came A Gardener

Hallelujah; I can finally say my latest book, Along Came A Gardener, has a publishing date. It’s coming November 16, 2024. This non-fiction book is part memoir, part self-help, and part stories from the world of mental health. It’s also a wonderful introduction to psychotherapy, letting the reader know the kinds of problems therapists deal with but also when to go and what kind of therapist to…

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Mother: An Unheralded Heroine

Mothers, unheralded heroines, deserve our attention. They’re the ones whose tireless efforts to raise a child in our increasingly complex world are often overlooked. To honour her mother who had just died, Anna Jarvis, an American peace activist, started Mother’s Day in the US in1905. In her work with Mother’s Day Clubs devoted to the wounded soldiers on both sides of the American Civil War, she…

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My Early Reading Life

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A Special Deal on a Love Story

In anticipation of Valentine’s Day 2024, I’m offering a special deal on a love story. A Cry from the Deep, my romantic mystery and adventure was published in 2014 and took 10 years to write. I loved the research into the past (the time of the Irish famine and the Spanish Armada) and the research into the occupations of my characters: Catherine Fitgerald, underwater photographer: Daniel Costello,…

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Kindness of Strangers on Goodreads

When I read about a recent book scandal, I was reminded of the line, “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.” Blanche Debois says it in the Tennessee Williams play, Streetcar Named Desire. It’s a curious line because Blanche is not great at assessing strangers, and the only kindness she’s received was that in exchange for sex. Still, that line came to mind, when I thought of how…

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Wrapping Up Writing

Year-end is a good time for wrapping up writing and more. With holiday celebrations in full swing, there’s too much going on to concentrate on finishing a work-in-progress, or starting a new one. I find writing breaks useful, a time for reflection. My thoughts about story never stop, but while Christmas carols are being sung on the radio, I also reflect on the promise of peace this season…

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A Treasured Icon