As Yom Kippur approaches, I have been thinking about a word I recently learnt: preflection. I had never heard it before, but it stayed with me. We know what it means to reflect: to look back at our actions, choices, silences, and mistakes. Reflection asks us to examine the past honestly enough to learn from it. Preflection asks us to begin that process before the moment is finished. It imagines looking back from the future and wondering: Who was I in that moment? What did I n

Why is anxiety like a box? To find out, start with our previous blog (Anxiety is Like a Box I), then come back here to keep exploring… Add time: anxiety changes as we develop Anxiety does not stay the same throughout childhood. What frightens a two-year-old is not necessarily what frightens a ten-year-old. And what worries a teenager is very different from the worry of an adult. As children develop, their cognitive abilities change, their interests change and the developm

What is the first thought that comes to your mind when you think about “anxiety”? what is the first feeling? Are you feeling heavy? Negative? Would you rather not think about it? People often think of anxiety as one thing, often coming to see us stating “I have anxiety” and wanting to eradicate it. But here, at CAYAC, we have a somewhat unusual relationship with anxiety – we love it. Why? First, what do we mean by anxiety? Before we go any further, we should make sure we ar

When your child is struggling with anxiety, finding a therapist can feel surprisingly difficult. Families are often faced with long waitlists, confusing choices and an important question: How do I know this is the right person to help my child? CAYAC grew out of a desire to offer families an answer. I came to Canada more than 20 years ago to complete a fellowship in childhood anxiety at SickKids and was fortunate to build my career within the University of Toronto’s academic