Business

We're excited to announce that Mely Sio, a dedicated Registered Provisional Psychologist and Canadian Certified Counsellor based in Calgary, Alberta, is proudly sponsoring Therapist Point's latest contest giveaway. This partnership reflects a shared commitment to making mental health support more accessible and breaking down barriers that prevent people from seeking the help they deserve.

About the Contest

Therapist Point is hosting a free giveaway contest with a $200 prize, running until March 15, 2026. Entering is simple—all participants need to do is provide their name, email, and location through the contest form on the Therapist Point website. No purchase is necessary, making this opportunity truly accessible to everyone who could benefit from mental health support.

The winner will have the chance to share their mental health journey through a brief, anonymous audio recording lasting approximately 10-15 minutes. While the winner's name will remain confidential, their city and state, along with the mental health provider they've worked with, will be shared to inspire others facing similar challenges. This initiative aims to reduce stigma, normalize conversations about mental health, and show that seeking therapy is a courageous step toward healing and growth.

Meet Mely Sio: A Compassionate Guide on Your Mental Health Journey

Mely Sio brings warmth, expertise, and genuine compassion to her counselling practice in Calgary. As a Registered Provisional Psychologist, Canadian Certified Counsellor, and Psychotherapist, Mely holds a Master's degree in Counselling Psychology (MACP) and is currently pursuing her Doctor of Psychology (PsyD). With four years of dedicated experience, she has established herself as a trusted mental health professional who truly understands the complexities of human emotions and relationships.

What sets Mely apart is her collaborative and gently goal-focused approach. She works with individuals, couples, and families navigating relationship challenges, emotional stress, and life transitions. Whether clients feel overwhelmed, disconnected, or stuck, Mely provides a safe, non-judgmental space where they can explore what's happening beneath the surface, strengthen communication skills, and better understand patterns affecting their relationships and overall well-being.

Comprehensive Services for Diverse Needs

At Msio Counselling, Mely offers a wide range of therapeutic services tailored to meet the unique needs of each client. Her areas of expertise include anxiety, depression, ADHD, relationship issues, parenting challenges, grief, stress management, OCD, and support for women's issues. She also specializes in working with children, adolescents, teens, adults, and elders, making her practice truly inclusive across all life stages.

Mely utilizes evidence-based therapeutic approaches, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion Focused Therapy, Humanistic Therapy, Art Therapy, and Strength-Based interventions. This diverse toolkit allows her to customize treatment plans that resonate with each client's unique circumstances and preferences.

Accessible Counselling Options

Understanding that accessibility is crucial for effective mental health care, Mely offers both in-person sessions at her Calgary office and online counselling throughout Alberta and across Canada. This flexibility ensures that geographical barriers don't prevent anyone from receiving the support they need. Sessions are competitively priced at $150 for individual, couples, and group therapy, and Mely offers a free initial phone consultation to help potential clients determine if her services are the right fit.

Making an Impact Together

By sponsoring this contest, Mely Sio demonstrates her commitment to community mental health awareness and her belief that everyone deserves access to quality therapeutic support. Her partnership with Therapist Point amplifies the message that seeking help is not a sign of weakness but an act of courage and self-care.

Whether you're struggling with relationship dynamics, navigating life transitions, or simply seeking tools to improve your emotional well-being, Mely Sio and Msio Counselling offer the expertise, compassion, and support you need to move forward feeling more grounded, confident, and connected in your life and relationships.

Enter the contest today at therapistpoint.com/contest and take a step toward prioritizing your mental health journey.

Listen to Podcast on this article here
https://therapistpoint.com/podcast/managing-anxiety-in-the-workplace

Have you ever heard about the “Sunday Scaries”? They’re the feelings of intense dread that kick in on Sundays when the start of the work week looms. Although Sunday Scaries may be powerful, they’re transitory and usually disappear once Monday is well underway. However, sometimes workplace worries may not pass so easily and stick around every day of the work week. Anxiety generated from one’s employment may even reach such a degree a person’s ability to perform their job becomes impaired.

Note that although anxiety disorders are the most common psychological condition in the US, workplace anxiety is a little different. It tends to decrease on the weekends and days off.

Workplace anxiety can stem from a broad array of causes, but it usually evolves from conflict in working relationships, feelings of being unappreciated, deadlines, job security, overwork, or a toxic working environment.

Symptoms of Work-Related Anxiety

The ways anxiety at work makes itself known varies from person to person, but these are the most common red flags:
-Frequent thoughts of quitting your job
-Feeling trapped with no way out
-Missed deadlines
-Drop in work performance or decrease in productivit
-Feeling tense, pressured
-Problems concentrating

If you have workplace anxiety, you might experience physical symptoms such as:
-Headaches
-Muscle tension
-Fatigue
-Jaw pain
-Insomnia
-Nausea
-Digestive problems, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Some emotional symptoms of work anxiety include: Persistent worry, dread, and/or apprehension related to work topics or being at work, feelings of impatience, Increased irritability

Become the Boss of Your Anxiety

Here are a few ideas that may help you reign in anxiety before it gets out of control.

Check and challenge your thoughts

Take an inventory of your beliefs about work and your employment environment. Are there any thoughts you presume are facts that might be getting in your way? Well-established automatic thoughts, perceptions, and judgments that aren’t in line with reality are called cognitive distortions. They are beliefs that seem true to us but are in fact often incorrect and can be the source of anxiety.

Here’s a common cognitive distortion: “My work must be flawless before I submit it. If it isn’t perfect, then it’s worthless.” This is a form of perfectionism. I’ve had to fight this incorrect and deeply rooted cognitive distortion before. Insisting on perfection prevented me from being on time with assignments, which caused me to get behind on my work, which generated debilitating levels of anxiety as more and more overdue work piled up.

Learn to say “no” and set boundaries

It’s easy to spread yourself too thin, especially at work. Are there any activities you can reduce your involvement in? I used to find myself taking on extra work because I was asked if I could help out, not because I needed to or because such work would be helpful to me. Even though declining would have caused me no problems, I still took on extra work simply because I didn’t know how to say no and wasn’t good at setting boundaries.  Remember that prioritizing your time and work isn’t selfish—it’s essential.

Increase movement and practice deep breathing

If your job is partially to completely sedentary, try to increase your movement during the day. You don’t need to race up and down the halls; getting up and taking a short walk and stretching can help. Also, be mindful of your breathing. People tend to breathe shallowly when they’re anxious, which causes carbon dioxide to accumulate. The brain interprets an increase in carbon dioxide as a threat, which leads to your body feeling as if you’re in danger. Obviously, that makes any sense of anxiety much harder to cope with.

Try box breathing - it will increase your oxygen levels while purging excess carbon dioxide. First, inhale slowly through your nose to a count of four. Hold that breath for 4 seconds, then exhale through your nose, again to a count of four. Wait four seconds before taking your next deep inhalation. This is a practice you can do at anytime and anywhere.

Conclusion
Workplace anxiety is unpleasant but can be managed with simple tools like the ones we’ve discussed. Take a good look at your ideas and beliefs about work, set some reasonable and enforceable boundaries, and remember, saying no isn’t selfish.

References
https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/facts-statistics
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/box-breathing-benefits
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-to-recognize-and-tame-your-cognitive-distortions-202205042738