About John & Blue Monday
John
For the past 16 years I've counselled as a part of my workplace roles. I'm a registered psychotherapist who enjoys helping people make sense of their story and find strength to live passionately. In the eight years leading up to operating a private counselling practice, I was a Humanistic and Spiritually Integrated Counsellor and Staff Chaplain in a Regional Acute Healthcare System. This was a truly amazing time. I was honored to support many people as they journeyed through illness, loss and transition in their lives.
Over time though, our organization went through numerous waves of corporate restructuring. I was promoted to management and enjoyed a time of learning and professional growth as a healthcare leader, having oversight of Ethics, Social Work, Spiritual Care, Patient Relations, Music Therapy and Recreation Therapy. But this new role wasn't me. I missed the energy and connection of working with someone one-on-one.
My decision to go into private practice counselling was a difficult one. I truly loved being a valued member of the many hospital teams I was either leading or a part of. But it was a choice I needed to make in order to live authentic and inspired. While Blue Monday was created for service to others it's also my vocational home - a place where I find life-giving energy as I meet and help unique and amazing people!
John & his Frenchie Bo
Blue Monday
Why the name Blue Monday? A name says so much about a business, so naturally I wanted the right name for my practice. A review of similar counselling practices revealed a pattern: some names identified practice locaton, type of building or counselling style, some were named after the owners, and many sought to inspire potential clients with concepts like growth, hope and human flourishing. All good names, but I wanted my practice name to communicate something more than where I am and what I do, and to somehow meet people where they're at, not where they could go.
The idea of having a blue Monday (maybe way too many of them!) seemed to capture a little bit of the human struggle we know without casting too gloomy a shadow. Plus, I liked it! The name stuck and Blue Monday was born.