Keith Norris - Keith Norris Counselling

Discipline, Dopamine, and the Decline of Sustained Effort: The Lost Skill of Doing Things You Don’t Want to Do.

Post author:Keith Norris
Post published:
Post category:ADHD Behaviour Counsellor New Westminster Job Burnout

The ability to do things we don’t want to do often attributed to a construct called “discipline.” However, this framing obscures a more complex interplay of neurocognitive conditioning, environmental influence, and shifting cultural values. Increasingly, what is perceived as a lack of discipline may in fact reflect a neurological adaptation to novelty-saturated digital environments—particularly those designed to exploit dopaminergic reward pathways. The erosion…

Letting Go Process: A Therapist’s Science-Backed Path to Release Anger and Find Peace

Post author:Keith Norris
Post published:
Post category:Mental Health emotion Happiness Spiritual Counselling

“Letting go” isn’t about erasing the past, pretending nothing happened, or admitting defeat; it’s an active journey that rewrites how our memories and emotions hold sway over us. Letting go involves a set of cognitive and neurobiological shifts—experiential acceptance, cognitive reappraisal, and memory reconsolidation. In letting go, there is a process of cognitive reappraisal, which means reframing how you interpret a hurtful event—shifting…

Why You Still Feel Like a Fraud (Even After You’ve Earned It)

Post author:Keith Norris
Post published:
Post category:imposter syndrome depression Ego Job Burnout

Understanding Imposter Syndrome and How to Break the Loop You’d think that getting the job, landing the client, or being handed the mic would settle things. That at some point, confidence would catch up to competence. But for many people—especially those in high-performance fields or creative industries—that feeling never really arrives. Instead, success brings something else: doubt. Sometimes louder than ever. What Is…

The Role of Personality in Aviation Performance

Post author:Keith Norris
Post published:
Post category:Counsellor New Westminster Ethical Practice

Aviation professionals, particularly pilots, are often thought to embody a unique blend of skills and personality traits—the so-called "right stuff." While cognitive and technical abilities are well-established as essential for pilots, air traffic controllers, and aviation maintenance technicians, the influence of personality traits on aviation performance is more complex and nuanced. The "Honeymoon Effect": Personality’s Delayed Impact The role of personality in aviation…

The Polarization of Society: Holding Fast to Your Values in a Fear-Based Compliance World

Post author:Keith Norris
Post published:
Post category:Counsellor New Westminster

The polarization gripping society today is undeniable. It feels like a relentless tug-of-war, with mounting pressure to choose a side—failure to do so risks marking you as an outcast. For many, conformity seems like the only path to safety. With ideological enforcers seemingly everywhere and the demand to align intensifying, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, as if you’re sinking under a flood of…

Overcoming Emotional Conditioning

Post author:Keith Norris
Post published:
Post category:Mental Health Childhood Trauma Counsellor New Westminster

Occasionally, we encounter rare moments of clarity and happiness, where the weight of sadness and anxiety seems to disappear even for a minute. These moments - a quiet summer evening at the beach, recovering from illness, or being moved by art or music makes us wonder whether life could feel less like a burden. What if we could let go of fear and…

Navigating Value Conflicts at Work: Strategies for Depersonalization and Professional Resilience

Post author:Keith Norris
Post published:
Post category:Job Burnout

By Keith Norris, Counsellor in New Westminster BC For many individuals, work provides a sense of purpose and a platform to live out their values. However, situations often arise where job responsibilities or workplace cultures clash with personal principles. This misalignment can lead to stress, disillusionment, and burnout. While not every role or organization will align perfectly with an individual’s values, it is…

Counselling for Anxiety and Depression

Post author:Keith Norris
Post published:
Post category:Counsellor New Westminster Depression and Anxiety

Understanding the Link Between Anxiety and Depression: Two Sides of the Same Coin I often hear clients say, “I can’t tell if I’m anxious or depressed.” This confusion is common because anxiety and depression frequently go hand-in-hand, creating a cycle of overwhelming thoughts and emotions. While they are distinct conditions, their close relationship means that they often occur together, blurring the lines between…

Understanding Grief: Beyond the Stage Models

Post author:Keith Norris
Post published:
Post category:grief Grief Counselling

The experience of grief is as unique as the individuals who go through it. For many years, theories like those of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and John Bowlby have shaped our understanding of bereavement, offering helpful frameworks for the types of reactions people may experience when faced with the loss of a loved one. These stage models—whether it’s Kübler-Ross’s five stages or Bowlby’s four stages—serve…

Dispelling the Stigma: Men Seeking Counselling

Post author:Keith Norris
Post published:
Post category:Counsellor New Westminster Men's issues

Men's Issues in Therapy As suicide rates rise among middle-aged white men, there is a growing effort to break down the stigma around seeking help from mental health professionals. Many men find it difficult to ask for assistance—even something as simple as directions—let alone reach out to a counselor. This reluctance can have lasting effects on their well-being. Research increasingly shows that men…