Last week, I spoke at the Central Asian Regional Congress of Medical Women’s International Association on the topic From Texting to Talking: 3 Proven Strategies for Connecting With Your Teen. After the talk and over the course of several days, participants approached me with their questions and concerns. Thailand is completely on the other side …
I am having an experience that I find extremely anxiety-provoking. I am giving a presentation in Thailand to a large group who do not speak English as a first language on a topic that I think is very straightforward. I know from experience that this could go very badly. In the past at times like …
Every weekday at noon, I grab a cup of tea and a pile of charts and cozy up to my speaker phone. Thus prepared, I begin to call the family doctors who have referred patients to me. I speak with about 15 family doctors in the two hours between noon and 2 p.m., reviewing assessment …
Late last week, on my morning walk, I saw an item out on my neighbour’s curb that reminded me of heading off to McGill University forty-five years ago. The navy blue, hard-sided box was fitted with a lock as well as some supporting struts wrapped around its width. Everyone I knew in residence came with …
This week, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) is holding the inaugural CMA Health Summit in Winnipeg. The billboarding for the meeting specifically says: CMA Health Summit: Inspiring a Future of Better Health. As a member of the Canadian Medical Association, there are four topics that affect the health of my patients and colleagues that I …
I never knew either of my grandfathers or my paternal grandmother, but my mother’s mother was an inspiration and a strong influence in my life. She lived a long life and died walking to church. When I worry about my health, as everyone over 50 does, I look in the mirror. If I see my …
During the summer, there is more time to focus with my patients on practices that will take longer for them to develop. This is not possible during the school year because the practice during this time must be schoolwork itself. The practices we have been developing so far this summer are mindfulness and behavioural activation, …
In one month, 25% of my patients will leave for college or university in another city. This is both an exciting time and a nerve-wracking time. Teens themselves, as well as their parents, are wondering whether they will be able to manage their lives as well as their studies. I thought it might help everyone …
Sometimes I feel as if I am the world’s worst psychiatrist. Mostly this happens when I cannot seem to communicate an idea that should be straightforward. This happened to me last week when I was working with a group of patients on self-compassion. All my patients are adolescents and adolescence can be a very challenging …
I hope you are reading this on your vacation. If you are not presently on vacation, then maybe this will cause you to think about your upcoming vacation. If neither of these applies, then please, please tell me that you are fondly remembering the vacation from which you just recently returned. Summer is the time …
