Mind Full: The Canadian Psychological Association podcast

A land acknowledgement is not only about physical land – like the soil, and the ground under our feet. It’s so much more than that. Kohkom Beverly Keeshig-Soonias, the Chair of the Indigenous Peoples' Psychology Section of the CPA, joins Mind Full to talk about the centuries of Indigenous tradition that are imbued in land acknowledgements, and how we can approach them in the right way in the spiri...

For too long, scientific studies have been cisnormative. For a researcher working with a sample of 1,000 people that include 496 women and 498 men, how do they represent the other 6? Konrad Czechowski and Misha Khorkhordina have set out to find a way. On this week's Mind Full, they share their study results, talk terminology, and provide something of a guide for researchers looking to be truly inc...

A lot of the furor over the rights of trans, non-binary, and other gender-diverse people has centered around the idea of 'detransitioning'. That people who transition from the gender they were assigned at birth end up regretting that decision and transitioning back. Today, Dr. Françoise Susset and Dr. Jesse Bossé explain the data on detransitioning, the truth about regrets, and the reality the fur...

Canada's healthcare system, and most Western healthcare systems, have long been cisnormative. Meaning that they are run by cisgender people, based on science that was conducted primarily with cisgender people, with methods that have not sought to include trans, non-binary, or other gender diverse folks. We talk with Dr. Jesse Bossé and Dr. Françoise Susset about the reasons for this, and the diffi...

This is the first of four special episodes on gender diversity, science, and the healthcare system. McGill Psychology Professor Dr. Ada Sinacore joins Mind Full to talk about where we are in Canada and in the world when it comes to the treatment of those who do not identify as cisgender. Dr. Sinacore is the Past President of the Canadian Psychological Association, and has been instrumental in the...

Dr. Rehman Abdulrehman joins Mind Full to talk about his new book Developing Anti-Racist Cultural Competence, and how while Canada is certainly a multi-ethic country, we are failing at the multicultural idea. Pre-order Developing Anti-Racist Cultural Competence: https://www.hogrefe.com/us/shop/developing-anti-racist-cultural-competence.html Pre-order on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Developing-An...

Kyra Simone is a Ph. D. student at McMaster and an expert in vetting climate science. Rachel Salt is a social media and communications expert. Both work with Science Up First, a group dedicated to combatting online disinformation, including around climate change. How should we engage online? Should we be talking about the disinformation in the first place? Is the conversation different with friend...

This summer wildfires ravaged the Northwest Territories, forcing the evacuation of about 70% of the population. Yellowknife psychologist Merril Dean was one of the evacuees, and saw the devastation from many perspectives. She shares with us her own experiences, as well as some thoughts on the government response and where the northern communities might go from here. Read Merril's article from the...

So much of the talk when it comes to the climate crisis is doom and gloom. It's hard for many not to become a little defeatist or to throw their hands up and ignore the problem. The solution to that kind of despair is action - little actions that move us all toward a more sustainable future. And those actions - and the conversation about them - can be a happy one! Today's guest is Dr. Jiaying Zhao...

Our Psychology Month series continues, looking at climate change and the role of psychology. Today, we're talking about science writ large in Canada. Dr. Alana Westwood and her lab at Dalhousie University recently completed a study of environmental researchers in Canada. Their results showed that researchers in this space still feel muzzled despite changes in federal policy designed to allow them...

February is Psychology Month, a month that highlights the contributions of Canadian psychologists and shows Canadians how psychology works to help people live healthy and happy lives, their communities flourish, their employers create better workplaces, and their governments develop effective policies. The theme of Psychology Month for 2024 is the climate crisis. How does human behaviour shape cli...

It's almost impossible to watch any sporting event without being bombarded by ads for online gambling sites. This can be a dangerous thing, especially for kids who can't escape the ads and who are increasingly thinking of gambling as an integral part of being a sports fan. Former Canadian Olympian Bruce Kidd has launched a campaign to ban gambling ads in Canada. Mind Full spoke with Bruce and his...

Senator Hassan Yussuff and Dr. Andrea Lee join Mind Full to discuss the newly-released report about psychedelic-assisted therapy from the Senate subcommittee on veterans' affairs. Senator Yussuff sits on the subcommittee, and Dr. Lee represented the CPA in addressing the Senate on the subject. Senate report 'The Time is Now: Granting equitable access to psychedelic-assisted therapies': https://sen...

Led by Co-Chairs Dr. Andrew Kim, Dr. Keira Stockdale and the late Dr. Peter Hoaken, the CPA recently published the position paper 'The Decriminalization of Illegal Substances in Canada' developed by the Working Group on Decriminalization. Dr. Kim joins Mind Full to talk about the recommendations in the paper, and to discuss how the way we think about drug use informs the way we approach drug use -...

A month ago, we spoke to Dr. Alex DiGiacomo while she was at the halfway point of her cross-Canada cycling trip. She was raising money and awareness for kids' mental health in this country, and the major gaps youth have in accessing that care. She has now completed the entire journey, so we invited her back to talk about the big picture, the fundraising effort, the pool noodle, and the incredible...

Researchers from UBC teamed up with Foundations for Social Change to conduct a study where they gave a one-time cash transfer of $7,500 to people experiencing homelessness. The results of the study were eye-opening for some, expected for others. Mind Full spoke with Dr. Jiaying Zhao, the lead author of the study, and Amber Dyce, CEO of Foundations for Social Change, about the study itself and the...

In early 2022, Mind Full host Eric Bollman spoke with Dr. Reagan Gale and Charlene Bradford in the Yukon about working as psychologists in remote and northern areas. One of the subjects we covered was the lack of regulation for psychologists in the Yukon, the last territory or province to regulate the profession. Read the article here: https://cpa.ca/psychology-month-profile-dr-veronica-hutchings-...

Dr. Alex DiGiacomo is a clinical psychologist who works with youth in BC. Worried about the availability of mental health services for youth, and about the accessibility of those services, she took on a major challenge to raise awareness of the problem. She began cycling across Canada! We spoke to Dr. DiGiacomo about the trip, the cause, and the charities she's supporting along the way. Follow the...

For many Black Canadians, their first contact with the mental health system is through the criminal justice system. Both systems that have historically marginalized and victimized minority communities, and in many ways are still doing so. Black Mental Health Canada (BMHC) is one of the organizations trying to change this paradigm. Shanique Victoria, Research Project Lead at BMHC, joins Mind Full t...

How do psychologists look at parenting and parenting styles? And is there one style that tends to work better than others? We invited Dr. Christina Rinaldi to Mind Full to help answer some of the burning questions parents might have. Triple P Parenting: https://www.triplep-parenting.ca/alb-en/find-help/triple-p-online/?itb=0acf03f408f90ea0dcba786d300620db&gclid=CjwKCAjwzo2mBhAUEiwAf7wjko3D28t_o0xm...

Dr. Lisa Votta-Bleeker has been chosen as the new CEO of the CPA. Coming to us from the Deputy CEO role, we are excited to start this new chapter, and to introduce Dr. Votta-Bleeker to our audience!

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) affects up to one in 15 people, but it is not a well-known diagnosis. Many symptoms (difficulty tying shoes or holding a pencil, clumsiness) can be misunderstood. DCD expert Dr. Paulene Kamps joins the CPA podcast to discuss the condition. Dr. Kamps' website (what is DCD): https://drkamps.ca/what-is-dcd Book (The Source For DCD): https://drkamps.ca/the-sou...

Dr. Bruce Hutchison is the author of the book 'Emotions Don’t Think: Emotional Contagion in a Time of Turmoil'. He Kathryn and Eric on Mind Full to define the concept of emotional contagion, and how it relates to the increasingly polarized world we seem to be inhabiting. Dr. Hutchison's book can be ordered at Crossfield Publishing in Canada, at http://crossfieldpublishing.ca/?fbclid=IwAR0wnhbwdcZI...

We've spoken a fair amount on Mind Full the last few months about many aspects of gender diversity. Unfortunately, the misinformation and hatred directed at transgender and gender diverse people in both the public and political spheres continues to escalate. Today, we wanted to speak with someone directly affected by this vitriol. Sara Weiss was targeted for her participation in the US Open pickle...

The CPA recently sent a letter of support for Bill S-251, Nova Scotia Senator Stan Kutcher’s bill that would repeal Section 43 of the Criminal Code of Canada. It would make it illegal to hit children for any reason. This has been a very long, very arduous process and effort. Dr. Joan Durrant has been campaigning for this for more than 30 years, while dozens of other countries around the world have...