Thoughts on Record: Podcast of the Ottawa Institute of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Building emotional security and navigating conflict with intention often defines the success of our closest relationships.  Join us for an in-depth discussion with psychologist Dr. Betsy Chung to explore these and other topics explored in her new book T he Couple Skills Workbook: Manage Conflict, Increase Trust & Intimacy, and Build a Better Relationship ....

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! In this episode, we sit down with Donna Jakson Nakazawa to explore a topic at the core of many people's therapeutic journeys: recovering from the impact of adverse childhood experiences. Her new book, The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Guided Journal , offers a compassionate, science-backed approach to understanding how trauma shapes our lives—while...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Many of us accept freewill as an undeniable truth, assuming that we are the architects of our own decisions and destiny. Yet, a growing body of scientific research challenges this notion, suggesting that our sense of freewill may be more of an illusion than reality. This emerging perspective carries profound implications, urging us to reconsider the foundation...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Whether it's in our personal relationships, at work, or even with ourselves, boundaries are essential for our well-being and peace of mind. Yet, many of us - even clinicians I might add - at times struggle with this practice, often feeling overwhelmed, guilty, or unsure of how to start. In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Sharon Martin discuss insights...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! While most of us intuitively believe that our assessment of our lives is largely objective and a direct result of what has been happening to us, it's clear that subjective perceptions of objective events play a significant role in shaping the ultimate emotional experience of those events. This highlights the importantly interplay between personality trait...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Compulsive reassurance seeking can be a challenging issue for both clients and therapists to manage. Clients are often highly adept—sometimes knowingly, sometimes unknowingly—at eliciting excessive reassurance from therapists and family members. At the same time, resisting the urge to seek reassurance can feel nearly impossible for clients. In this episode, Am...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Behavioural activation is one of the best, if not the best treatments for depression. Clinical psychologist and author, Dr. Nina Josefowitz joins us for an in-depth discussion of themes contained in her new book The Behavioural Activation Workbook for Depression .  In this discussion we cover:     The basic premise of behavioral activation and how it differs f...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Navigating relationships with emotionally immature parents can evoke very strong reactions, which can be difficult to navigate. In many clinician's experience, when this topic comes up, people tend to react in one of three ways: defending their parents as perfect, blaming them for all their struggles, or questioning their own perceptions entirely - all of...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Assessing & treating adult ADHD can be both very challenging as well as highly rewarding for client and clinician alike. Psychologist & author, Dr. Russell Ramsay joins us for an in-depth discussion of the assessment and treatment of adult ADHD building on themes in his new workbook, The Adult ADHD and Anxiety Workbook.  In this discussion we cover:  w...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Many clinicians experience a sense of helplessness around effectively managing calls from loved ones of an individual living with a mental illness who is not willing to engage in treatment.  There is frequently an impression that little can be done until the affected individual wants to change.  Dr. Alec Pollard joins us for a discussion of he and his co-autho...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Dialectical behavior therapy or DBT is a wonderful suite of tools that help people to be more effective with respect to managing their emotions and becoming more interpersonally effective.  These are challenges that often loom especially large for those who are highly sensitive.  Emma Lauer, LCSW joins us for a discussion of her workbook DBT Skills for Highly...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! In addition to being a topic that appears frequently in the realm of pop psychology, emotional intelligence is a subject of serious, rigorous academic inquiry.  Clinical psychologist & author, Dr. Stephanie Catella joins for us for a discussion of core-themes in her new book   The Emotional Intelligence Skills Workbook: Improve Communication and Build Stro...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Bipolar disorder is often thought of as a mental disorder that is treated exclusively with medication when in fact there are a number of evidence-based psychotherapeutic techniques that can be used to complement traditional pharmacotherapy.  Dr. Holly Swartz joins us for a discussion of the core themes in her new book, Social Rhythm Therapy for Bipolar Disorde...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Challenges related to attachment in relationships - especially in the context of romantic relationships - can evoke very strong emotions and behavioral urges that can often backfire, sometimes causing the very thing we fear most; namely, the dissolution of a relationship.  Psychologist, author, speaker & teacher, Dr. Leslie Becker-Phelps joins us for a dis...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! The last decade has seen the ascendency of a number of "public intellectuals" who have come under increasing scrutiny around allegations of misinformation, conspiracy mongering, grifting & intellectual inconsistency.  Importantly, many have achieved "guru" status with millions of followers and devotees on YouTube and other social media...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Mindfulness is an area of clinical and intellectual focus which has grown tremendously in popularity and includes many secular practices such as breath work, body scanning & self-compassion.  OICBT psychologist Dr. Kiran Vadaga joins us for an in-depth conversation in which explore observations around the importance, and potential benefits, of being a more...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! CBT interventions are often favoured for being empirically supported; however, it is not always clear how efficacy of these interventions maps to the actual functioning of the brain.  Esteemed neuropsychologist and psychoanalyst, Dr. Mark Solms, joins us for an in-depth discussion of the clinical implications of his research into the biological underpinnings o...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! There has been increasing discussion of the metabolic basis of mental disorders and the potential benefit a low-carb/ketogenic approach could hold with respect to the treatment of mental disorders.  Psychiatrist Dr. Georgia Edes joins us for a discussion of major themes of her new book Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind .  In this conversation we cover:  why D...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Female involvement with the criminal justice system can prompt significant internal dissonance as well as challenge conceptualizations around female violence, motherhood, mental illness etc.  Forensic psychotherapist Anna Motz joins us for a fascinating discussion of her book “ If Love Could Kill: The Myths & Truths of Women Who Commit Violence ”.   In thi...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Host note: folks, I invite you to pay very close attention to what Dr. Hollis has to say...could change your life. Jungian/Depth psychology provides a wonderful framework for exploring questions related to meaning and the self that can at time fall outside of boundaries of what is typically explored in cognitive behavioural therapy.  Esteemed author and Jungia...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Existential boredom is a challenge for many that can lead to a pathological engagement with shallow amusements (which may only deepen the despair and lead to more boredom).  Dr. Kevin Gary joins us for a discussion of some of the core themes covered in his book Why Boredom Matters: Education, Leisure, and the Quest for a Meaningful Life.  In this discussion we...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Understanding the evolutionary significance of depression can quite helpful in its conceptualization and treatment.  Founder in the field of evolutionary medicine, Dr. Randy Nesse, joins us for an encore discussion in which we consider how striving, motivation and desire for control can play into the evolution of depressive symptoms. In this conversation we co...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! For many mental health clinicians, crafting resilience is an afterthought to managing the day-to-day demands of their professional life.  Psychologist, consultant & author, Dr. Marie-Hélène Pelletier, joins us to discuss some of the themes explored in her new book: The Resilience Plan: A Strategic Approach to Optimizing Your Work Performance and Mental Hea...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Music is an under-explored tool with respect to the provision of psychotherapy as well as the crafting of peak experiences.  Clinical counsellor, performance coach and opera singer, Dr. Fiona McAndrew, joins us for an eclectic, wide-ranging discussion in which explore: Fiona's alternating journey between psychology and music  a window into the psychologic...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Mental health professionals have increasingly been seeing clients seeking services related to anxiety and depression stemming from serious, negative changes that have been occurring in our climate.  Psychologist and professor, Dr. Susan Clayton, who is one of the world's authorities on how the environment impacts upon psychological factors joins us for a...