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

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! While self-care is widely acknowledged as being critical to effective and sustainable engagement in the provision of mental health services, it is an area of focus that is frequently neglected by mental health professionals for a variety of complex reasons.  Co-founders of the website Intentional Therapist , Drs. Karen Dyck & Melissa Tieseen, return to Tho...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! In many contexts - both in-person and online - it can often feel like reasonable behaviour, the ability to constructively disagree, and basic kindness are in short supply.  Award-winning science journalist and author, Melissa Wenner Moyer, joins us to discuss some of the themes in her new book How to Raise Kids Who Aren't Assholes .  In this discussion we...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Hello everyone - hope you are well!  We just wanted to quickly let you know that we’ll be taking a scheduled break for the rest of the summer and will be back with new episodes in the fall - we’ve got lots of great guests lined up and we’re really looking forward to those conversations!   Just as a quick reflection, it’s been such a joy recording and putting o...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Finland is consistently ranked as one of the happiest countries in the world by the United Nations.  Author & journalist, Katja Pantzar, who has written extensively about the potential wellness promoting aspects of the Finnish ethos in The Finnish Way: Finding Courage, Wellness and Happiness Through the Power of Sisu (as well as her upcoming book Everyday...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! While we typically take constructing and making sense of our internal and external world for granted, the brain employs a sophisticated mapping system to help construct, organize & navigate a functional and workable reality.  Author and neuroscientist, Dr. Rebecca Schwarzlose, joins host Dr. Pete Kelly, C.Psych for an in-depth discussion of some of the cor...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Once considered a fringe topic, aliens and the possibility of alien encounters are now the subject of considerable mainstream media attention.  Pulitzer Prize winning journalist & author, Ralph Blumenthal, joins host Dr. Pete Kelly, C.Psych for a discussion of his new book The Believer:  Alien Encounters, Hard Science, and the Passion of John Mack.   In th...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Accurately mapping the "truth" of one's life is essential to crafting effective coping from a variety of perspectives.  Renowned psychotherapist & author,  Jon Frederickson, MSW, joins us for an in-depth discussion around some of the core themes of his book The Lies We Tell Ourselves, as well as a broader discussion of the therapy process in...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Anxiety is a normal and necessary component of the human experience; however, under some circumstances normal psychological processes related to anxiety can unwittingly become entrenched in "habit loops" that can keep an individual stuck.  New York Times best-selling author, neuroscientist, addiction psychiatrist, and thought leader in the field of h...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! It is well-known that creative, meaningful undertakings can provide a powerful pathway to healing following a traumatic experience.  Internationally renowned aquascaper, author, YouTube creator and aquarium plant expert, George Farmer, joins host Dr. Pete Kelly, C.Psych for a wide-ranging discussion around how he found his healing from childhood and military t...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! For many parents, cultivating a secure and nurturing attachment with their children is among their highest parenting priorities.  However, establishing, maintaining and fostering this attachment can be a challenge when environmental conditions are poor and/or when the parent's resources are negatively impacted by stressors, illness or other demands.   OIC...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! The beliefs held around emotions can lead individuals to resist and deny their internal experience.  This can have many potential downstream implications for being able to cope effectively, being properly attuned to one’s needs, and remaining effective in the face of difficult interpersonal situations.  Former president of the Canadian Association for Cognitiv...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! While "body and mind" have at times been regarded as separate entities, it is now abundantly clear that the brain & body are continuous elements of a massively interconnected system.  Preeminent professor, researcher & lecturer in the field of behavioural neuroscience, Dr. Hymie Anisman, joins Dr. Pete Kelly, C.Psych for a wide-ranging and di...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Music has a unique ability to evoke emotion, enhance motivation and in some cases speak without saying a word.  For many, music can have a profound impact on mood and performance.  Award winning and critically acclaimed composer, John Lunn, ( Downton Abbey , The Last Kingdom , The White Queen , The White Princess , Shetland ) joins us for a wide ranging conver...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Trauma reflects among the most dynamic and profound of human experiences and can present significant challenges for the mental health clinician and consumer alike; however, effective, time-limited & evidence-based treatments are available.  Experienced trauma clinician, Dr. Michele Todd, C. Psych joins host Dr. Pete Kelly, C. Psych for an extensive discuss...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Fostering a healthy workplace where difficult issues are discussed openly & effectively is a huge challenge for any leader.  Trier Bryant & Kim Scott, co-founders of Just Work LLC join us for a discussion around:  typical stressors experienced by leaders helping leaders understand their own bias & how bias can be identified & discussed effectiv...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! The formation & maintenance of friendships as well as the emotional turmoil related to the rupture of friendships are common sources of clinical discussion in psychotherapy.  Award-winning science journalist, author and speaker Lydia Denworth joins us for a discussion of major themes explored in her latest book Friendship: The Evolution, Biology, and Extra...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! The emotional perils of dating - in particular online dating - frequently rank near the top of psychosocial stressors that are discussed in psychotherapy.   Award-winning magazine writer, Fortune contributor, and author of Date-onomics: How Dating Became a Lopsided Numbers Game , Jon Birger, joins host Dr. Pete Kelly, C.Psych for a discussion of his new book M...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! While we all have a voice in our head, we may not often stop to consider the implications - both positive and negative - of these ongoing conversations with ourselves.  Psychologist and author of the book Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why it Matters & How to Harness It , Dr. Ethan Kross, joins us for an illuminating discussion around:    the nature and f...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Combining MDMA with commonly employed, evidence-based cognitive behavioural therapies for trauma is an area of increasing clinical investigation.  Founder of Remedy and clinical investigator Dr. Anne Wagner, C.Psych,  joins us for a discussion of psychedelic assisted psychotherapy including a  MAPS funded trial of Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for PTSD +...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Ongoing engagement in values-driven activities through personal projects reflects among the most powerful ways to foster a sense of meaning, achievement and confidence as well as ward off low motivation, lethargy and low mood.  Graeme Jenvey, owner of the YouTube channel Woodness Goodness   which chronicles the technical and psychological journey around many o...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Tolerating uncertainty, unpredictability and other forms of psychological discomfort is frequently a requirement for being  able to pursue longer-term, values driven goals and activities - especially in the context of challenges related to mental health.   Freelance science journalist & author of the Los Angeles Times bestseller and one of NPR's Best...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Treatment resistance/non-response in psychotherapy is a major contributor of disability and loss of functioning among clients as well as a considerable source of  burnout in mental health clinicians.  Renowned psychiatrist and psychotherapist Dr. Allan Abbass joins us for a discussion of treatment resistance/non-response in psychotherapy which includes:  how t...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! Dreams have long been a source of fascination, mystery & intrigue, yet there is now an abundance of scientific evidence to shed light on the origins, nature, and purpose of this captivating aspect of the human experience.  Leading sleep & dream scientists Drs. Antonio Zadra & Robert Stickgold join host Dr. Pete Kelly, C.Psych for an in-depth consid...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! It is no secret that working within the mental health care system while rewarding, can at times present significant challenges with respect to the provision of optimum client care as well as the well-being of mental health clinicians themselves.  In this wide-ranging discussion, Dr. Connie Dalton, C.Psych, Co-Founder & Executive Director of the Ottawa Inst...

Comments or feedback? Send us a text! The emergence and research of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy has yielded a number of  insights with respect to potential mechanisms of change in psychotherapy.  The experience of "love" (including perceiving the love of others, self-love or even being love) has been identified as a particularly powerful element in some forms of psychedelic assist...