APNS Annual General Meeting, Award Ceremonies and Retirement Reception

Please join us for the Annual General Meeting in  person on Friday, May 31st 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm

At Dalhousie University, McCain Bldg., Room 2132, 6135 University Ave, Halifax

In addition to the annual business meeting we will be awarding the annual APNS awards. Immediately following the AGM we will have a retirement reception of Executive Director Susan Marsh, which you are invited to join.

To attend the AGM and/or the Reception please RSVP to admin@apns.ca

This year our in-person AGM is combined with a half day panel discussion on:

Telepsychology: Managing the Challenges, A half-day, hybrid panel discussion and Q&A.

For more information on that see https://apns.ca/publications/news/telepsychology-managing-the-challenges/

Child and Adolescent Psychology Interest Group (CAP-I) Meetings in 2024

Earlier this year, we let you know that we would be resuming Child and Adolescent Psychology Interest Group (CAP-I) Meetings in 2024. 

We are pleased to share that we have scheduled the first official meeting for:

 Saturday, June 15th at 10 to 11:30 am

3rd Floor, Room 301, Halifax Central Library (5440 Spring Garden Road, Halifax, NS B3J 1E9)

This first meeting will be a relatively informal, ‘meet-and-greet’ after a couple of year hiatus.  Incoming chairs, Lindsay Bates and Rachel Panton, will provide a brief overview of CAP-I (history and future), and then there will be some discussion around potential speakers and topics for the 2024/2025 year.  The initial overview will be streamed via video conferencing – allowing greater CAP-I meeting access to psychologists from across the province.     

Attendees are encouraged to bring along a potluck brunch item to share (e.g., muffins, timbits, fruits, etc.). 

 If you are interested in receiving information around future CAP-I meetings, please contct admin@apns,ca and you will be added to our new CAP-I group email.  All NS psychologists are welcome.

Restore and Rejuvenate Mind, Body, and Spirit With Our Upcoming Breathe Mindfulness Events:

REGISTER @ https://breathemindfulness.ca/events/

Should you have difficulty registering online, contact admin@breathemindfulness.com

Let’s Sleep! Sleep Better to Live Better 2-Hour Workshop

Given the importance of sleep for your well-being, this workshop is available: 

May 13, 2024 6:00PM-8:00PM: In-Person Dartmouth, NS
May 14, 2024 6:00PM-8:00PM: Live Online (with 30 Days Recorded On Demand Access)
May 15, 2024 6:00PM-8:00PM: In-Person Wolfville, NS 

Facilitated by: Jacqueline Milner, Clinical Psychologist and Certified Mindfulness Teacher

Say goodbye to restless nights and hello to rejuvenated mornings!

Join our transformative two-hour workshop designed to help you unlock the secrets to better sleep. Led by psychologist and wellness expert, Jacqueline Milner, you will learn practical strategies and techniques to overcome insomnia, reduce stress, and achieve restorative sleep. Getting enough good quality sleep is essential for overall well-being. Sleep affects both our mental and physical health. It is the foundation on which we have the energy to engage in other healthy thoughts and behaviours and show up fully in our lives. Good sleep promotes productivity, efficiency, mental clarity, and overall contentment. Getting too little makes us vulnerable to experiencing more stress, illness, and poor mental health. Improve your sleep, reserve your spot today!

Fee: $45 (HST included)


Half-Day Silent Mindfulness Meditation Retreat
Wolfville Location

Saturday, May 25 9:30AM – 1:30PM

Facilitated by: Jacqueline Milner, Clinical Psychologist and Certified Mindfulness Teacher

A 4-hour silent retreat to restore and rejuvenate mind, body, and soul.
Come experience the restorative and rejuvenating benefits of a silent meditation retreat in the beautiful Annapolis Valley. This half-day silent retreat is intended to deepen one’s practice of mindfulness as well as offer an introduction to a silent retreat experience and mindfulness practices.

What to expect
Led by Jacqueline Milner, an experienced and accredited mindfulness teacher, participants will be invited to engage in a variety of mindfulness-based practices, both movement and still, in the context of approximately 4 uninterrupted hours of silence. A nutrition break will be scheduled around mid-way of the retreat where light refreshments will be offered (vegan and gluten free options will be available). There will be an opportunity to reflect upon and share your experience with the facilitator and fellow participants at the end if desired.

Is this for me?
This half-day, accessible silent retreat is open to anyone who is curious about mindfulness and/or a silent retreat experience or who has an ongoing practice and would like to bask in a more immersive experience with others.
Although no previous meditation experience is required, please be aware that during this retreat, there will be extended periods of silence, and practices will be longer in duration to facilitate immersion and deepening of one’s experience.

Fee: $65 (HST included)


Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) 2-Day Therapeutic Retreat
Includes a half-day silent retreat.

Wolfville Location

June 22 – 23, 2024 9:30AM – 5:00PM

Facilitated by: Jacqueline Milner, Clinical Psychologist and Certified Mindfulness Teacher

Come rest and experience the benefits of cultivating a kinder, more supportive relationship with yourself in the beautiful town of Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

This 2-day intensive is an adaptation of the Mindful Self-Compassion Short Course which originates from the empirically supported 8-week Mindful Self-Compassion program. This intensive is designed to begin cultivating the skills of self-compassion and offers an opportunity to learn about and experience mindfulness while spending quiet, restful time with yourself. Research shows that self-compassion significantly enhances emotional well-being, lessens anxiety and depression, boosts resilience and happiness, leads to more satisfying relationships and can even help maintain healthy lifestyles such as nutritious eating and physical activity.

What to expect
Participants will meet as a group over the course of 2-days. The activities of the MSC intensive will include short talks, experiential exercises, meditation, mindful movement, group discussions and home practices. There will be a silent retreat during the morning session of the second day.

Course Themes Include:

  1. Practicing self-compassion / Self-compassion and mindfulness practices for daily life and moments of stress.
  2. Discovering your compassionate voice / An exercise focused on motivation with compassion.
  3. Self-compassion and resilience / A practice for working with difficult emotions.
  4. Addressing burnout / A practice for compassion with equanimity.
  5. Living deeply / Journaling to reconnect with your values.

Is this for me?
This group is open to anyone who is time-limited and still would like an opportunity to experience the transformational skills of self-compassion within an immersive, retreat experience. This intensive retreat is also for health professionals who wish to begin integrating the core skills and principles of mindfulness into their work and/or are in much need of an opportunity to simply care for themselves.
Please keep in mind that this 2-day program is a more “intense” and immersive experience than an MSC program that is offered over several weeks. Because self-compassion has the paradoxical effect of both soothing our emotional distress as well as opening us to the pain that we may have been unconsciously holding inside, difficult emotions may surface during the program, including past traumas. Hence, the intensive format can potentially be more emotionally challenging in which to learn MSC, so we urge careful consideration before enrolling.
Although therapeutic, our group programs are not a substitute for individual mental health therapy.
MSC teachers are committed to helping participants feel safe and supported during the course. However, participants agree at the outset that they will take primary responsibility for their emotional well-being. If you are unsure, please contact Breathe Mindfulness Centre for further discussion of the best fit for your circumstances.
Meditation experience is not required.

Fee: $350 (HST and Materials included)
*Most private health insurance covers the cost of this program. Please contact your insurance provider to determine whether therapeutic group sessions (in-person or online) offered by a Registered Psychologist are covered.


Full-day, in-person workshop: Your Professional Will – A Facilitated Workshop

Friday, April 12, 2024 – 9 am to 4:00 pm.
Mount Saint Vincent University, Rosaria Building, Don MacNeil Room #401,
Presented by Kim O’Connor, R.Psych., with Special Guest, Tanya L. Butler, Touchstone Legal.

Workshop Overview:

Although we may not like to think about it, life circumstances can happen to any of us at any time which can impact our ability to act to ensure the best interests of our clients. 

The purpose of a professional will for a psychologist is to ensure that their clients receive appropriate care and support even if the psychologist is unable to continue their practice due to unforeseen circumstances, such as illness, disability, or death. At the basic level, it is a document that gives instructions to a designated individual regarding your psychology practice as well as the authority to act on your behalf in the event of your death or incapacitation. The goal of this workshop is to provide information and examples about professional wills for psychologists on how to devise the plan and create such a document.  Bring your laptop – this is a facilitated workshop designed to have participants start to create a draft document that day!

Download the brochure for more information and to register.

The Town of Kentville and APNS invite you to “sit and chat” to promote wellness

Kentville/Halifax:  The Association of Psychologists of Nova Scotia (APNS) and the Town of Kentville are reviving the old saying: “sit and chat a while”.

APNS has been donating park benches to raise awareness of the value of personal interaction as a way to enhance mental and physical health. We kicked off the initiative in Yarmouth in 2017, followed by Stewiacke in 2018 and Blockhouse in 2019. This event in Kentville is the first since our shutdown for the pandemic.

The unveiling will take place at the Kentville Visitor Information Centre at 125 Park Street on Friday, June 2nd, 2023 at 2 pm.

Read more “The Town of Kentville and APNS invite you to “sit and chat” to promote wellness”

Nova Scotia Psychologist Spring 2022: Annual Report Issue

The Nova Scotia Psychologist Spring 2021-22 is now available.  This is our Annual Report Issue which will provide the documents that will be addressed at our AGM on Friday May 27th 12 noon.

Please select this link to download.

What’s Inside:

President’s Report

Last Year’s AGM Minutes

Honours, Awards & Bursaries 2022

APA Council Report

APNS New Staff

Committees & Volunteers:

  • Strategic Planning Report
  • CPAP Report
  • Committee Reports

Continuing Education

Acknowledgements

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Committees & Representatives