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/

Telepsychology: Managing the Challenges

A half-day, hybrid panel discussion and Q&A

Dalhousie University, McCain Bldg., Room 2130, Halifax (or by Zoom)

Friday, May 31 – 9 am to 1:00 pm

Fee: $150 for APNS members; $25 for students.

Contact admin@apns.ca to register now. Watch for the brochure coming soon.

The Panel Discussion is followed by the APNS Annual General Meeting and Award Ceremony; participants are invited to stay for lunch.

Panel: Dr. Marcie Balch, Dr. Elizabeth Church, Dr Natalie Stratton, Carlye Smith-Burke; Moderated by Dr. Robin McGee, Chair NSBEP

Summary

The number of psychologists using telepsychology have increased dramatically in the past five years. The benefits are well know, but what about the challenges? These may not be as obvious, but can cause problems if overlooked. This panel discussion will feature psychologists from various practice areas discussing their experiences with telepsychology, and addressing questions from participants. Some of the topics we hope to address will include ethical concerns, privacy and security, and the whether it is, or is not, appropriate for carious issues or clients.

Panel Discussion: Educating psychologists about government plans to increase access to mental health services

Where are we going and how do we get there? A half-day, virtual panel discussion with those who have been there.

Friday, May 10th, 1 to 4 pm by Zoom

All psychologists are welcome, but there are only 100 spaces available. E-mail apns@apns.ca now and register to receive your Zoom link.

Why are we holding this forum?

The Nova Scotia government has declared its intention to make mental-health care universally available through private services. Government’s role in the private sector of mental-health services may have significant, unforeseen consequences for providers, for public-sector professionals, and for the public. Psychologists have to be prepared for the potential impacts of government’s decisions and anticipate the challenges and opportunities. We seek to understand more about the mechanisms of this change so that we can better navigate our way forward. What do we psychologists need to know in order to play a proactive role in ensuring the wellbeing of the profession and those we serve?

Panel members

David M Clark, CBE is Emeritus Professor of Experimental Psychology at Oxford University. He is well-known for his pioneering work on the understanding and psychological treatment of anxiety disorders. Since 2005 he has also focused on how to disseminate effective psychological treatments within the NHS and international healthcare systems. He is an architect of the English Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme, and continues to advise NHS England. He has received Distinguished Scientist / Lifetime Achievement Awards from the British, Canadian and American Psychological Associations. The latter described his work as “pure genius with a real-world application.”

David Peachey is a Principal of Health Intelligence Inc., a Halifax-based healthcare consulting firm with clients in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. Prior to establishing the consulting firm in 1995, he was the Director of Professional Affairs at the Ontario Medical Association for ten years. His clinical experience spanned 40 years, including comprehensive family medicine, emergency medicine, and urgent care. Consulting work has focused on physician compensation and funding models, provider workforce and clinical services planning, fee schedule modernization, clinical governance, compensation database development and analysis, physician accountability, and measurement of clinical performance. In addition to successfully completing provincial workforce and clinical services plans, he has presented workshops on physician compensation models and performance measures, consulted on the reforming of medical services, and advised governments on delivery and funding models for medical care. He has been the lead consultant on number of projects analyzing physician compensation models and trends, drafting revisions to fee schedules and preambles, and conducting inter-provincial fee and benefit schedule comparisons, and clinical scenario analyses. Clients have included federal, provincial, and territorial governments, professional associations and societies, and the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

Pierre L.-J. Ritchie is Professor Emeritus in the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa. He has extensive leadership experience in the governance and management of national and international organizations as well as in health policy. In North America, Dr. Ritchie served as CEO of the Canadian Psychological Association and as Executive Director of the Canadian Register of Health Service Psychologists as well as a member of the Council of Representatives of the American Psychological Association. He was twice President of the Ontario Psychological Association and has collaborated with many provincial associations on advocacy for the profession, health care and health policy as well as on regulatory matters. Internationally, Dr. Ritchie served as the Main Representative (Psychology) to the World Health Organization (1997-2016). He was closely involved in the revision of the classification of mental, behavioural, and neurodevelopmental disorders for the Eleventh Revision of WHO’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). He is Co-Editor of the just published A Psychological Approach to Diagnosis: Using the ICD-11 as a Framework. He was Secretary-General of the International Union of Psychological Science (1996-2012). At the International Council for Science, he instrumental in the establishment of the multidisciplinary Urban Health and Well-being Programme for which he was a member and chair of its Science Committee.

Moderator, Ron Sherrard attended the University of King’s College in Halifax and graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism (Honours). He worked for CBC Radio as a reporter and producer in Halifax for 12 years. Then worked in Nova Scotia politics and government for 15 years in communications and outreach, including four years as government/caucus liaison helping individuals and community groups work with government to better communicate their needs and achieve their goals.

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