1. Noteworthy items
- Dr. Jen Theule was on Global Morning News on Thursday June 1st at 8:20am for a segment related to MPS’ recent PR concerning talking to kids when they need help (see press release attached). To listen, click here: http://globalnews.ca/video/3498534/how-to-talk-to-your-kids-about-mental-health
- The Canadian Psychological Association has releasedthe Fourth Edition of the Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists. You can find more information about the newest revision of the Code and download an electronic version here: Code of Ethics (Fourth Edition)
2. MPS Updates from March 2017
- MPS’ Social Action Committee is in the process of creating their operational guidelines and processes for addressing social issues.
- Dr. Pamela Holens attended the APA Council of Representatives meeting in February 2017. Highlights of the meeting included the passing of clinical practice guidelines for PTSD, discussion of entrance requirements to graduate programs in clinical psychology, and discussion of an upcoming policy statement from APA regarding registration of MA-level psychologists. Follow the link for meeting minutes: http://www.apa.org/about/governance/council/minutes-winter-2017.pdf
3. Articles of Interest
- Therapist’s Guide for Preparing a Professional Will. The guide is intended to help therapists create an individualized professional will that is not only ethically, legally, and clinically sound but also clear, comprehensive, and practical. http://kspope.com/therapistas/will.php
- Belgian Public Health Minister researching financial coverage of psychological treatment. http://www.brusselstimes.com/belgium/8285/maggie-de-block-wants-to-reimburse-psychological-aid
- Psychodynamic Therapy: As Efficacious as Other Empirically Supported Treatments? A Meta-Analysis Testing Equivalence of Outcomes. http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.17010057
4. Get to know a Manitoba Psychologist featuring Gillian Alcolado, Ph.D., C.Psych., Anxiety Disorders Program, Clinical Health Psychology, St. Boniface General Hospital
What is the focus of your research program?
My research interests broadly include the etiology, mechanisms, and treatment of anxiety and related disorders, with a focus on obsessive-compulsive disorder. I am particularly interested in improving clinical outcomes in cognitive-behavioural therapy via better understanding and development of techniques that target underlying maladaptive thoughts and beliefs.
To this end, my research program to-date has specifically focused on testing a piece of the cognitive theory of compulsive checking (i.e., that maladaptive beliefs about memory ability contribute to and maintain the checking cycle). From these positive findings, I have turned to developing and testing a novel cognitive intervention for compulsive checking focused on altering these maladaptive beliefs. The aim is for patients to discover that their memory for checking may be better than they think it is, and that they therefore do not need to check as much.
What are some of the clinical or theoretical applications of your work?
The theoretical applications of my work are to determine whether the cognitive theory of compulsive checking is supported by experimental and clinical research findings.
Even more excitingly, if results continue to prove positive, the clinical application will be a novel and useful cognitive intervention that can be introduced flexibly as needed to enhance cognitive-behavioural therapy outcomes for individuals who suffer from compulsive checking.