Listen Now

Dr. Brianna Alkenbrack and I discuss the role of your family physician in treating mental illness and how much more they can do than most realize. We outline the steps involved in assessing and dealing with various psychological challenges people face. We also touch upon the increase in mental illness cases as a result of the current pandemic state of the world. Hope is offered to anyone suffering. No one need go untreated when help is available. Dr. Alkenbrack is a family physician practicing in Aylmer Ontario. She has a full-scope primary care practice, providing medical care to people of all ages. She runs a clinic, does house calls, surgical procedures, as well as care of the elderly and is a lecturer at the University of Toronto in Medical Education teaching medical students.  Quotes from this episode:"During annual physical checkups I do with my patients, I ask them directly about their mental health, I ask them about their mood, how they're sleeping and that can lead to a discussion about mental health challenges...""A lot of people are afraid that these medications are going to change who they are or how they behave or their personality and a lot of this is a common myth...""People hesitate to take medication for mental illness because of the stigma. I really try my best to dispel that and to create an environment in my office with my patients that they can talk about their concerns about this issue...""As the world around us changes rapidly and drastically, it can be challenging for people to adapt and to know how to adapt and I think that's a very normal experience during these times and there is support for people who are experiencing new challenges with mental health.""Family doctors are well skilled in managing the most common mental illnesses and, certainly for me personally, as soon as things start to get out of my depth and I don't feel confident that I can manage things, that's when I would request an opinion and help from a specialist, but I would never want someone to be deterred from going to see their family doctor about mental health concerns because they're concerned that there's a wait time or that they'll be on a wait list to see a specialist. Your family doctor can help..."

I discuss my recent struggles with OCD, anxiety and depression, a regimen I'm beginning to combat what I've been experiencing, the effects this COVID-19 era is having on everyone, not only those suffering with mental illness and what we can all do and think in order to keep ourselves moving forward into a better life.Quotes from this episode:“’I didn’t sign up for this’ – I’m sure many of you can identify with this statement.” “We have to keep trying, though, I know that.” “Gotta keep pushing through, gotta keep telling myself that I’ve got to keep pushing through, gotta keep pushing myself to get up and get moving on things.” “It is all in the mind, of course, and that’s perhaps one of the most frustrating aspects of this. You know that if you can change your thoughts, you can change your way of thinking, you can change your reality, you can change your life, you can change your path…” “I really, really, really need to rally against what I’m feeling right now, what I’m thinking to stop this level of anxiety, to stop this level of focus on things that are not helpful, things that are not positive…” “We have to do our best to be kind to ourselves, to love ourselves, to show ourselves a good turn, to do the best we can and to allow for possible shortcomings in our experience…” “Good things will come to you. Please believe in the best possible outcome. Please know that you’re not alone. Please know that there’s always hope. Please be well.”Thank you for listening!

My guest, Dr. Joshua Black is a grief researcher, speaker, author, and host of the Grief Dreams Podcast. He has focused all of his MA and PhD research (in psychology) on investigating grief dreams and continuing bonds from many types of loss (including prenatal loss and pet loss). The majority of his academic research and publications have been specifically on dreams of the deceased. Due to the lack of academic research in this field, Joshua has focused his efforts on raising awareness on grief dreams by developing the grief dreams website (www.griefdreams.ca) and multiple social media accounts.Grief dreams are dreams that occur after the death of a human or animal. They're also referred to as bereavement dreams, dreams after loss, dreams of the deceased, dreams of the dead, visitation dreams...). Despite how common these dreams are, very little research has been done on the subject. Grief issues can be resolved through positive dreams whereas people can suffer via misinterpreted or negative grief dreams.Dr. Black quotes from this episode:"Without asking those questions about dreams, you really lose a lot about how you’re diagnosing people… also how you’re treating them.""Not only do we need more research, we need more people to understand the value of this subject within the lives of the people they’re helping.""A lot of people are looking for answers.""I was depressed for a good three months after my father died… the world was just grey, I wasn’t feeling anything… I had this dream where I was able to say goodbye to him and that I loved him and I woke up and something changed… everything had colour again… there was this profound change inside me."

Following up on the previous episode, I discuss guilt as it pertains to mental illness, specifically OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) and how it has affected my life. This perhaps “useless emotion” has taken its toll on many of us and I outline its roots with respect to me, my disorder, as well as how it relates to all of us. I also speak about the effect this era of COVID-19 is having on those suffering from mental illness. Once again, there is always hope and we can get through anything. We need to keep believing in the best outcome for ourselves and others. 

I'm an Emmy Award winning singer-songwriter with more than 2000 song placements on TV, in film and advertising. I'm also a lifelong mental illness sufferer and in this episode I begin to tell a little about my story. I discuss some early memories attached to OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and their effect on me as I grew into adulthood. I also touch upon my battle with addiction and the sense of guilt that this particular disorder has instilled in me. I stress, however, that there is always hope, always light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how long that tunnel may be.- Michael Kisur

GP Psychotherapist Kaleigh Alkenbrack discusses how to obtain therapy through your family physician, the role of the GP Psychotherapist and the therapeutic approach of Mindfulness and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Kaleigh Alkenbrack is a medical doctor (MD) and certified family physician (CCFP) with a focused practice in mental health and psychotherapy. She graduated from McMaster University’s Michael DeGroote Medical School, and subsequently completed a post-graduate medical residency in Family Medicine at McMaster Family Practice in Hamilton. Following this, Kaleigh completed a Clinical Fellowship in Mental Health and Psychotherapy through a partnership between McMaster University and Niagara Health. She is currently a practicing clinician at Niagara Health’s St. Catharine’s Site Outpatient Mental Health and Addictions Department, providing individual mental health assessments and individual and group psychotherapy including mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy. In her own community practice, Kaleigh provides diagnostic clarification, as well as medication management, psychotherapy, and neurorehabilitation for persons and families living with brain injury, stroke, dementia, and other neurological conditions causing cognitive and mood symptoms. She is also a consulting physician with Niagara’s Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), providing clinical staff training, program development, and clinical case review. 

Therapist Kristen Di Martino and I discuss dealing with anxiety, including her own struggles with it. She offers up techniques and tips that help combat the often debilitating nature of this disorder. Kristen also gives us an insightful view of her journey through anxiety and how sharing this with her patients has been very helpful.

Psychotherapist Kathy Wlodarczyk, MEd, PhD, RP breaks down the word "psychotherapy" and the meaning behind what sometimes seems like the mysterious world of having a therapy session. We discuss traditional versus non traditional approaches therapists utilize when connecting with their patients, how Covid-19 has changed the settings by which sessions are conducted and the fact that therapists are people too, bringing much more to the table than just their professional training.

A discussion with psychotherapist Sean Robb about the options available to those facing mental health challenges. We address such topics as removing the stigma and/or fear associated with seeking professional help, what can be done to help improve your situation while awaiting your appointment, the art of a "conversational" therapy session where both therapist and client engage in a helpful dialogue and various other insights into what it's like to have a session with a trained professional. No one need suffer alone and everyone deserves the opportunity to feel better.