CAN I DO MORE? (SVP, Voir plus bas pour la version Française) Can I do more? This question is a trap if I ever heard one. Can I do more to help my parents? Can I do a better job on this assignment? Can I eat better? These types of questions are endless and the [...]
Category Archives: Stress
Workaholic nutcases
Workaholic nutcases (Published on-line, La vie en tranches, Journal Métro, February 9, 2015) SVP, voir plus bas pour la versionFrançaise Would you like a recipe for building a strong and hyper-productive team? Here’s a strategy: Step 1: Hire ten people for your team. Among the ten, there is a pretty good chance you will find [...]
I miss my Rolodex
Chances are pretty good that if you are under thirty you’ve never even heard of a Rolodex. Of course if you’re over fifty…there is probably one on your desk. (SVP, voir plus bas pour la version Française) I think of Rolodexes and manual typewriters whenever I think of how much my world has changed since [...]
Job satisfaction
I’ve done many things over the years. Being a psychologist – or anything for that matter – is rarely unidimensional. Beyond what people assume (i.e., directly treating individuals) are activities like teaching and supervision, liaising with universities, evaluating clinical programs, interviewing potential candidates, contributing to policy development, etc. I must admit I’d rather put a [...]
Suck it up and move on: PTSD and what not to do
We were all saddened by the recent apparent suicide of Master Corporal Sylvain Lelièvre of the Canadian Forces. It was the fourth reported suicide this past week alone. Every suicide is complex and we can never know exactly which factors go into one person’s decision. Mood is affected by our temperament, our biological makeup, and [...]
But…but…what if a tornado hits during an earthquake?
We all have obsessions. As unpleasant as they may be, they do serve a protective function. It seems even a squirrel looks more than once when crossing a street! Double-checking and triple-checking is a way of eliminating errors caused by distraction or absentmindedness. But how far can we go with this? For a person with [...]
Pie charts and scribbled napkins
When I see a particular client it doesn’t take me long to find her file in my file cabinet. It’s the one with the colour-coded tabs sticking out. These tabs form part of the many background documents she wrote for me to assist in the treatment process. Meanwhile, I have another client who has yet [...]
The house of cards and the stack of chips
I don’t normally work with kids but one day I was called by a colleague whose nephew was struggling with exam anxiety. Having watched my video on youth anxiety, he asked if he could see me. Now anxiety is anxiety, whether in adolescents or adults, but I don’t normally work with clients so young. I tend [...]
Vidéos sur la gestion des émotions / Video on the managing emotions
Re-bonjour! Voici les vidéos de mes présentations de l’École Mini-Psy (édition 2011). Prenez des méga-doses de caffeine et bon visionnement! Hi again, Here are the videos of my two-part presentation in our last edition of Mini-Psych School – 2011 edition (In French). Take some caffeine pills and enjoy! Du coeur au cerveau – Des émotions nécessaires [...]
Running in corridors
Time to set aside Fatmaster-Z and become Mr. Psychology Guy. In yesterday’s Métro column, I ask people to imagine a scenario where they are performing without any feedback. When the degree to which we push ourselves depends solely on our own judgment, we may be pushing way too hard (if we never feel anything we [...]
