Dr. Nathalie Freynet, C.Psych: Accent Discrimination

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When meeting somebody for the first time, the presence of an accent is one of the first things that we notice.  Accent discrimination is form of bias in which we make judgments around a person based on features of their accent.  Importantly, accent bias can lead to both negative and positive assumptions about a person’s intelligence, social status, education level and other aspects of an individual.  In this episode, Drs. Freynet and Kelly explore the origins of accent discrimination, explore factors that influence accent discrimination, consider the impact of accent discrimination on well-being, discuss the impact of accent discrimination on the seeking of, and provision of psychotherapy and finally, outline ways for optimizing awareness of our own accent discrimination.  

Dr. Nathalie Freynet is registered as a Psychologist (Interim Autonomous Practice) with the College of Psychologists of Ontario. She completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Ottawa. Dr. Freynet provides individual and group treatment to adults using cognitive behavioural therapy as a primary approach. She also has experience working with other evidence-based approaches including interpersonal therapy (IPT), emotion focused therapy (EFT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), schema therapy, and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).  Dr. Freynet is involved in a number of OICBT programs including the intensive day treatment program for OCD and anxiety disorders, and the intensive assessment and diagnosis program.  Nathalie offre aussi des services en français.