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It is no secret that working within the mental health care system while rewarding, can at times present significant challenges with respect to the provision of optimum client care as well as the well-being of mental health clinicians themselves.  In this wide-ranging discussion, Dr. Connie Dalton, C.Psych, Co-Founder & Executive Director of the Ottawa Institute of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy joins host & colleague Dr. Pete Kelly, C. Psych to reflect not only on the challenges within the mental health care system, but also opportunities for innovation.  In this episode they touch on: 

• consideration of the current situation for therapists in public and private settings with respect to demand for services, community resources available, ability to refer clients to speciality or intensive services etc.
• factors contributing to mental health being the “orphan" of the health care system with disproportionately less resources devoted to mental health despite being a major cause of disability
• candid personal reflections on the emotional experience of working in the mental health system
• identification of, and ideas around navigating competing tensions and values with respect to providing health care within a fee-for-service environment such as private practice 
• potentially self-defeating emotional and behavioural responses of clinicians to constrained resources and feelings of burnout
• the role of, and opportunities for innovation in psychotherapy with an emphasis on a stepped care model of service delivery
• the emergence of iCBT and its role (and limitations) in the innovation landscape  
• reflections on building a private practice that is suited for 2021 and beyond

Dr. Connie Dalton is Clinical Director of the Ottawa Institute of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and a Clinical Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa.  She also served at the regional clinical lead for the Ontario Structured Psychotherapy Program at the Royal Ottawa Hospital from 2018 to 2020. Over the past 15 years, Dr. Dalton has delivered numerous CBT workshops and training seminars in CBT and has actively involved in the supervision and consultation of mental health professionals in CBT including physicians, nurses, social workers, and psychologists at various stages of training.  She has expertise in the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders and has helped to develop and establish CBT programming at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. Dr. Dalton is currently involved in the development of innovative methods for the delivery of CBT within the community, including home and community-based services, group therapy programs, virtual reality therapy and intensive day treatment programs for mood and  anxiety disorders, OCD and PTSD.

https://www.ottawacbt.ca/dr-connie-dalton