RRCS Activities - Thanks for Your Support!
Since we moved from Edmonton and opened the doors of our office here in February 2004, we have received many referrals from friends, colleagues, rehabilitation services, and physicians in Richmond and Delta. Thanks to these referrals, we have been able to do what we love: helping people find greater peace and fulfillment in living.

We have enjoyed making contacts and meeting people, and are continuing to seek out anyone who might be in a position to let others know about our services. If you are interested in meeting us or finding out more about our work, please call us. We would be happy to send you our brochure or to meet with you.

Why Refer to a Social Worker? - David Brown
I have worked in the field of counselling for over 40 years, and had a successful private practice in Edmonton for the past ten years. I have kept current with developments in psychotherapy and have specifically focused on developing my skills in experiential psychotherapy and couples therapy.

I realize that I am an “unknown” in Richmond and, given that many social workers are not therapists, I understand that it may seem unusual to refer to a social worker. However, I do have a solid background of training and experience and I am eager to establish my practice. With all this in mind, I offer the following incentives to make it easier for people to consult with me and to decide whether they might like to work with me. I will provide:

• a free, one-hour initial consultation,
• the possibility of a negotiated fee, to make ongoing work more affordable,
• for those with extended health care plans, I will make contact with insurance providers to determine if my services may be covered.

Understanding Psychopharmacology – Marianne Gareau
On April 17, 2004, I attended a full-day workshop presented by Dr. John Preston, a neuropsychologist from California and author of eleven books on depression, psychotherapy, psychopharmacology, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The workshop focused on:

• new developments in the neurosciences that relate to psychiatric disorders
• the medical treatment of psychiatric disorders
• how psychologists can be more effective in collaborating with primary care physicians and psychiatrists in the treatment of these disorders

I found Dr. Preston’s presentation to be highly informative and practical. He was particularly clear in his discussion of the possible side effects of various psychotropic medications, as well as their interface with psychological treatments.

Anti-anxiety medication
One major finding he reported is that in North America, anti-anxiety medications are prescribed more often than anti-depressants (30% vs. 23%), when in fact anxiety is a very frequent symptom of depression. The anxiety is treated, but the underlying depression remains undiagnosed and untreated. For a significant number of people, anti-anxiety medications make their depression worse. Some anti-anxiety drugs, especially tranquillizers, actually “back-fire,” because they demolish deep sleep, which only contributes to increased depression, stress and anxiety. Furthermore, within six weeks, everyone on these medications becomes dependent (i.e., abrupt discontinuation results in some withdrawal symptoms).

In speaking about anxiety disorders, Dr. Preston shared convincing evidence that cognitive-behavioural therapy and exercise are more effective in the long-term than any drugs. Unfortunately, many people are reluctant to consider therapy and are looking for a “quick fix.” Perhaps we need to be talking more about how the quick fix often actually causes more problems in the end, and help people to understand that the problems will not go away with the use of medications alone.

Anti-depressant medication
Dr. Preston stressed that there are many situations where medication is essential for the treatment of depression. Research has proved that anti-depressant medications are effective in 60-75% of cases, and often are required to help a person benefit from counselling and make necessary behavioural changes. Recent brain research has shown that SSRI’s help in restoring the deep sleep that stress and depression have compromised. He also noted that often, when patients report that anti-depressant medication isn’t helping, the problem is related to non-compliance in taking the medication, unreported substance abuse (e.g. alcohol or other drugs), or under-dosing.

One of Dr. Preston’s books that I would recommend for the general public is a small paperback book entitled You Can Beat Depression: A Guide to Prevention and Recovery, available at www.impactpublishers.com

Using Mindfulness in Therapy - An Example – David Brown
Perhaps you have known people who seem to be stuck, feeling anxious, frustrated or burdened in life but not knowing what to do about it. I enjoy helping these people get unstuck.

I teach my clients a simple mindfulness practice to help them access information that lies just below their day-to-day consciousness. Using this practice helps people see how childhood beliefs and perceptions continue to influence their world view and limit their possibilities. Together, we create the possibility of moving beyond this to discover the more fundamental sense of values and direction within them. This provides the basis for making change in perceptions, thoughts and behaviour.

I use the same practice in couples’ therapy with a number of additional steps to allow for the complexity of working with two people together; two people who both may believe they would be happy if only their partner would change! Fortunately, there are effective ways of working with this. I enjoy helping couples achieve a greater level of mutual satisfaction or, in some cases, realizing it is time to let go.

Looking Ahead - Important Developments in Couples Therapy
On April 29-30, we attended a workshop led by Dr. Brent Atkinson of The Couples Research Institute in Geneva, Illinois. Dr. Atkinson and his colleagues have developed a model for couples’ therapy that draws on two important sources. The first source is Dr. John Gottman’s twenty-year research that defines behaviours that are predictive of successful or unsuccessful marriages. The second is recent brain research that clarifies what we can do to change habitual behaviour patterns that are predictive of failure in relationships. The result is a clearly defined, research-based model for intervention with two kinds of couples: those who are clearly very unhappy, and those who are happy but want to enhance their relationship.

We will say more about this in our next newsletter in the fall. In the meantime, our best wishes to you for a pleasant, relaxing summer.