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Brad ÆonBrad Æon is a Ph.D. researcher at Concordia University, Montreal, Canada. He studies time management, time scarcity, and temporality .

Dr. Johnathan AlpertDr. Jonathan E. Alpert is Associate Chief of Psychiatry for Clinical Services at MGH as well as Director of the Depression Clinical and Research Program. He is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and the first incumbent of the Joyce R. Tedlow Chair in the Field of Depression Studies at Harvard Medical School.

He received his BA and MD from Yale University and his PhD in behavioral pharmacology from the University of Cambridge (UK), where he was a Marshall Scholar. He completed residencies at Boston Children’s Hospital and at McLean Hospital before joining the MGH Department of Psychiatry in 1992.

Simone Arbour Guest Blogger Simone Arbour is the Research and Program Quality Coordinator at Bellwood Health Services. She provides research consultation, oversees the Bellwood’s outcome study and other projects designed to examine the impact of Bellwood’s various treatment programs on clients’ health and well-being. Simone is also a past research presenter at the American Psychological Association and the Canadian Psychological Association. Simone’s applied research interests also involve the assessment of target population needs, development of assessment and measurement tools, and program evaluation.

Andrea Bell, is a Freelance writer by day and sports fan by night. I write about tech education and health related issues (but not at the same time). Live simply, give generously, watch football and a technology lover. Find me on twitter @IM_AndreaBell.

Linda BellLinda Bell, ICADC, FACATA, CCS, is the co-founder and President and Chief Executive Officer of Bellwood Health Services, an addiction treatment facility that specializes in the treatment of alcohol and drugs, gambling, eating disorders, and sexual addiction. Over the past 35 years, Ms. Bell has worked with families, clients and treat- ment professionals from around the world. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Canadian Healthcare Manager’s, ‘Who’s Who in Healthcare’ Award and the ‘Annual Achievement Award’ from the American College of Addiction Treatment Administrators.

James Dowsett Cooper, B.Sc. NANS Research Assistant, Bellwood Health ServicesJames Dowsett Cooper, B.Sc. NANS, joined the Bellwood research team as a research assistant in 2015.  He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Nutraceutical Sciences at the University of Guelph.  James is involved in conducting Bellwood’s Outcome Research Studies, investigating the impact of various addiction treatment programming. Some of James’ research interests include nutrition and its effects on addiction, and the effects of fat intake on the brain and mental health.  James is passionate about the role nutrition plays in helping those overcome their struggle with addiction.

Wendy CopeWendy Cope is a Psychological Associate who has been working in the mental health and addiction field for over 30 years. She is presently the Clinical Manager of Outpatient Services at Bellwood Health Services. Wendy’s clinical expertise has focused on psychological assessments, individual and group therapy for addictions, concurrent disorders and other psychiatric illnesses.

M. De ZilvaMelissa De Zilva is the Marketing Coordinator at Bellwood Health Services. Melissa’s role includes coordinating the organization’s conferences, seminars and educational events, and promoting Bellwood as a resource to corporate and healthcare professionals.

Rebecca DiFilippoRebecca DiFilippo was born and raised in the Toronto area. She founded a successful prepress business in 1986, which she successfully operated for over 12 years. In 1998 her business was awarded the Business Excellence Award for Etobicoke, ON.In 2001, Rebecca was hospitalized with clinical depression and struggled with a long battle back to full recovery. Her devastating experience led to the creation of Moods magazine, an educational consumer publication covering various aspects of mental health with an emphasis on prevention.Rebecca sat on the Board of the Mood Disorders Association of Ontario for four years, and has spoken many times on TV and radio about mental illness. In 2006 she was awarded the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Media Award for her outstanding coverage of mental health issues in Canada and was also nominated for the annual CAMH Transforming Lives Award. In 2011, Moods was awarded the Ontario Association for Suicide Prevention’s Media Award for Outstanding Work in Suicide Prevention.Rebecca is also an artist who is currently working on a series of paintings, which depict some of the many emotions of mental illness in an effort to help others better understand the feelings and struggles one might experience.

Iryna Gavrysh, Guest BloggerIryna Gavrysh joined Bellwood Health Services’ research team as a Research Assistant in April 2012. She obtained a bachelor degree in Psychology and is currently completing her MA in Counselling Psychology. Iryna is involved in conducting Bellwood Outcome Research Studies, investigating the effectiveness of addiction treatment at 6-months follow-up. She is also responsible for program evaluation and improvement. Some of Iryna’s research interests include substance use and PTSD, as well as mood and anxiety disorders. After completing her degree, she is looking forward to working in the addiction treatment field in a counselling capacity.

Lauren Goldhamer M.Ed, Eating Disorder TherapistLauren Goldhamer, M.Ed, Eating Disorder Therapist has been on staff at Bellwood as an Eating Disorder Therapist since 2001 and has been working with clients with eating disorders and related issues since 1995. She has a M.Ed. in Counselling Psychology, and training in both Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy and Emotion-Focused Family Therapy for eating disorders. Her involvement with Bellwood’s Eating Disorders Treatment Program includes clinical assessments, group and individual therapy, outpatient therapy and meal supervision.

Previous work with eating disorders includes: facilitating groups at Sheena’s Place; Eating Disorders of York Region, and a collaboration with the University of Toronto’s Health Services where she initiated their first body image groups supporting students at risk of developing an eating disorders. In addition to her work at Bellwood, Lauren maintains a private practice.

Dr. Carolyn Greene, PhD serves as the National Program Manager for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Mental Health Services, responsible for advancing Veteran care through the development of online self-help resources, courses, and tools for individuals suffering from mental health issues associated with the military lifestyle. During her tenure, Dr. Greene has played an integral role in the development of three distinct online resources:
Liz GreeneLiz Greene is a writer, rabid feminist, and full blown pop culture geek from the beautiful City of Trees, Boise, ID. When not stalking the aisles of her local Ulta, she can be found shoveling down sushi while discussing the merits of the latest Game of Thrones fan theories. You can follow her on Twitter @LizVGreene.

Jeremy Hainsworth has worked as a freelance correspondent for The Associated Press Reuters, Bloomberg Bureau of National Affairs, Daily Xtra and a variety of legal publications. He was on staff at The Canadian Press, The Calgary Herald and was a senior news manager for Canada’s Sterling Newspapers group. Jeremy considers writing about addiction as part of his Step 12 service work.

Jeff HardyJeff Hardy, is the founder of Mindfulness Based Solutions (MBS), an innovative organization striving to improve offender programming in Ontario via mindfulness and yoga. 2016 will see Jeff commence a pilot group providing inmates of Ontario institutions with mindfulness-based cognitive programming. Jeff also volunteers as a yoga and mindfulness teacher at Central Community Health Centre (CCHC) in St. Thomas, Ontario.

D.E. Harris, is a licensed behavioral health practitioner and certified trauma-competent professional. Mr. Harris has been a community service worker, focusing on minority health and behavioral health needs for nearly 10 years. Mr. Harris has published several articles that have led to social policy reform. Mr. Harris works as an exploratory researcher, a psychotherapist and an Adjunct Professor in the Sociology and Human Services Department at Harcum College. He lives in Philadelphia, PA.

Nanci Harris holds a BSc Nursing from the University of Western Ontario and a Masters in Library and Information Science. She has worked in various roles in the addiction treatment field since 1987 including: the Donwood Institute, the Jean Tweed Centre and Bellwood Health Services, where she has been a casual staff nurse since 1988. Nanci presently holds the position of Manager, Practice Assessment & Enhancement at The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario.

Hilary Jacobs Hendel, LCSW, is a practicing trauma and emotion-centered psychotherapist from NYC. She blogs, writes, and speaks on how to use core emotions and a tool she calls The Change triangle to decrease anxiety and depression, and connect more fully with our authentic Self. Hilary’s upcoming book entitled It’s Not Always Depression (Random House & Penguin UK, Feb. 2018) shares clinical tales and dynamic exercises so everyone, not only people in therapy, can benefit from this powerful wellness tool.

Kim Holmgren

Kim Holmgren, Dip. ACD
Counsellor

Kim Holmgren joined Bellwood in 2013 as a Recovery Counsellor in the Continuing Care Program. In his current role as a Counsellor at Bellwood, he works with clients in their recovery process by helping develop strong post-treatment plans for returning home, to their community and to their workplace, provides counselling, and leads aftercare groups.

Prior to joining Bellwood, Kim was involved for many years as a Bellwood volunteer. He completed the Addiction Careworker Diploma at McMaster University in 2009, and has also completed additional courses in concurrent disorders and psychology.

Nicole Kosanke, Ph.D., is the director of family services at the Center for Motivation and Change, where she specializes in working with family members of people abusing substances and in the assessment process for families and individuals with substance abuse issues. Dr Kosanke has been working in the research and clinical practice of substance abuse treatment for many years. She has most recently co-authored a book called Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change that is a compassionate and science-based family guide for navigating the addiction treatment world, understanding motivation, and training in the use of CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training) skills.

Joel Lamoure is a father and husband and in his spare time serves as a pharmacist and the Canadian Section Chief of UNESCO Medical Bioethics; Director of Evidence-Informed Medicine CARE; Associate Professor at Western University; and Associate Scientist at Lawson Health Research Institute.

Wendy Lee, Physical Health InstructorWendy Lee, BA, Kinesiology, has been working in the Physical Health Department at Bellwood since 2009. She has over ten years of experience working in community rehabilitation clinics and in the outpatient orthopedic clinic at York Central Hospital as part of their Physiotherapy team. She completed a post graduate diploma in Sports Injury Management at Sheridan College.

Since joining the team at Bellwood, Wendy has become a certified fitness instructor, completed an office ergonomics certificate and she completed a 200 hour yoga instructor certificate. She is currently working on a 100 hour yoga certificate specializing in teaching individuals with PTSD. She teaches a regular yoga class for Bellwood’s PTSD program.

Mark LeonardMark Leonard helped to establish the Oxford Mindfulness Centre, where he trained to teach Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), which he adapted to a workplace training before working with Mindfulness4Change.

His chapter, Making Mindfulness Meaningful and Accessible, is included in Mindfulness in the Workplace: An Evidence-based Approach to Improving Wellbeing and Maximising Performance, edited by Margaret Chapman-Clarke, Kogan Page, 2016.

Jennifer LezcanoJennifer Lezcano has been working in the marketing, outreach & education for addiction field for over six years. As the marketing coordinator at Bellwood Health Services, Jennifer has done extensive work on the internet marketing strategy for Bellwood. In 2009, Jennifer assisted in coordinating the re-launch of Bellwood’s website and took the lead on introducing Bellwood into social media. Jennifer arranges several of Bellwood’s in-house seminars and training seminars for community organizations, corporations and numerous healthcare, HR, and occupational health & safety professionals. Jennifer holds a diploma in Business Administration from Humber College as well as a certificate in E-Business and Web Marketing from the University of Toronto. Jennifer is currently completing her Bachelors of Commerce, majoring in marketing and minoring in human resources at Ryerson University. Prior to working at Bellwood, Jennifer worked in the trucking and immigration services industries.

Barbara MarkwayBarbara Markway, Ph.D., is a psychologist with over 25 years of experience and the author of four self-help books. Barbara has made appearances on well-known morning shows such as Good Morning America and The Today Show. Barbara has also been featured in the award-winning PBS documentary Afraid of People. Her work has been published in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, Prevention, Essence, American Health, Real Simple, Web MD, Psychology Today, and her own website The Self-Compassion Project. She lives in Mid-Missouri with her husband, and two small fluffy white dogs named Lily and Larry.

Jane McNeiceJane McNeice lives in the UK with husband and 3 children. She is the sister of Robert Horton and wrote ‘One Challenge Too Many’, the story of Robert’s lived experience of mental health problems, learning disabilities, and terminal cancer. Jane is the Founding Director of Mind Matters www.mindmatterstraining.co.uk a UK based company set up to raise awareness of mental health, deliver training and to provide support materials and sign-posting for people with mental health problems. Jane has worked in mental health for 8 years, supporting businesses and health care professionals around mental health, and encouraging the use of vocational rehabilitation to improve and protect mental health. Mind Matters is due to launch a new product during UK Mental Health Awareness Week 16-22nd May, so you can look forward to further developments from Jane and Mind Matters…

Follow Mind Matters on Twitter @mindmatters2us
LinkedIn: Mind Matters Training
Facebook: Mind Matters

Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Zyana MorrisZyana Morris is a passionate health and lifestyle blogger who loves to write about prevailing trends. She is a featured author at various authoritative blogs in the health and fitness industry and currently she is working as a blogger for Centra Care Florida, an urgent care center in Orlando and neighboring cities including Conway, Longwood, Orange Lake and others.

Jennifer ParleeJennifer Parlee is a recent graduate of York University’s psychology program and a researcher at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. She hopes to pursue a career in clinical psychology with a focus on trauma recovery.

Christina PellegrinoChristina Pellegrino is a stay at home dog mom residing in Verona NJ. Through her struggles with mental health over the years, she developed a passion and commitment to challenge her type A personality and focus on what is really important in life. Her interests include healthy living, non-profit work, and doing whatever it is that makes her feel alive.

Sally Perkins is a professional freelance writer with many years experience across many different areas. She made the move to freelancing from a stressful corporate job and loves the work-life balance it offers her. When not at work, Sally enjoys reading, hiking, spending time with her family and travelling as much as possible.

Rose Cora PerryRose Cora Perry, 2016 marks the triumphant return of Perry’s musical efforts with the highly anticipated worldwide release of her sophomore solo album, Onto the Floor.  In conjunction with the album’s release, Perry has formed high energy powerhouse duo, The Truth Untold, featuring the exceptional talent of Tyler Randall on Drums (Blind Mag/Swerve); Perry handles Vocals, Guitar and Songwriting.

Stan Popovic, Guest BloggerStan Popovich is the author of “A Layman’s Guide to Managing Fear Using Psychology, Christianity and Non Resistant Methods.” Stan has struggled with fear and anxiety for over 20 years. He has used his writing skills, analytical talents, interviews and diligent research in an attempt to educate readers on how to deal with fear. He was educated at Pennsylvania State University and has used these approaches in his own life.

Lystia Putranto is a personal & professional development blogger who seeks to inspire and to motivate people to create and to live out their best lives. A proponent of meditation, she actively encourages those who seek to become their best selves to integrate meditation as part of their daily routine.

Barak Raz has been working in the field of addictions, trauma and sleep since 2000. As a therapist at Bellwood Health Services, Barak provides addiction therapy to Bellwood’s addiction clients and trauma therapy to clients in Bellwood’s PTSD/Trauma & Addictions Treatment Program. In addition, Barak offers outpatient counselling and CBT treatment of insomnia and sleep management.

Lana Robson, Guest BloggerLana Robson, CCAC is an Addiction & Family Counsellor who facilitates the Family Program at Bellwood Health Services. She has been working with clients and family members to overcome addictions since 2010, initially as a Bellwood volunteer and then as a Bellwood staff member from 2011.

Lana is a graduate of McMaster University and has completed her Canadian Certified Addictions Counsellor (CCAC) certification.

Dr. Martina SchnetzDr. Martina Schnetz is the founder of Schnetz Therapy and Creative Arts. She has a foundation in Psychology, Education, Creative Arts therapy, and the practice of art as well, which enhances her ability to help individuals or groups of people with a variety of difficulties through psychotherapy, workshops and education in a creative manner. She completed her doctoral degree in Counselling Psychology at OISE/University of Toronto, and studied Fine Arts at the Ontario College of Art.

Michelle Scott, guest blogger for Moods Magazine BlogMichelle Scott obtained her Bachelor of Arts (Hons) from the University of Toronto. She is a mental illness survivor. She is currently pursuing her Masters degree in Occupational Therapy. She also spends her time working and volunteering at Riverwalk Eating Disorders and Wellness Centres.

Courtney Strong, guest blogger for Moods Magazine BlogCourtney Strong A Clinical Manager of Edgewood Health Network’s Seattle Clinic since the summer of 2012, Courtney Strong LMHC, CDP specializes in the treatment of trauma and addiction, as well as other related mental health disorders.

Heather Carter-SimmonsHeather Carter-Simmons is an undergraduate honours student in Psychology at York University, with a prior B.F.A. from the University of Victoria. Heather’s previous experience in the arts led to her interest in learning differences, definitions of intelligence, and resilience. She will pursue these topics in graduate school and plans to become a school psychologist.

Paul TedescoPaul Tedesco enjoys writing as a hobby. His stories about family and everyday life have been published in Toronto newspapers and he writes regularly for Moods magazine. Paul’s been treated for depression for the past twenty years. Mental health is a day-to-day work in progress and some days are better than others. Paul lives in Mississauga with his wife and son.

Natalie TilluckdharryNatalie Tilluckdharry, BA Sc (Nutrition) has been working at Bellwood Health Services since 2008. As a nutritionist, she works with clients in all programs, providing education on nutrition and addiction, and promoting healthy eating in recovery. Her roles include assessing the nutritional status of clients, facilitating nutrition workshops and lectures, and medical nutrition counselling in various areas of health including diabetes and cholesterol.Natalie has a BA Sc in Nutrition and Food, as well as a Certificate in Food Security from Ryerson University. She has also worked with Ryerson University and McGill University as a Research Assistant, in the field of food security, nutrition and behaviour change.

Jana Vigor Guest BloggerJana Vigor graduated with a BA of Psychology from York University and is now working as a Project Assistant for International Student Mental Health at Ryerson University. Her interests include trauma, critical theory, sexuality, and relationships. She plans to further her education in Clinical Psychology.

Claudette Villena is the National Co-ordinator of Communications at the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada.

Nick ZabaraNick Zabara – Presently taking a double-major BA of Psychology and Professional Writing at York University, Nick Zabara plans to pursue an education in Clinical Psychology at the postgraduate level. His interests include family and relationship dynamics, anxiety, and depression. Upon receiving his doctorate degree, he hopes to write, teach, and open his own practice.