Support Groups and Workshops

This group offers Black, Indigenous, People of Colour (BIPOC) physicians a safe space to discuss their challenges and share their lived experiences. Participants and facilitators support and empower each other by sharing lived experience, processing burdens and leveraging strengths collectively.

Past participants note that the group was a safe space to share because the facilitators created a non-judgmental environment and expressed it had a positive impact on their wellbeing and finding community.

Registration

• Please fill out the registration form.
• For questions about this group, please email programs@physicianhealth.com.

When

• May 27 to June 17, 2025 Tuesday at 4:30–6:00 p.m.
• Drop-in sessions: Available throughout the year for existing participants.

Format

• 4-week series group of 1.5-hour sessions led by Dr Anne Nguyen and Dr Rahul Gupta.
• Groups are a maximum of 15 participants.
• Themes for each session include:
  • Healing Wounded Healers: Exploring the Personal Health Impacts of Racialization
  • Healing Wounded Families: Legacy Burdens and Intergenerational Resilience
  • Reclaiming Our Connectedness at Work: Addressing Conflict and Setting Boundaries
  • Reclaiming Our Wholeness: Leading Ourselves and Others with Compassion

Facilitators

Dr Rahul Gupta is a settler on the unceded land of the shíshálh and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nations, is a Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Teacher and Somatic Experiencing (SE) Practitioner. With over 18 years of experience as an ICF Certified Professional Coach, he supports healthcare providers in developing compassionate self-awareness.

Dr Anne Nguyen is a family physician and addiction medicine specialist with a decade of experience in low-barrier care in Northwestern Ontario and Victoria, BC. As a physician lead in a Provincial Health Program and an addiction medicine consultant at Victoria Hospitals, she is dedicated to helping her peers achieve healthier personal and professional lives.

The BC Physician Health Program and Mind Space Skills for Wellbeing offer a CBT Skills Group for BC physicians and medical residents with mental health diagnoses. Participants will learn to manage anxiety, depression, and stress through CBT techniques, emotional regulation, mindfulness, and acceptance-based approaches.

Registration

• Ask your primary care provider to fill out the registration form and in the ‘additional notes to support referral’ add “Referral to Physician Only Group”. Then, fax it to the CBT Skills Group at +1 778 265-0298.
• PHP can also complete this form on your behalf—email info@physicianhealth.com if you would like our help with it.
• Information required for enrollment:
  • Attendee: Full name, address, DOB, PHN, phone and email address, current PHQ9 score.
  • NP/FP: Full name, MSP#, telephone and fax number.
  • Form must be filled out in full. Partially completed forms will be returned.

When

• September 18 to November 6, 2025, Thursdays at 7:30–9:30 am

Format

• Free—physicians and medical residents are covered through MSP.
• 8-week series of 2-hour sessions.
• Delivered virtually via Zoom, 15 participants per group. Classroom style format, where facilitators teach one chapter of a workbook per week.
• Personal sharing is limited, but each participant is encouraged to share a brief weekly report on their learning.

Requirements

• Personal sharing is very limited, but each participant is encouraged to share a brief report on their learning each week.   
• Cost: $65 deposit to Mindspace that is returned if at least 7 of the 8 sessions are attended.
• Availability to attend all eight sessions. Regular attendance is requested.
• Computer, laptop, or handheld device with Zoom app and webcam.

Whom will this serve?

• BC Physicians and Medical Residents.
• Individuals with a PHQ-9 score of 18 or lower who face anxiety, depression, chronic medical conditions, insomnia, chronic pain, addictions, eating disorders, or attention regulation issues are eligible for referral. Please include the relevant psychiatric diagnosis (ICD-9 code) on the referral form.
• Physicians with no cognitive impairment such as active psychosis, mania, or dissociation, substance use disorder which impacts group-based learning, or personality disorder that may impact the group process.

Facilitators

• Dr Jennifer Barley

The CBT for Insomnia group offers physicians a safe space to explore their relationship with sleep and practice using different tools and resources to help make improvements. This group is change-oriented and sessions include education, skill development, and shared experiences with colleagues.

Past participants note that the group offered a safe space to connect with peers around common struggles and the wide range of resources and tools shared helped find the one that worked best for them individually.

Registration

• Contact info@physicianhealth.com to express your interest in enrolling.

When

• Check back for fall dates.

Format

• Free–Physicians are covered through MSP.
• 6-week series of 1.5-hour sessions.
• Delivered virtually via Zoom, 15–16 physician participants per group.

Requirements

• Availability to attend all six sessions. Regular attendance is requested.
• Computer, laptop, or handheld device with Zoom app and webcam.

Whom will this serve?

• BC physicians, residents and retired physicians who identify as struggling with insomnia.

Facilitators

• Dr Karen Palmer
• Dalal Badawi

The Build a Better Core Program offers physicians a safe space to discuss their challenges with ADHD and discover their ADHD strengths. Sessions optimize physician well-being through education, skills development, and shared experiences with colleagues.
 
Past participants note that the collegial environment of shared experiences and practical skills helped them regain their energy for practice and rebuild their relationships.

Registration

• Your treating physician is welcome to refer you directly to Dr Baerg Hall at Fax: 844-320-4844.
• Please include ADHD assessment and all other psychiatric assessments. 
• If you are a PHP client, contact your PHP Clinical Coordinator for a referral or call +1 800 663-6729 to be a new PHP client.

When

Programs are offered throughout the year during physician accessible times (beginning of day, over lunch, or after hours). This group is offered on an ongoing basis based on number of referrals. 

Format

• BC Physicians are covered through MSP.
• Eight weekly Zoom sessions led by Dr Elisabeth Baerg Hall with approximately 10 physicians per group.
• Executive functioning skills covered include planning, organization, self-monitoring and regulating emotions, and optimizing work and personal functioning.
• Dr Hall decides on group composition after meeting you at a Zoom pre-assessment appointment.

Requirements

• Availability to attend all eight sessions.
• A computer, laptop, or handheld device with Zoom app and webcam.

Whom will this serve?

• BC Physicians who have a physician or psychologist diagnosis of ADHD and whose other psychiatric conditions, including Depression and Anxiety, are reasonably well controlled.
• This program is not suitable for those with active or untreated Bipolar, Substance Use, Psychosis or Personality Disorder.

Facilitator

• Dr Elisabeth Baerg Hall CCFP, FRCPC is a settler on the unceded land of the shíshálh and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nations. Dr Hall is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UBC, a Board Member of CADDRA (Canadian ADHD Resource Alliance) and founding Medical Director of the Vancouver Coastal Health Adult ADHD Clinic.

Contact

• Email: contact@EBHallMD.com. 
• Office Fax: +1 844 320-4844

When

• Workshops are offered throughout the year.

Format

• Free to all BC Physicians or Medical Residents/Fellows.
• 1.5 hour workshops on four different topics. Workshops can be attended in any order.
• Approximately 25 physicians per workshop.
• Includes access to online Skills Builder Module.

Requirements

• A computer, laptop, or handheld device with Zoom app and webcam.

Whom will this serve?

• Any BC physician who would benefit from the workshop topics, including those with reasonably well controlled depression or anxiety.
• This program is not suitable for those with active or untreated bipolar, substance use, psychosis or personality disorder.

Facilitator

• Dr Elisabeth Baerg Hall is a settler on the unceded land of the shíshálh and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nations. Dr Hall is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UBC, a Board Member of CADDRA (Canadian ADHD Resource Alliance) and founding Medical Director of the Vancouver Coastal Health Adult ADHD Clinic.

Learn how to lighten your load with practical prioritization strategies that enhance peace of mind and efficiency.

Stay tuned for upcoming workshop dates and details.

This engaging, interactive workshop offers insights and tools to help you better manage
your time.

Stay tuned for upcoming workshop dates and details.

This practical, interactive workshop explores the art of mastering procrastination, offering valuable insights and actionable strategies to manage it effectively.

Register

• Fill out the registration form.

When

• Tuesday May 27, 2025 at 8:00–9:30am
• Wednesday June 11, 2025 at 6:00–7:30pm

Workshop details

• Break free from your cycle of procrastination.
• Tap into the hidden power of procrastination.
• Channel procrastination into productivity.

This practical, interactive workshop will help physicians gain insight into perfectionism offering skills to manage perfectionist tendencies in your personal and professional life.

Registration

• Fill out the registration form.

When

• Wednesday May 28, 2025 at 6:00–7:30pm
• Tuesday June 10, 2025 at 8:00–9:30am

Workshop details

• Recognize your personal perfectionist patterns.
• Explore the thoughts and emotions driving your perfectionism.
• Discover practical strategies to break free from perfectionist habits.