Held Friday, May 11th, 2007
Women's College Hospital
Toronto, ON

Blending research knowledge and clinical practice skill-building, the Not Just Any Body’s Therapy: Gender Issues in Psychotherapy with the Medically Ill conference, held at Women’s College Hospital on Friday May 11th, was a great success with over 100 participants.

Co-sponsored by the WCRI, the WCH Mental Health Program and the University of Toronto’s department of psychiatry, the event attracted participants from a range of disciplines and practice settings including social work, psychiatry, psychotherapy, family medicine, nursing and occupational therapy. The three keynote speakers provided a strong foundation for the day’s discussions and integrated research, clinical and experiential knowledge in their respective presentations.

Dr. Jane Leserman, medical sociologist and research at the University of North Carolina, provided evidence regarding the impact of trauma, including childhood abuse, on the future development of illness, with a particular emphasis on gastrointestinal disorders.

Dr. Ellyn Kaschak, feminist psychologist at the University of San Jose, discussed the mind-body-spirit connections in medical illness and provided examples from her own experience as a therapist living with illness.

The conference also officially launched the de Winter mental health lecture series, sponsored by WCH Board Member Ruth de Winter and her family in her late husband’s name. This series of annual lectures will address a broad range of mental health issues through a gender lens and will provide an opportunity to bring to the WCH community. Dr. Arthur Frank was the inaugural de Winter lecturer. His presentation focused on the importance of storytelling in the lives of patients and health care providers as they navigate through the journey of health and illness.

The afternoon provided participants with an opportunity for more interactive learning through a series of workshops led by local mental health practitioners. These workshops provided an important opportunity to highlight innovative work being done at WCH and around the city of Toronto. Topics included, among others, the connection between trauma and illness in cancer care, the use of narrative therapy in the context of medical illness, the use of cognitive brief therapy with individuals with irritable bowel syndrome, and effective interventions with couples in which one partner is ill.