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Dr. Pat

About Dr. Patrick Keelan

Feeling Challenged? Work with a psychologist who knows how to overcome challenges… Depression, anxiety, stress & other psychological issues may seem as daunting as completing a marathon. My approach to “Plan, Take Action & Track Progress”, has helped 100s of clients and is the same approach I used to succeed in the Boston Marathon & Ironman Canada.
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Are the emotional benefits of an activity worth the costs? Strategies to help you decide

In this article, I will help you decide whether to pursue activities by weighing the emotional costs and benefits. In my last article, I discussed an important consideration in deciding whether to pursue various vocational opportunities, activities and relationships—the emotional costs and benefits which you derive. In that article, I also provided examples of the emotional costs and benefits commonly encountered in activities like education and work, hobbies and interests and relationships. In the following sections, I will provide strategies to help you decide whether the benefits you derive from the positive emotions associated with an activity make it worth it to put up with the emotional costs which come with the activity...[more]

2023-08-13T20:39:15-06:00By |Categories: Psychology, Stress|
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Weighing the emotional costs and benefits of your activities

In this article, I discuss an important consideration in deciding whether to pursue various activities, vocational opportunities, and relationships—the emotional costs and benefits which you derive. It is axiomatic that we derive the greatest enjoyment, meaning and fulfilment from our various activities such as education, work, hobbies and interests as well as our relationships. These activities enhance our lives largely because they allow us to experience a myriad of positive emotions such as happiness, joy, love, enthusiasm, passion, pride and excitement—to name just a few. While engaging in these activities, we also necessarily experience negative emotions such as sadness, anxiety, frustration, anger, hurt, disappointment, guilt and shame—to name a few. In effect, if we want to enjoy experiencing the positive emotions from participating in these activities we must pay a price by also experiencing the negative emotions. In the following sections, I will give several examples of how the pursuits in which we engage lead us to experience both positive and negative emotions. In my next article, I will provide guidelines on how to decide whether the benefits you derive from the positive emotions associated with an activity make it worth it also to experience the costs which come with the activity...[more]

2023-07-30T21:29:41-06:00By |Categories: Psychology, Stress|
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Is therapy effective if it is not done in person?

In this article, I discuss findings from research and from my experience on the effectiveness of in-person therapy compared with other options. For the first several years of my career, I did therapy with clients in only one form—in person and face-to-face. Over time, circumstances occasionally led me to conduct sessions with clients using other modes including virtual or video, phone, and email. The coronavirus pandemic resulted in the use of these alternatives to in-person sessions for me and other therapists becoming more frequent. Now that many therapists have returned to the pre-pandemic routine of conducting most of their sessions in person, I thought it would be helpful to discuss the effectiveness of in-person therapy compared with the alternatives. Given that many therapists and clients have considered continuing the use of these alternatives, such a discussion could help clients make informed choices regarding their preferred therapy mode. In the following sections, I will discuss findings from research and from my experience on the effectiveness of in-person therapy compared with other options...[more]

2023-07-16T20:19:29-06:00By |Categories: Psychology, Relationships|
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How to attend to ‘not urgent but important’ tasks

In this article, I discuss steps you can take to address matters which are not urgent but important in your relationships, your mental health and your career. In my last article, I discussed why it is important to attend to tasks which are not urgent but important in your relationships, your mental health, and your career. I provided many examples of the positive effects of attending to these tasks and of the negative consequences of failing to attend to them. Given how important it is to attend to tasks which are not urgent but important, it is essential to know how to attend to them. In the following sections, I will discuss steps which you can take to do just that...[more]

2023-07-02T17:04:05-06:00By |Categories: Depression, Sport & Performance|
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The importance of attending to tasks which are not urgent but important

In this article, I discuss how addressing matters which are not urgent but important is vital to your relationships, your mental health and your career. In his classic book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, the late Dr. Stephen Covey listed ‘put first things first’ as the third of the seven habits practiced by highly effective people. This habit, which focuses on spending time on what is most important to you, manifests itself through attending to tasks which are what Dr. Covey called ‘not urgent but important’. Such tasks often get neglected in favour of tasks which have a sense of urgency such as those which have deadlines.  ‘Not urgent but important’ tasks typically do not have deadlines and often involve taking time to plan for or take steps toward current or new goals you are pursuing. Spending time on these not urgent but important tasks is often what can make the biggest difference in your attaining a sense of achievement and fulfillment in life. In the following sections, I will discuss three areas in which it is important to attend to tasks which are not urgent but important—your relationships, your mental health and your career...[more]

2023-06-18T20:25:05-06:00By |Categories: Relationships, Stress|
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Why being a supportive team member is important—and how to be one

In this article, I discuss how to be a supportive member of a team and how this benefits the team. Performing as a member of a team in sports or other activities has some similarities to performing as an individual as well as some unique elements. As with individual activities, as a team member you need to work hard in practice to help you contribute to team success in your position or role. However, as a team member you also need to contribute to team success by the way you interact with and respond to your teammates. Being a supportive teammate has been found to contribute to team success beyond the contribution made by the team member’s individual performance on the playing field or arena. In the following sections, I will discuss why being a supportive teammate contributes to team success and what steps you can take to be a supportive teammate...[more]

2023-06-04T18:52:39-06:00By |Categories: Relationships, Sport & Performance|
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How to deal with disappointment when your team does not win

In this article, I discuss various strategies you can use to manage disappointment and other emotions stemming from lack of success by a sports team which you support. I recently appeared on the Toronto radio show called The Naz and Wally Sports Hour. On the show, I discussed various strategies which supporters of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team could use to deal with the disappointment of yet another failed attempt by the Leafs to win a championship. In the following sections, I will focus on these strategies which you can use to deal with disappointment you experience from failures by teams which you support...[more]

2023-05-23T16:32:16-06:00By |Categories: Depression, Sport & Performance|
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Making lemonade from lemons: Reaping benefits from adversity

In this article, I discuss how a demanding situation I recently experienced revealed several benefits. A little over a month ago, I experienced significant adversity in the form of my car being stolen. It was stressful on the day it occurred and it has continued to be stressful as I cope with the aftermath of this unfortunate event. Having said that, I am pleased to report that I have experienced many benefits because of this challenging curve ball which the universe has thrown me. Some of these positives were expected while others were pleasant surprises. I will discuss these benefits of my recent vehicular adversity in the following sections...[more]

2023-05-07T20:34:57-06:00By |Categories: Psychology, Stress|
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Activity or circumstance goals: Which is better for your mood?

In this article, I discuss how pursuing two different types of goals can have different effects on your mood. In my last article, I discussed the psychological benefits of pursuing goals. These included providing meaning and purpose, boosting self-esteem, facilitating structure, improving time management, managing stress and fostering positive social relationships. It should be noted that the extent to which pursuing goals leads to psychological benefits depends on the type of goal which you are pursuing. In this article, I will discuss one example to illustrate this point—whether the goal you are pursuing involves a change in your circumstances or entails you performing an activity on an ongoing basis. In the following sections, I will delve into the differential psychological benefits of pursuing these two types of goals...[more]

2023-05-07T20:31:39-06:00By |Categories: Depression, Sport & Performance|
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The positive psychological effects of pursuing goals

In a touching scene from the film Rudy, the title character expresses appreciation to his best friend Pete who has given him a jacket from the University of Notre Dame. It is Rudy’s goal to play for their football team despite being objectively too small and untalented. “You’re the only one who ever took me serious, Pete”, Rudy says which is followed by Pete’s reply, “Well you know what my dad always said: Having dreams is what makes life tolerable”. Pete’s comment captures the essence of the psychological benefits of pursuing goals and dreams. In the following sections, I will discuss why pursuing goals is important to your emotional well-being as described by Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky in The How of Happiness.

2023-04-11T12:38:02-06:00By |Categories: Sport & Performance, Stress|
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