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Work with a Calgary 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. I used this approach to attain a black belt in karate and to succeed in the Boston Marathon and Ironman.Take the First Step
Meet with Dr. Pat for a FREE Initial 30-Minute ConsultationDr. Patrick Keelan, Psychologist
Counselling Offices in Calgary and Cochrane
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Available and experienced with television, radio, newspaper and magazine interviews.In the News & On Stage
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Free Initial Consultation
I offer a no charge initial 30 minute consultation in Calgary or Cochrane to provide you us with an opportunity to meet and discuss your needs and ensure your comfort.Take the First Step
Meet with Dr. Pat for a FREE Initial 30-Minute Consultation
Formula for Success
My approach to “Plan, Take Action & Track Progress”, has helped 100s of clients succeed.About Dr. Pat
Work with a psychologist with a record of achieving difficult results.Latest Articles From Dr. Pat’s Psychology Blog
To vent or not to vent: That is the question
In this article, I discuss whether venting about difficult people and situations is helpful in and out of your psychologist’s office. In my work as a Calgary psychologist and a Cochrane psychologist, I often encounter clients who choose to spend some or all of the time in a counselling session ‘venting’. This typically involves complaining about difficult people and/or situations affecting them. Given that people pay to see psychologists and that psychologists are ethically obligated to attempt to ensure that clients are benefiting from their services, it is reasonable to consider whether venting is a productive use of time in therapy. A related concern is whether it is beneficial to the client to vent to people other than their psychologist outside of therapy sessions. I will explore these questions in the following paragraphs...[more]
Viewing addictions as habits: An improvement over viewing them as diseases
In my last article, I discussed a commonly held view of addictions as diseases. I indicated that while this view has some advantages such as removing shame and consequently making it more likely a person will come for treatment, it also has substantial disadvantages. These include interfering with the person taking the necessary steps to address their addiction if they come to therapy, instilling a passive ‘fix me’ mindset which is counterproductive to making progress, as well as establishing negative expectations for progress. At the end of my last article, I said that I would propose an alternative way to view addictions which is more conducive to making progress than the view of addictions as diseases. I will discuss this alternative view in the following sections.
Viewing addictions as diseases: The pros and cons
In this article, I discuss the commonly held view of addictions as diseases along with the pros and cons of this view including its effects on progress in treatment. A commonly held view of addictions is that they are diseases. The view holds that if you are unlucky enough to be afflicted with such a disease, it will be with you for your life because it cannot be cured. Furthermore, because your addiction is a disease, you are unable to exert control over it. Acknowledging this lack of control or powerlessness is the basis of 12-step programs which are used to help people with addictions for issues such as...[more]