The Anxiety Quality Standards in Practice, and a Preview of Our Stepped Care Model in Mental Health
Heather Wheeler, Clinical Psychologist, PhD; Kinneret Fleiman, Staff Psychiatrist, MD, FRCPC
Topics: Anxiety, Mental Health
Details
Objectives
- Explain the purpose of the Anxiety Quality Standards
- Name the 12 Quality Standards for Anxiety Disorders
- Reflect on how, and to what extent these Quality Standards are being met in your practice
- Identify any gaps that may exist in your practice and/or clinic in meeting these Quality Standards
- List various tools and resources that can help health care providers meet the Anxiety Quality Standards, including conducting comprehensive assessments, providing family support and patient resources, as well as pharmacological management
- Value the Stepped Care Approach in mental health care
- Discuss the upcoming model of care changes at Humber River Hospital’s Mental Health and Addictions Program
Faculty
Heather Wheeler Clinical Psychologist, PhD
Dr. Heather Wheeler is a Clinical Psychologist registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario. She is the Co-leader of the Mood and Anxiety Program at Humber River Hospital in Toronto, ON (part-time) and plays a significant role on the Model of Care Redesign Committee. She also runs a busy private practice. She is a sought after workshop provider and clinical supervisor. She holds an Adjunct faculty position with York University and supervises Ph.D. Practicum Students from Ryerson University. Formerly, she was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at McMaster University from 2003 – 2012.
In her private practice, she works with adolescents, adults, and the elderly, with a significant portion of her practice being with elite athletes. Dr. Wheeler obtained her PhD in psychology from the University of Toronto in 2004 and has expertise in the areas of anxiety, mood, obsessive-compulsive, post-traumatic and eating disorders. Her approach to treatment is primarily Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). She is certified with the Canadian Association of Cognitive Behavioural Therapists (CACBT) and has completed several Advanced Teacher Trainings for MBCT. She has also recently been appointed the High Performance Mental Health Lead for Athletics Canada.
Kinneret Fleiman Staff Psychiatrist, MD, FRCPC
Dr. M. Kinneret Fleiman first took a minor ‘detour’ from academia, by serving in the military - reaching the ranks of Lieutenant. Thereafter, she completed her Bachelor of Psychology, doing extensive research through her Honours thesis and through Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Student Research Awards. She was also granted the Jean Royce Fellowship through Queen’s University, and the William C. Dement Fellowship through Brown University, for further study and research. She went on to complete her medical degree at Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, serving as the representative of the new Kitchener-Waterloo Satellite Campus. She trained in Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, with a particular focus on the pharmacological management of mood disorders and Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. During her residency she served as Chief Resident at both Mount Sinai Hospital and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Dr. Fleiman now works at Humber River Hospital as a general outpatient psychiatrist and in the Early Intervention Psychosis program. She was previously the physician lead of the Mood and Anxiety Day Program, where she spearheaded an update of its curriculum. This quality improvement initiative was nominated by Humber River Hospital for an Award of Excellence in Mental Health Quality Improvement with the Canadian College of Health Leaders. During her career, she has been involved in various administrative, quality improvement and leadership positions, more recently as part of the Model of Care Redesign Committee at Humber River Hospital.