Navigating the Holiday Season: Supporting Mental Health & Wellbeing
Navigating the Holiday Season
Supporting Mental Health & Wellbeing
Presented by: Margaret McKinnon, PhD, C Psych
Wednesday, December 17th - 7:00pm EST
Wednesday, January 7th - 7:00pm EST
As the holiday season approaches, those who have suffered a life-altering loss may feel pressured to participate in festive activities while experiencing complex emotions.
Margaret McKinnon, PhD, C Psych, will join us to discuss the trajectory of trauma, loss and unresolved grief, and offer practical skills to help navigate the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Following the presentation, Dr. McKinnon, Mary Fetchet, LCSW, and Kara Cooper, LMSW, will facilitate breakout sessions to continue the conversation.
About the Presenter
Margaret McKinnon, PhD, C Psych
Professor and Associate Chair, Research
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences
McMaster University
Dr. Margaret McKinnon is Professor and Associate Chair, Research, in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at McMaster University, where she also serves as the Homewood Chair in Mental Health and Trauma.
A clinician-scientist, Dr. McKinnon is the Research Lead for Mental Health and Addictions at St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, and a Senior Scientist at Homewood Research Institute. She also leads the Trauma and Recovery Research Unit at McMaster University.
Dr. McKinnon is known for her work characterizing trauma-related illness and PTSD among military members, Veterans, public safety personnel, and survivors of childhood abuse and trauma. She is involved in the development and testing of novel treatment interventions aimed at often-unexplored aspects of PTSD, including guilt and shame, moral injury, dissociation, and cognitive dysfunction.
Dr. McKinnon served as the Chair of the federally funded ATLAS Institute's Research Reference Group, and she works closely with government sectors, including Veterans Affairs Canada, the Canadian Armed Forces, and the Public Health Agency of Canada. Dr. McKinnon has published more than 180 peer-reviewed papers and chapters, and holds funding from numerous federal and provincial bodies, including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research (where she also holds a research fellowship), the Department of National Defense, Veterans Affairs Canada and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario.
Most recently, Dr. McKinnon was funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada to create a national, publicly available, online mental health resource, CANEMERG, for all Canadians and First Responders affected by large-scale disasters.