Support Groups and Workshops

This group offers Black, Indigenous, People of Colour (BIPOC) physicians a safe space to discuss their challenges and share their lived experiences. Participants and facilitators support and empower each other by sharing lived experience, processing burdens and leveraging strengths collectively.

Past participants note that the group was a safe space to share because the facilitators created a non-judgmental environment and expressed it had a positive impact on their wellbeing and finding community.

Registration

• Please fill out the registration form.
• For questions about this group, please email programs@physicianhealth.com.

When

• May 27 to June 17, 2025 Tuesday at 4:30–6:00 p.m.
• Drop-in sessions: Available throughout the year for existing participants.

Format

• 4-week series group of 1.5-hour sessions led by Dr Anne Nguyen and Dr Rahul Gupta.
• Groups are a maximum of 15 participants.
• Themes for each session include:
  • Healing Wounded Healers: Exploring the Personal Health Impacts of Racialization
  • Healing Wounded Families: Legacy Burdens and Intergenerational Resilience
  • Reclaiming Our Connectedness at Work: Addressing Conflict and Setting Boundaries
  • Reclaiming Our Wholeness: Leading Ourselves and Others with Compassion

Facilitators

Dr Rahul Gupta is a settler on the unceded land of the shíshálh and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nations, is a Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Teacher and Somatic Experiencing (SE) Practitioner. With over 18 years of experience as an ICF Certified Professional Coach, he supports healthcare providers in developing compassionate self-awareness.

Dr Anne Nguyen is a family physician and addiction medicine specialist with a decade of experience in low-barrier care in Northwestern Ontario and Victoria, BC. As a physician lead in a Provincial Health Program and an addiction medicine consultant at Victoria Hospitals, she is dedicated to helping her peers achieve healthier personal and professional lives.

The BC Physician Health Program and Mind Space Skills for Wellbeing offer a CBT Skills Group for BC physicians and medical residents with mental health diagnoses. Participants will learn to manage anxiety, depression, and stress through CBT techniques, emotional regulation, mindfulness, and acceptance-based approaches.

Registration

• Ask your primary care provider to fill out the registration form and in the ‘additional notes to support referral’ add “Referral to Physician Only Group”. Then, fax it to the CBT Skills Group at +1 778 265 0298.
• If you are a current PHP client, PHP can assist you in the referral process. Please email your assigned Clinical Coordinator or our general inbox info@physicianhealth.com if you are interested in attending this group.
• Information required for enrollment:
  • Attendee: Full name, address, DOB, PHN, phone and email address, current PHQ9 score.
  • NP/FP: Full name, MSP#, telephone and fax number.
  • Form must be filled out in full. Partially completed forms will be returned.

When

• September 18 to November 6, 2025, Thursdays at 7:30–9:30 am

Format

• Free—physicians and medical residents are covered through MSP.
• 8-week series of 2-hour sessions.
• Delivered virtually via Zoom, 15 participants per group. Classroom style format, where facilitators teach one chapter of a workbook per week.
• Personal sharing is limited, but each participant is encouraged to share a brief weekly report on their learning.

Requirements

• Personal sharing is very limited, but each participant is encouraged to share a brief report on their learning each week.   
• Cost: $75 deposit to Mindspace that is returned if at least 7 of the 8 sessions are attended.
• Availability to attend all eight sessions. Regular attendance is requested.
• Computer, laptop, or handheld device with Zoom app and webcam.

Whom will this serve?

• BC Physicians and Medical Residents.
• Individuals with a PHQ-9 score of 18 or lower who face anxiety, depression, chronic medical conditions, insomnia, chronic pain, addictions, eating disorders, or attention regulation issues are eligible for referral. Please include the relevant psychiatric diagnosis (ICD-9 code) on the referral form.
• Physicians with no cognitive impairment such as active psychosis, mania, or dissociation, substance use disorder which impacts group-based learning, or personality disorder that may impact the group process.

Facilitators

• Dr Jennifer Barley

The CBT for Insomnia group offers physicians a safe space to explore their relationship with sleep and practice using different tools and resources to help make improvements. This group is change-oriented and sessions include education, skill development, and shared experiences with colleagues.

Past participants note that the group offered a safe space to connect with peers around common struggles and the wide range of resources and tools shared helped find the one that worked best for them individually.

Registration

• Contact info@physicianhealth.com to express your interest in enrolling.

When

• Tuesdays from October 7–28, 2025, 630 p.m.-8 p.m. PT

Format

• Free–Physicians are covered through MSP.
• 4-week series of 1.5-hour sessions.
• Delivered virtually via Zoom, 15–16 physician participants per group.

Requirements

• Availability to attend all four sessions.
• Computer, laptop, or handheld device with Zoom app and webcam.

Whom will this serve?

• BC physicians, residents and retired physicians who identify as struggling with insomnia.

Facilitators

• Dr Karen Palmer
• Dalal Badawi