Day 3 PDF Appreciation Week – Intersection of Physical and Mental Health: A Panel Discussion

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Poster for Day 3 of postdoc appreciation week. At the bottom is a banner with the UHN Postdoc Association logo, the ORT logo, National Postdoc Appreciation Week, 2022 September 19-23. #NPAW2022 and the details for how to follow the UHNPA on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. The poster reads The Intersections of physical and mental health: a panel discussion. Speakers: Dr. Madeleine Geirc, Clinical psychologist; Ami Di Marino, holistic counsellor, Stacie Mistysn, Personal Training Specialist

Postdoc Appreciation Week Day 3: The Intersection of Physical and Mental Health: A Panel Discussion

September 21| 1:00 – 2:00 PM

Welcome to day 3 of Postdoc Appreciation Week – our panel on mental and physical health!

Join for a discussion with a variety of incredible professionals with strong backgrounds in both physical and mental health. They will draw upon both their expertise, and their personal experiences, to promote healthy and frank discussions about the relationship between mental and physical health. The discussion will be free of stigma or judgement about mental health and this subject is so timely for the world we have all been living in over the past couple of years. Topics include avoiding perfectionism, depression and physical activity, and mental/physical health as we age.

Please join us and bring your questions for our speakers, which you can submit on Slido here.

Everyone is welcome to attend. Register for this and other Postdoc Appreciation Week Events here. Add the event to your calendar here.

Speaker Bios

Dr. Madelaine Gierc, Therapist

Topic: Depression and physical activity

Bio: Dr. Gierc is a Michael Smith Research Trainee in the School of Kinesiology at the University of British Columbia. Her research looks at the connection between exercise, health, and psychology; and strategies to promote physical activity in people with depression. She is currently training for her first 10K, and is learning how to play the cello.

Amy Di Marino, Holistic Counsellor and Reiki Master

Topic: Challenging the slippery slope of perfectionism with the concept of “something over nothing”

Bio: I am a Holistic Counsellor and Reiki Master working out of Quinte West, Ontario.

I initially graduated with a diploma in Fitness and Health Promotion. After working as a Fitness Centre Manager, Fitness Consultant and Personal Trainer over a 6 year period within the private club industry in Toronto, I discovered my passion for deep listening and began to expand my studies into Emotional Coaching, Lifestyle Coaching, Reiki, and then ultimately returned to school and graduated with a diploma in Psychotherapy. I have always had a passion for self growth and personal development, whether it be on the physical, mental, emotional or spiritual level, and found the marrying of all of the modalities I have studied offers to greatest toolset to draw from when working with clients. I believe we learn the most about ourselves when we challenge the limits of what we think is possible for us.

I primarily work one-on-one, or in small groups, with clients who are seeking to improve their lives by diving into their inner world and shining light into where unconscious and/or undesirable behaviour patterns may be hiding. Then, using this new found awareness, clients can become empowered to make changes that result in a more desirable life experience.

My natural affinity for empathy, and high sensitivity to the subtle information of body language/our surrounding environment has been sharpened through my studies in Psychotherapy, Holistic Coaching, Reiki and other energy work modalities. These skills continue to be refined through my own growth work, as I fully subscribe to the ideology of “practice what you preach”!

Stacie Mistysn, Certified Personal Training Specialist, Certified Healthy-Eating & Weight Loss Coach, Menopause Fitness Specialist.

Topic: How the relationship between mental and physical health changes as we age.

Bio: Audiences all over the world watched Stacie Mistysyn grow up on the classic Degrassi series in her award-winning run as Caitlin Ryan. Her acting and hosting career spans over 30 years -including a reprisal of her Caitlin role on Degrassi: The Next Generation, engaging a whole new audience. After the original Degrassi ended, Stacie turned to fitness as a coping mechanism for her anxiety and history of disordered eating. Eventually, she started working as a fitness trainer with the late, fitness guru Michael Thurmond in Los Angeles, so she could help others as well. Currently, she’s a CanFitPro-certified Personal Training Specialist and Healthy Eating Coach and MedFit-certified Menopause Fitness Specialist, offering virtual coaching and fitness programs via her website: Staciemistysyn.com as well as mental health discussions and free workouts on her Stronger with Stacie, YouTube channel.

Light blue poster with white shapes. On the left is the UHN postdoc association logo and the ORT logo. On the right is a yellow circle that reads National Postdoc Appreciation Week. September 19-23, 2022

Register for UHN Postdoc Appreciation Week events here.

Learn more about all of the week’s events:

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