We are Women’s offers the WCH community a chance to get to know each other and share our stories.
Name: Wendy Carter
Pronouns: she/her
Title & Department: Clinical Psychologist, TAPMI
On the WCH team for (eg. 5 years): nearly 5 years
What does your typical workday look like?
A typical day for me includes meeting with people living with chronic pain to assess their mental health needs, develop appropriate treatment plans and connect them to beneficial resources. I keep up with evidence-based practice and use this knowledge for program development and facilitation of therapeutic groups. I facilitate groups, such as the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) group and the Pelvic Pain Group to support our participants in improving their emotional well-being and making meaningful change. In providing a psychology lens, I help the TAPMI team navigate clinical and ethical issues such as crisis management, challenging group dynamics, and trauma-informed treatment in the context of chronic pain. Thankfully, I interact with my wonderful TAPMI colleagues daily, and gain a fuller understanding of chronic pain from their interdisciplinary perspectives.
What excites you the most about working at WCH?
My favourite part of working at WCH is the TAPMI team. I am genuinely thankful to work so closely with this caring, funny, and supportive group who are committed to improving the lives of people impacted by chronic pain. I truly value our discussions, and ability to work as a team. We also have lots of fun celebrating important moments in each other’s lives, preparing for the annual Gingerbread contest, and walking with the WCH float in the Pride Parade.
How does your work contribute to creating a positive patient experience?
My work contributes to positive patient experiences by creating comfortable, nonjudgmental and validating relationships where participants in our program can acknowledge the emotional and social impact of living with chronic pain. On our team, I do my best to clarify the meaning of psychological diagnoses and mental health issues with the aim of directing treatment, reducing stigma, enabling greater compasson, and person-centered care.
Tell us one to three things that your colleagues would be surprised to learn about you!
Well, I don’t know if my colleagues would actually be all that surprised to know that I keep a list of ideas for the Gingerbread contest all year round!