Meetings

CHHA-Calgary promotes self-help, advocacy, information and visibility for Calgarians with hearing loss.

Visitors are always welcome.

Meeting Monday, February 13, 2012

Deborah Lain

Deborah Lain is a Registered Psychologist in Calgary, AB since 1983 and her private practice is¬ÝSoulSpring Counselling. Her special interest is in Health Psychology and since 2002 she has developed a specialization in the Psychological Management of Tinnitus. Deborah offers an 8 week Tinnitus Self-Management Program designed to teach self-control techniques on how to manage the emotional impact of tinnitus and regain personal mastery and improved quality of life.

Deborah has completed the Tinnitus Management Course through the American Tinnitus Association and is a listed professional service provider. She was honored to be asked by the ATA to write for their journal, Tinnitus Today on, "A Bridge of Hope: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - Learning How To Live While Having Tinnitus", published in September 2006 and "The Role of Psychologist in the Treatment of Tinnitus", published in December 2008.

She was interviewed for "The Sounds That Aren't Music To Ears", in the Canadian Retirement Magazine, Good Times, the local newspaper supplement on "Tinnitus Sufferers Grieve Loss of Silence", and has coauthored "Taming Tinnitus" with an Oto-Neurologist and Audiologist in a medical educational journal; the Parkhurst Exchange.

Deborah has attended the annual conference on the Management of the Tinnitus Patient in Iowa. She has presented to the Canadian Academy of Audiology, Canadian Hard of Hearing and Canadian Association of Speech Pathologists and Audiologists. She has spoken to the Calgary Health Region, Audiologists, Family Medicine residents at the University of Calgary, support groups in Calgary, Denver, Colorado Springs and Scottsdale, AZ and was asked by the the Department of National Defense to provide in-service to their mental health team.

Her goals include more writing, workshops, teleconferencing and presenting to the Department of Veteran Affairs, the WorkSafe Board and medical groups in Canada and the US. Ultimately, Deborah wants to be part of the realization of a multidisciplinary Tinnitus Specialty Clinic.

Deborah speaks with passion against the notion of passive acceptance of the impact of Tinnitus in the patient's life. With enthusiasm, Deborah will inspire and empower you with ways that you can reclaim aspects of life impacted by this condition. Please join her in celebrating the hope that exists for the person with Tinnitus.

Visit her website at www.hopefortinnitus.com for more information.

 

For more information about CHHA-Calgary Meetings and the location, please visit About CHHA.

To read about previous guest speakers, please choose one of the links below:

  • March 2011 - Pauline Mathezer focused on the requirements to obtain the Disability Tax Credit and also discussed the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP).
  • November 2010 - Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Society presented an array of topics including practical tips for working and interacting with people who are hard of hearing or deaf, and they introducde its new equipment program that could be of great benefit to the community.
  • October 2010 - Dr. Brian Lowry, Professor Emeritus of Medical Genetics and Pediatrics at the University of Calgary and a staff member at the Alberta Children's hospital, spoke about congenital and hereditary hearing loss.
  • September 2010- Marty Hornstein, Executive Director for the Learning Disabilities Association of Alberta.
  • April 2010 - Information about LACE, Listening and Communication Enhancement, presented by Dr. Carrie Scarff, Doctor of Audiology and an Auditory Researcher.
  • March 2010 - Dacy Zacharias shared her family's personal "CI Journey" and discussed how Nucleus Cochlear Implants can help children with hearing loss socially interact successfully in today's world as well as how Assistive Listening Devices can enhance the listening experience of Nucleus Cochlear Implant recipients by directly or indirectly connecting to the input of their sound processors.
  • February 2010 - Michael Brown shared his story of discovery and joy in receiving a Bone Anchored Hearing Aid and a new ear, and how others can benefit from technological advancements.
  • November 2009 - Sylvia Bird, currently the part-time Tinnitus Coordinator at Deaf & Hard of Hearing Society (DHHS) in Calgary, Alberta, spoke about tinnitus and some of the treatments available to help in managing this condition.
  • September 2009 - Recap of the 2009 St. John's Conference from members who attended.
  • June 2009 - Representatives from Phonak shared information about current technologies that help improve hearing for hard of hearing individuals in the presence of background noise and to connect to modern communication devices such as cell phones.
  • April 2009 - Dave Evans, the Medical Base Manager and Flight Paramedic for STARS explained how knowing what to expect in an emergency situation requiring transportation by STARS will reduce the stress of a traumatic experience.
  • February 2009 - Pauline Mathezer, a trained volunteer for the Canada Revenue Agency and member of CHHA-Calgary, spoke about completing income tax returns.
  • November 2008 - Stacie Tidlund, graduate of the Disability Studies program at Mount Royal College, spoke about her CHHA-Calgary sponsored practicum in Malaysia working with people with hearing loss.
  • October 2008 - Stephen McKibbon, SeniorConnect Coordinator and services provided by Calgary Senior's Resource Society
  • September 2008 - CHHA-Calgary members who attended the Canadian Hard of Hearing / International Federation of Hard of Hearing Congress held in Vancouver this summer presented information from the workshops they attended. The Congress attracted speakers and delegates from around the world and focused on hearing loss management in other countries.
  • May 2008 - Pacific Assistance Dogs
  • April 2008 - James Zackowski - Executive Director of Calgary Rotary Challenger Park
  • March 2008 - Michael Lepitre - financial and tax education
  • February 2008 - Dr. Carrie Scarff - researcher and private practice Doctor of Audiology
  • January 2008 - No Meeting
  • December 2007 - Christmas Party
  • November 2007 - Pacific Assistance Dogs
  • October 2007 - Marianne Flanagan, Speech/Language Pathologist