Dr. Michael Papsdorf, R.Psych.
Dr. Michael Papsdorf ("Dr. Mike") is a Registered Psychologist and director of the North Shore Stress and Anxiety Clinic. He specializes in the assessment and treatment of anxiety, stress, depression, and behavioural concerns (including Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder [ADHD] and conduct problems) in children and adolescents. Many of his clients are also coping with issues on the autism spectrum. Dr. Mike takes a family-centred approach to clinical work and uses techniques well grounded in scientific research, most notably cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). CBT is widely considered to be the most effective form of psychotherapy for anxiety and depression, and Dr. Mike was one of the first psychologists in Canada to be certified in CBT by the Canadian Association of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies.
Dr. Mike has expertise in conducting psychoeducational assessments in children, adolescents, and adults for the purposes of identifying learning challenges, making educational placement decisions, diagnosing ADHD, and understanding the impact that an individual's mental health concerns may have on his or her school functioning. As part of these assessments, he works closely with families and schools to help individuals achieve their potential.
In addition to his private practice at the North Shore Stress and Anxiety Clinic, Dr. Mike conducts psychoeducational assessments at Sunny Hill Health Centre and in Northern BC for the Complex Developmental and Behavioural Conditions (CDBC) Network. He is an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC), where he provides training and supervision to clinical psychology graduate students. He also supervises graduate students and has taught an undergraduate course on abnormal child psychology at Simon Fraser University (SFU). He provided outreach and telehealth assessment and treatment services to the community of Bella Coola, BC, from 2008 to 2016, and he worked at the Maples Adolescent Treatment Centre, a provincial tertiary care facility for troubled youth in Burnaby, BC, from 2002 to 2008.
Dr. Mike is actively involved in research and provides ongoing research and statistical consultation to faculty and staff at UBC and BC's Children's and Women's Hospitals. He has published research articles in scholarly journals in the areas of paediatric and community mental health. Dr. Mike received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from UBC, following the completion of a year-long, fulltime residency at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital and Alberta Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta. During his residency, he received specialized training in the assessment and treatment of a range of internalizing and externalizing disorders. He completed rotations in general paediatrics and paediatric traumatic brain injury, as well as an additional adult psychiatric rotation.
In the community, Dr. Mike has been involved with the Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver organization as a Big Brother since 1996 and a member of the Board of Directors from 1998 to 2008. He loves the outdoors and very much enjoys spending his leisure time in the natural beauty of Greater Vancouver.
