Dr. Jane Blouin, C. Psych.
Dr. Jane Blouin began her graduate studies in Psychology at Carleton University following a Bachelor of Science at the University of Ottawa, where she was awarded the Gold Medal in her faculty. She completed both her M.A. and Ph.D. in Psychology at Carleton University, however Dr. Blouin’s doctoral research was conducted while at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland, between 1980 and 1983. This work was conducted under a Scholarship awarded from the Medical Research Council of Canada. Upon completing her doctoral work, she returned to Ottawa, accepting a Psychologist position at the Ottawa Civic Hospital in 1984.
At the Ottawa Civic Hospital, she was instrumental in developing several novel and innovative programs. She was co-founder of the Ottawa Eating Disorder Clinic in 1984, and has been a co-director of the clinic since then. She also co-founded the Stress Management Clinic at the Ottawa Civic Hospital in 1986, where she developed and managed a number of innovative treatment and research programs addressing both anxiety and depression.
She was very active in research, having published over 20 scientific articles and over 30 presentations at scientific conferences during her time at the Ottawa Civic Hospital, between 1984 and 1995. Her research was broadly based, including studies in stress and crisis management techniques, psychopharmacological treatment of eating disorders, cognitive therapy for treating eating disorders, and stress-related illnesses.
Dr. Blouin extended her training in cognitive and Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy during her time at the Ottawa Civic Hospital. She pursued intensive training workshops and seminars with renowned cognitive therapists, including Christine Padesky, Jeffrey Young, Donald Michenbaum, Brian Shaw, and David Clark. She was awarded the Advanced Certification diploma in Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy from the Albert Ellis Institute in New York City. In 1995, Dr. Blouin left the Ottawa Civic Hospital to establish The Centre of Cognitive Therapy with Dr. Arthur Blouin, and to focus on cognitive therapy with eating disorders, depression and anxiety disorders, and family therapy.
Dr. Blouin is highly skilled both in conceptualizing and diagnosing client’s concerns, and in utilizing effective psychotherapeutic techniques in assisting clients with their goals for change in their emotional and behavioural well-being. She is well known for promoting a sense of unconditional acceptance of and compassion for her clients, while often blending humour and laughter in her sessions when appropriate. Her practice includes a fairly equal mix of short-term clients requiring only 5-15 sessions to meet their goals, and of long-term clients with chronic illnesses. Her areas of focus include stress and anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and work with couples and relationships. She is a psychotherapy supervisor, providing ongoing and regular guidance to the therapists at the Centre for Cognitive Therapy. She is the Senior Psychologist in the practice who will meet with new clients, and match the client to the therapist who is the best fit, considering the client’s goals, personality, and preferences.
In her personal life, Jane is happily married to Dr. Arthur Blouin. They have 3 children. She is still learning to adjust, with difficulty yet with humour, to the empty nest syndrome. She enjoys nature, an active lifestyle, and travel to areas of historical and cultural interest.