My commitment to clients is to provide the highest quality in care, using only evidence-based therapeutic techniques. My theoretical approach is cognitive-behavioral, which means that treatment involves changing thoughts and behaviors to influence and improve how you feel. Numerous clinical research studies have supported the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy for the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders. It is on the basis of these research studies that cognitive-behavioral therapy is considered state of the art and is widely viewed as the most effective psychological treatment for anxiety and mood difficulties. This evidence basis distinguishes cognitive-behavioral therapy from other forms of psychological treatments.
I have been certified as an expert in cognitive-behavioral therapy by the Canadian Association of Cognitive and Behaviour Therapies (CACBT). This certification requires, among other things, formal and extensive training in CBT and multiple years of experience in cognitive-behavioral therapy through clinical work, publication, teaching and/or supervision of others.
What this means is that I only use treatments and approaches that are shown to be effective by scientific research and are viewed as best practice. What makes my philosophy different is that I do not attempt to treat a broad range of psychological problems using a variety of therapy techniques in an "eclectic" approach to treatment. Rather than knowing a little bit about a lot of different treatments (many of which are not supported by research) and many different psychological conditions, my approach is to specialize in cognitive-behavioral therapy and treat only a limited scope of conditions - stress, anxiety disorders and depression.
I also believe in the importance of disseminating information to the general public and that people should have free and easy access to evidence-based resources. That is why I have created a resource library (accessible through the "Resource Library" page) with a wealth of downloadable, free information sheets, workbooks and videos to provide information about cognitive-behavioral therapy, anxiety, depression and stress.
If you are looking for a psychologist who specializes in evidence-based treatments for anxiety and depression, please feel free to give me a call. I hope you will take some time to explore my website and that you will find the information both interesting and useful.
EDUCATION
Ph.D., Clinical Psychology
University of British Columbia, 2005
M.A., Clinical Psychology
University of British Columbia, 2001
B.A., Psychology
University of British Columbia, 1998
B.Sc., Animal Biology
University of British Columbia, 1996
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Psychologist
Private Practice (2005 - Present)
Director
North Shore Stress and Anxiety Clinic (2012 - 2023)
Adjunct Professor
Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia (2009 - Present)
Inquiry Committee Member
College of Psychologists of BC/College of Health and Care Professionals of BC (2022 - 2024)
Clinical Associate
Clinical Psychology Centre, Simon Fraser University (2012 - 2018)
Psychological Associate
Dr. William J. Koch's Forensic Practice (2006 - 2022)
Consultant Psychologist
Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, Telehealth Program (2007 - 2015)
Member, Professional Advisory Committee
AnxietyBC (2008)
Consultant Psychologist
Complex Pain Service, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (2007 - 2008)
Sessional Instructor
Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia (2006 - 2007)
Psychologist
OrionHealth Vancouver Pain Clinic (2005 - 2006)
Psychology Resident
Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (2004 - 2005)
Depression Management Program Therapist
Back in Motion Rehabilitation Inc (2003 - 2004)
Biofeedback Therapist
PITCH Hypertension Treatment Study (2003)
Therapist
UBC Smoking Cessation Program (2003)
TRAINING EXPERIENCES
Anxiety Disorders Clinic, UBC Hospital (2004 - 2005)
Alzheimer's Clinic, UBC Hospital (2005)
Psychiatric Assessment Unit, Vancouver General Hospital (2004 - 2005)
Complex Pain Service, Vancouver General Hospital (2003 - 2004)
Changeways Depression Program, UBC Hospital (2002 - 2003)
Acute Spinal Injury Unit, Vancouver General Hospital (2001)
Geriatric Psychiatry Outreach Team, Vancouver General Hospital (2001)
Psychology Clinic, UBC Department of Psychology (1999 - 2003)
AWARDS AND HONORS
CACBT Certification in Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (2011 - Present)
William Arthur Paskins Memorial Fellowship (2005)
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research/BC Medical Services Foundation Trainee Award (population health) (2003-2005)
CIHR Pain in Child Health Training Consortium Skill Development Award (2002)
CIHR Pain in Child Health Training Consortium Travel Award (2002, 2003, 2004)
CIHR Strategic Training Fellow in Pain in Child Health (2002 - 2005)
Canadian Institutes of Health Research Doctoral Research Award (2002 - 2005)
University of British Columbia Graduate Student Travel Award (2000, 2002)
American Pain Society Young Investigator Travel Award (2001, 2002, 2003, 2005)
BC Medical Services Foundation Doctoral Research Award (2001 - 2002)
Canadian Pain Society/Janssen Ortho Inc. Doctoral Research Award (2001)
University of British Columbia Graduate Fellowship (declined) (2001)
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Post Graduate Scholarship (1999 - 2001)
University of British Columbia Top-Up Grant Supplement Award for National Research Council Award Winners (1999 - 2001)
PAST & CURRENT REGISTRATION AND MEMBERSHIPS
British Columbia Registered Psychologist #1683
British Columbia Psychological Association
Canadian Association of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies (CACBT), Founding Member
American Pain Society
Canadian Psychological Association
Canadian Pain Society
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
Contributing Writer, North Shore News (2006 - 2008)
Member, Vancouver Regional Pain Network (2001 - 2007)
Member, CIHR New Emerging Team (NET): Implementation and Evaluation of a Pain Assessment and Treatment Program for Seniors (2004 - 2005)
Reviewer, Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology (2004)
Training Fellow, CIHR Strategic Training Program in Pain in Child Health (2002 - 2005)
Member Scientific Program Planning Committee, CIHR Pain in Child Health Training Institutes 2003, 2004 (2002 - 2004)
Reviewer, Clinical Journal of Pain (2002)
Reviewer, Pain (2000)
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Adjunct Professor, Clinical Practicum Supervisor
Department of Psychology, UBC (2009 - Present)
Clinical Associate, Clinical Practicum Supervisor
Clinical Psychology Centre, Simon Fraser University (2012 - 2018)
Psychology 542 - Introduction to Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Department of Psychology, UBC (2007)
Psychology 534B - Clinical Practicum Supervisor
Department of Psychology, UBC (2006-2007)
Teaching Assistant - Biopsychology, Adulthood & Aging, Health Psychology
Department of Psychology, UBC (1999 - 2004)
Research Supervisor to Undergraduate Students Working on Honors Theses
Department of Psychology, UBC (2000 - 2003)
BOOKS
Nader, R. & Craig, K.D. (2008). Infant Pain Expression Throughout the First Year of Life: Age Related Differences and Parental Judgements of Pain. VDM Verlag.
JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS
Sheu, E., Versloot, J., Nader, R., Kerr, D, & Craig, K.D. (2011). Pain in the elderly: Validity of facial expression components of observational measures. Clinical Journal of Pain, 27(7), 593-601.
Messmer, R.L., Nader, R., & Craig, K.D. (2008). Judging Pain Intensity in Children with Autism Undergoing Venepuncture: The influence of facial activity. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38(7): 1391-1394.
Nader, R., Oberlander, T.F., Chambers, C.T., & Craig, K.D. (2004). The expression of pain in children with autism. The Clinical Journal of Pain, 20(2): 88-97.
Nader, R., Job, E.A., Badali, M., & Craig, K.D. (2004). Infant crying in context. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 27(4): 469-470.
BOOK CHAPTERS
Koch, W.J., Nader, R., & Haring, M. (2009). The Science and Pseudoscience of the Forensic Assessment of Psychological Injuries. In J.L. Skeem, K.S. Douglas, & S.O. Lilienfeld (Eds.), Psychological Science in the Courtroom: Controversies and Consensus, (pp. 263 - 283). New York: Guilford Press.
ABSTRACTS AND PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS
Koch, W. J., & Nader, R. (2019). Assessing Psychological Injury: Empirical Methods & Common Pitfalls. Pre-Conferenece Workshop presented at American Psychology and Law Society meetings. Portland, Oregon, March 2019.
Koch, W.J., & Nader, R. (2014). Who is the Client? Differing Duties of Care in Psychological Injury Assessments. Presented at the 75th Annual Convention of the Canadian Psychological Association, Vancouver, BC, June 2014.
Nader, R., & Haring, M. (2010). Can Anything Be Done? Evidence-based psychological treatments. Presented at the Trial Lawyers Association of BC Conference on Treating and Litigating in the Face of Psychological Overlay Conference, Vancouver, BC, December 2010.
Koch, W.J., Nader, R., & Haring, M. (2010). Sexual Assault in the Examining Room: Predictors, Consequences and Forensic Assessment. Presented at the American College of Forensic Psychology 26th Annual Symposium, San Francisco, California, April 2010.
Nader, R., Kerr, D., & Craig, K.D. (2007). Facial displays of pain across a range of cognitive impairment in hospitalized elderly patients. The Journal of Pain, 8(Suppl S): s65.
Kerr, D., Nader, R., & Craig, K.D. (2007). Pain self-report and cognitive functioning in the hospitalized elderly. The Journal of Pain, 8(Suppl S): s83.
Nader, R. (2006). Caregiver judgements of pain in infants throughout the first year of life. Presentation at the 7th International Symposium on Pediatric Pain, Vancouver, British Columbia. Pain Research and Management, 11 (Suppl B): 7B-8B.
Nader, R., Korol, C., & Craig, K.D. (2005). Parental judgments of pain in infants 2, 4, 6 & 12-months exposed to routine immunization injections. Poster presented at the 24th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society, Boston, Massachusetts. The Journal of Pain, 5(3: Suppl 1): s67.
Kerr, D., Nader, R., Craig, K.D., & Gallagher, R. (2004). Pain assessment in the cognitively intact and cognitively impaired elderly. Poster presented at the 2nd Joint Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society and the Canadian Pain Society, Vancouver, British Columbia, The Journal of Pain, 5(3: Suppl 1): 133.
Mulldoon, T.M., Nader, R., Craig, K.D., Chambers, C.T., & Smith, K.B. (2004). Creating bias in judgments of pain in children with autism. Poster presented at the 2nd Joint Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society and the Canadian Pain Society, Vancouver, British Columbia, The Journal of Pain, 5(3: Suppl 1): 106.
Nader, R., & Spidel, A. (2003). A new personality-based approach to reducing substance dependence in women. Presentation at the 2003 National Conference of Women's Substance Use Treatment, Vancouver, BC. 2003 National Conference of Women's Substance Use Treatment Conference Syllabus, 97-104.
Nader, R., & Craig, K.D. (2003). The sociocommunications model of pain in children with autism: A review. Poster presented at the 22nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society, Chicago, Illinois. The Journal of Pain, 4(2: Suppl 1): 7.
Smith, K.B., Pillai, R.R., Nader, R., Craig, K.D., & Chambers, C.T. (2002). The importance of cues used to judge pain in two populations with limited verbal communication. Poster presented at the 4th International Forum on Pediatric Pain, Halifax, Nova Scotia, September 2002.
Visram, F., Nader, R., Craig, K.D., & Korol, C.T. (2002). Measurement of pain in children with autism. Poster presented at the 63rd Annual Convention of the Canadian Psychological Association, Vancouver, BC. Canadian Psychology, 43 (2a): 11.
Nader, R., Oberlander, T.F., Chambers, C.T., & Craig, K.D. (2002). Pain expression in children with and without autism. Poster presented at the 21st Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society, Baltimore, Maryland. The Journal of Pain, 3 (2: Suppl 1): 1.
Nader, R. Pain assessment in cognitively impaired elderly. Invited presentation to the Geriatric Psychiatry Outreach Team (GPOT). Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, BC. November 2001.
Nader, R., Oberlander, T.F., Chambers, C.T., & Craig, K.D. (2001). Are parents' reports of pain in children with autism concordant with behavioral measures? Poster presented at the 20th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society, Phoenix, Arizona. The Journal of Pain, 2 (2: Suppl 1): 1.
Nader, R. Small Group Poster Discussion on the Poster: "Are parents' reports of pain in children with autism concordant with behavioral measures?" Phoenix, Arizona, April 2001. Facilitator: Dr. Lonnie Zeltzer.
Nader, R., Oberlander, T.F., Chambers, C.T., & Craig, K.D. The expression of pain in children with autism undergoing venepuncture. Poster presented at the 3rd International Forum on Pediatric Pain, Halifax, Nova Scotia, September 2000.
