Dr. Helen Spenser (she/her)
“I have met many amazing people through this work and, as a lifelong learner, I have learned a great deal from working with family physicians. I love working with children and adolescents because they have their entire life ahead of them, and the support we are able to provide them could last a life time.”
OCFP Programs: Peer Connect
Clinical Interest: Psychiatry Mental Health, Physician Wellness, Preparation for Retirement
Identifies As: White (Caucasian)
Languages Spoken: English,French
Preferred Communication Method: Email,Video Conference
Practice Model: Royal College Specialist
OH Region: East Region (CE/SE/CH)
Biography
Dr. Helen Spenser likes to think of herself as a multi-disciplinary team in the field of Mental Health Care.
She started her career as an MSW Social Worker prior to studying medicine and working as a family physician for four years. She then began her journey in psychiatry.
This background fueled her interest in the field of shared mental health care between psychiatrists and family physicians. Dr. Spenser worked as a full time Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) in Ottawa for 18 years. She is now semi-retired doing locums on the inpatient psychiatry unit at CHEO.
She has a joint appointment as Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa in both the Faculties of Psychiatry and Family Medicine. Dr. Spenser coordinated and ran a collaborative mental health clinic and resident teaching clinic with the University of Ottawa Melrose Family Family Health Team from 2018 to 2020.
She was a SOO examiner for the CCFP for over 30 exams and was involved in previous mentorship opportunities through the OCFP.
Dr. Spenser continues to enjoy teaching medical students and being an active Peer Guide in OCFP’s Peer Connect Mentorship Program through 1:1 and small group facilitation.
Communities Served
Dr. Spenser provides care to children and youth from ages 4 to 18. Her areas of interest also include:
- Anxiety disorders and OCD in youth DBT and CBT: practical approaches in family practice
- Working with suicidal teens
- Mental health assessments in latency age children and younger
- Physician wellness and preparing for retirement