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
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 ran a Child Psychiatry Consultation clinic for the past two years at the Melrose Family Medicine Centre of the Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus.
She was a SOO examiner for the CCFP for over 30 exams and was involved in previous mentorship opportunities through the OCFP.
In her spare time, Dr. Spenser enjoys cross country skiing and kayaking, as well as folk music and assisting her cabinet-maker husband with project design. She also loves to spend time enjoying summer days relaxing at the cottage and discovering new paths through the woods and swimming in the lake.
Communities Served
Dr. Spenser provides care to children and youth from ages 4 to 18.