• CREST.BD - Collaborative RESearch Team to study psychosocial Issues in Bipolar Disorder
  • CREST.BD - Collaborative RESearch Team to study psychosocial Issues in Bipolar Disorder
  • CREST.BD - Collaborative RESearch Team to study psychosocial Issues in Bipolar Disorder
  • CREST.BD - Collaborative RESearch Team to study psychosocial Issues in Bipolar Disorder
  • CREST.BD - Collaborative RESearch Team to study psychosocial Issues in Bipolar Disorder
  • CREST.BD - Collaborative RESearch Team to study psychosocial Issues in Bipolar Disorder
  • CREST.BD - Collaborative RESearch Team to study psychosocial Issues in Bipolar Disorder

Vytas P. Velyvis, MA, PhD Candidate

Vytas Velyvis Vytas Velyvis has been working in both inpatient and outpatient mental health settings in Ontario since 1990, and has been involved in a wide array of mental health clinical, research and teaching roles ever since. He has worked at the Centre for Addiction & Mental Health and at the University Health Network, both in Toronto, Ontario, for over 15 years, and most recently has been at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences (formerly, Whitby Mental Health Centre).

As Director of Interprofessional Research, Knowledge Translation & Academic Development at Ontario Shores, he is currently responsible for advancing interprofessional mental health and wellness research, as well as developing the academic plan, on behalf of the allied health disciplines at the Centre. Vytas Velyvis is currently the Principal Investigator on a large study entitled “Implementing Recovery Based Practices in Mental Health Settings.” This study prospectively evaluates the effectiveness of a 5-day centre-wide Collaborative Recovery training program aimed at improving recovery outcomes for both clinicians and consumers at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, over an 18 month follow-up period.

For the past 10 years, his research, teaching and clinical interests have been particularly attuned to psychosocial and psychological issues related to bipolar disorder. Vytas served as a CBT and psychoeducation therapist for Drs. Ari Zaretsky and Sagar Parikh’s recently published NARSAD funded study evaluating the efficacy of CBT and PE psychosocial interventions. He later coordinated and coauthored Canada’s largest (CIHR) funded psychosocial randomized controlled trial in bipolar disorder with Dr. Parikh, which recently has been submitted for publication.

Through his early collaborative research and clinical experience with bipolar disorder, he has continued to offer psychosocial treatment for bipolar patients in Toronto through CBT Associates of Toronto, and he continues to pursue research into the relationships among bipolar self-concept, bipolar schemas, and internalized stigma. Vytas has also worked in supervised psychological practice specializing in diagnostic assessment and has had extensive experience in CBT for anxiety and mood disorders in general.

Vytas Velyvis has taught internationally and presented numerous courses and workshops on CBT for anxiety and mood disorders as well as on the use of clinician rating scales and diagnostic tools. He is often sought to formally teach health professionals about CBT and psychoeducation for bipolar disorder through local CME, as well as through the University of Toronto affiliated, continuing education program psychotherapy series for Toronto Advanced Professionals Education (TAPE).

Contact

Vytas P. Velyvis
Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences
700 Gordon Street
Whitby, ON L1N 5S9

Work: 905-668-5881 ext. 6750
Fax: 905-665-2458
Email: velyvisv@ontarioshores.ca

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