Understanding Burnout: 

Somatic Approaches to Physician Wellbeing

 

You were trained to care for others. This seminar is an invitation to care for yourself with the same rigour, evidence, and compassion you bring to your patients.

 

Within a confidential small group setting, guided by the latest science and decades of professional & personal experience, we hope to create a safe environment for doctors to explore and understand the unique demands and traumas inherent in the profession. This introductory workshop will help physicians establish comfort with the neuroscience, evidence and practice of self-assessment, burnout awareness, emotional regulation, somatic awareness, breath work, grounding, polyvagal theory, and collective regulation. 

Your Facilitators:

Fiona Trend-Cunningham, PhD

Psychotherapist

specializing in research and late diagnosed ADHD/Autism

Roxanne Cooper MD, CCFP

Family Medicine

specializing in physician burnout prevention

Jeff Cunningham      PsyD

Psychologist

specializing in somatic wellness

The program includes:

  • A 3-hour workshop:
    • Research about physician burnout, and neurological approaches to understanding trauma, burnout, and wellness
    • Break with pastries, tea/coffee, and fresh fruit
    • Experiential somatic learning in the context of understanding who we are as physicians and our responses to stress
  • Access to additional individual resources at Coastal Health NL, e.g., therapists (fee for service) or appointments with a physician specializing in mental health (MCP coverage)

  • CME credits meeting the accreditation standards of the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) for Group Learning activities under the Mainpro+ program.

College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) Outcomes

  1. Describe the evidence base for physician self-care as a clinical and ethical responsibility, including the neurobiological mechanisms by which chronic occupational stress impairs clinical performance, empathy, and patient safety — with reference to current Canadian prevalence data on physician burnout (CanMEDS-FM Role: Professional, Health Advocate).
  2. Identify personal and population-specific risk factors for burnout among family physicians, including neurodiversity, giftedness, parenting responsibilities, sandwich generation caregiving, and perimenopause, and apply this awareness to reduce stigma and increase help-seeking behaviour within the profession (CanMEDS-FM Role: Professional, Communicator)
  3. Demonstrate and apply a minimum of three evidence-informed somatic self-regulation strategies — including breathwork, grounding, and group co-regulation practices — for use in day-to-day clinical practice and peer support contexts (CanMEDS-FM Role: Professional, Collaborator)

 

Saturday, October 17th, 2026

9:30am-12:30pm

$300

 

To learn more about Coastal Health and the facilitators, visit www.coastalhealthnl.ca

Scroll to the bottom of page in the link to find workshop registration.

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