Local News
For Dr. Alan Slusky, building relationships is an essential part of psychology practice
By MYRON LOVE In his practice of psychology, Dr. Alan Slusky cites his late father, Irvin Slusky, as his role model.
“My father was a lawyer,” he notes. “He taught me the importance of building relationships with people. For me, that is an essential element of my work.”
The current president of the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) adds that he was drawn to a career in psychology for the same reason that his father chose to pursue a legal career – a desire to help people find solutions to their problems.
Alan Slusky – the son of Irv and Lucille – was born and raised in the Garden City area. He and his wife, Andrea, although living south now, also raised their three children in Garden City. Slusky was bar-mitzvahed at the former Rosh Pina and, in his teen years, was active in Kadima and USY.
He received his training in psychology at the University of Manitoba followed by an internship and post-Doctoral Fellowship at Health Sciences Centre. He has been in practice since 1994.
“I am both a clinical and neuropsychologist,” he says. “As such,” he explains, “I assess and treat patients dealing with anxiety, depression, and trauma. However, I also work with patients who have suffered brain injuries from strokes, for example, or concussions. I help them with lifestyle adjustments and work with them to identify and build on the residual strengths that they still have.”
Also from the beginning of his career, Slusky has volunteered his time to strengthening the psychology profession through working with the Psychological Association of Manitoba (PAM), the provincial psychology regulatory body akin to the Manitoba College of Physicians and Surgeons.
One of the major problems that we have in Manitoba from a psychology perspective, he points out, is that our province has the lowest number of psychologists per capita in the country. “We are vastly under-resourced and other provincial psychology organizations are continually lobbying our government to address this issue,” he says.
He joined the PAM board in 1996, served as president for a three year term and, in 2008, took on the role of registrar – retiring from that position just two years ago.
He notes that, as registrar, he ran for and was elected to the ASPPB Board of Directors. ASPPB, he reports, is composed of 65 jurisdictional psychology regulatory boards, including all Canadian provinces, American states, and five American territories.
As with his predecessor as PAM registrar, Slusky found himself being elected to the ASPPB Board of Directors in 2017 for a six-year term. He was a member at large for the first three years, after which he became president-elect. He is president for 2022 and finishes his term on the board as past president for his final year, in 2023.
“As president, I am one of two spokespersons for our organization,” he says. “Normally, we would have board meetings six times a year in various Canadian and American locations. So, prior to the pandemic restrictions. I was doing a lot of traveling. Of course, as with every other organization, over the past two years we have had to meet via Zoom”.
The benefit of meeting in person, he adds, is that at in-person gatherings, so much of the relationship-building takes place in the casual conversations outside of the formal proceedings. Meeting via Zoom has been a challenge but we are happily beginning to get back to normal”.
Among the ASPPB’s foci are supporting member boards in strengthening training requirements and codes of ethics throughout all member jurisdictions. “Additionally, over the past 18 months we launched PSYPACT, a US compact that facilitates cross-border practice – something that has taken on added significance during the pandemic,” Slusky reports. “We are making very good progress in the United States – close to 30 states have signed on. We don’t have these types of compacts in Canada, but ASPPB did assist the provinces in their efforts to ensure Canadians received psychological supports during the worst of the pandemic”.
“Eliminating boundaries facilitates telehealth sessions for psychologists over a wider area and has been particularly helpful for people trying to cope during the pandemic restrictions.”
Slusky notes that his own way of coping has been listening to music. “I have always been a music lover,” he says. “I particularly enjoy old LPS.” He also plays tennis and floor hockey and enjoys the occasional cigar.
As it happens, his son, Noah, a music teacher, shares his appreciation for music. Daughter Lauren is a computer scientist. Younger son Matthew will be following in his father’s footsteps in pursuing a career in psychology.
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First year medical student Tim Rozovsky founds new association for local Jewish medical students
By MYRON LOVE In the face of a concerning surge in antisemitism over the past nearly three years, I am happy to report a good news story in that regard. Tim Rozovsky, the founder of the new Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba, reports that he and his fellow Jewish students enrolled in the University of Manitoba’s Max Rady College of Medicine are not experiencing any significant issues involving antisemitism.
Hopefully, the matter of the notorious Med school Valedictorian who used his podium to attack Israel was a one-off.
“My goal in forming the Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba,” says the first year medical student, “was to create a safe, supportive environment for my fellow Jewish medical students.”
He reports that the current first year class at the school has eight Jewish students – an increase over more recent years – with maybe a dozen more in the other years.
For a new medical student, Rozovsky already has an impressive resume. He was born in Russia and grew up in Israel. After the completion of his army service in 2018, the then-22-year-old rejoined his parents, Dr. Katya and Alexander, who had moved to Winnipeg a few years before.
Prior to coming to Winnipeg, Rozovsky had completed a personal trainer program out of The Academic College at Wingate in Jerusalem. Some readers may know the young man from his work as a Master Personal Trainer at the Rady JCC.
Shortly after arriving here, he enrolled in a kinesiology program at the University of Winnipeg. He graduated with a BKin Honours in 2023 and did post graduate work at the University of Manitoba. Last fall, he received his MSc in Physiology and Pathophysiology – earning two gold medals, along with 32 awards and scholarships in the process.
Rozovsky says that it was his mother who inspired him to pursue a career in medicine. Dr. Katya Rozovsky is an associate professor at the University of Manitoba and an attending radiologist, specializing in pediatric diagnostic imaging.
(Tim also adds that his wife, Irina Gelzin, whom he married about a year ago, is training to be a nurse.)
Insofar as the Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba is concerned, Rozovky reports that the group gets together multiple times a year. One of its programs was a joint Chanukah celebration with the Jewish Physicians Association of Manitoba.
There was also a joint program with the Christian Medical and Dental Students’ Association of Manitoba.
“More recently, we have been helping prospective Jewish medical students with their applications,” he says. “Hopefully we will be able to get together over the summer with the incoming Jewish students.”
As to his own future plans, Rozovsky notes that it is too early for him to be deciding on a specialty. “My goal,” he says, “is to work hard and get good grades and become the best doctor that I can be.”
Local News
Gray Academy to Represent Manitoba at National Reach for the Top Competition
By NOAH STRAUSS Posted June 6) Gray Academy’s Reach for the Top team is headed to Moncton, New Brunswick, to represent Manitoba at the National Reach for the Top tournament.
Reach for the Top is a Canadian school league that quizzes teenagers on a variety of different topics, from science and history to pop culture. Reach started out in 1961 in Vancouver, where a local CBC station broadcasted the new show; it eventually became a national broadcast starting in 1966. Alex Trebek, who famously hosted Jeopardy!, started out by hosting Reach for the Top.
Gray Academy’s very own team, made up of Grade 7 and 8 students, will travel to Moncton, New Brunswick, to compete as Team Manitoba. By winning the provincial Reach tournament, they secured their spot in the national competition.
Faculty members at Gray Academy are very supportive of the program. The Jewish Post spoke with three different staff members at the school. Coach and high school teacher Danielle Miller says she is excited for the trip; although she will not be accompanying the team herself, shehas coached them all year.
“This year we had over 20 students come to the club to join us, they practice twice a cycle at lunch,” Miller said. Due to the large turnout this year, two teams had to be formed. At lunch practices, students split into two teams of four where each player has a buzzer. The two teams compete to see who can answer the most questions correctly.
One of the two teams did exceptionally well at various tournaments throughout the year and will be traveling to nationals as the sole team representing Manitoba.
Co-coach Micah Doerksen described Reach as a great academic competition where young minds are tested on various topics through quick,fast-paced questions.
High school guidance counselor Lindsey Leipsic said, “We have athletes, non-athletes, we have students who are really involved and students who are not as involved at school, and we have quiet leaders, and we’ve seen friendships be built in Reach.” Some of her favorite memories of Reach involve seeing students from across Winnipeg come to Gray Academy and bond with one another. Lev Chisick, who is competing at nationals, agreed, saying, “Moncton is going to strengthen our school spirit and make us a better team.”
As the junior team makes their way to Moncton, the senior team will head to provincials. Later this week, students from the senior team will travel to Virden, Manitoba, to compete at the provincial level. The team qualified after placing high enough at their most recent tournament, which took place at St. Paul’s.
Confidence is high as the school heads into these final tournaments. When Nath Goldenberg, who is also competing at nationals, was asked what he is most looking forward to, his answer was short and sweet:“Winning.”
