About Us

Meditation for Health is a medical clinic located in downtown Toronto. We serve the community by providing programs of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) to patients referred by their family doctor or psychiatrist. Our programs are attended also by healthcare providers and other caregivers.

Since we opened in 1997, more than 6000 people have attended our mindfulness programs. Our patients are referred by family doctors and psychiatrists from across Toronto and south-western Ontario.

All our programs are instructed by Lucinda Sykes, MD, in collaboration with Liz Creighton, MSW, Channa Verbian, BSW and other experienced facilitators from the disciplines of social work or nursing. Our clinic’s longtime administrator and program coordinator is Diana Wilson.

Our Director

Lucinda Sykes, BSc, MD has taught Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in Toronto since 1997. She is the director of Meditation for Health clinic.

Lucinda received a B.Sc. (with distinction) from the University of Alberta, and an M.D. (with honors) from the University of Toronto. After beginning in family medicine, Lucinda focused her medical practice to psychotherapy in 1985.

Lucinda studied and taught at the CG Jung Institute in Zurich — qualifying for a Certificate of Theoretical Knowledge in Analytical Psychology. She has presented at the Zurich Institute on topics of body awareness in symbol amplification, and body awareness in trauma recovery. Her background also includes 10 years of classical and training analysis with Jungian analysts: Marion Woodman, Fraser Boa, and Daryl Sharp.

Since 1996, Lucinda has participated in more than 20 educational and training events sponsored by the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts (UMass CfM) — beginning with 2 residential training programs by Jon Kabat-Zinn and Saki Santorelli. She has attended 6 residential silent retreats of mindfulness meditation, including a 6-day Mindfulness Retreat for Educators with Thich Nhat Hanh.

Lucinda is an active board member of the Canadian Neurovascular Health Society.

Our Facilitators

Liz Creighton, MSW, has more than 30 years experience in health care as a counselor and teacher. She has taught in the Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto, and has extensive counseling experience with individuals, couples and families. In past years, Ms. Creighton has facilitated stress management groups at a teaching hospital in Toronto. She has facilitated Meditation for Health groups since 2003.

Channa Verbian, BSW, MEd is a registered social worker, a registered psychotherapist and certified Focusing Oriented psychotherapist.

Channa’s mindfulness training includes a 7-day residential training program, sponsored by the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts, conducted by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn and Dr. Saki Santorelli.

Channa attended a 6-day inter-professional training in Mindfulness-Based Group Practice at the Mount Sinai Hospital Psychotherapy Institute. She completed teacher training in Mindful Self -Compassion through the UC San Diego Centre for Mindful Self Compassion.

Channa has a private practice in midtown Toronto. Her practice is client-centered, incorporating mindfulness and focusing techniques to help clients access and process their emotions. She has facilitated Meditation for Health groups since 2006.

Our Program Coordinator

Diana Wilson has been the program coordinator at Meditation for Health since 1999. She has managed community-based medical and holistic health clinics for more than 30 years.

Diana graduated from a program in relaxation massage at Kikkawa College. She has a special interest in the value of mindfulness practice during massage.