Nigeria Reset (Week 40): Nigeria at 66 – Japa or Stay?
At an airport departure gate, a Nigerian parent can hold two prayers in the same heart: that a child succeeds abroad, and that the dist...
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In this study, seclusion practice was examined in a multilevel, secure psychiatric hospital, serving federally sentenced individuals in the Prairie Region, as defined by the Correctional Service of Canada. Between August 1996 and February 1999, 183 patients (27.7% of total admissions) were secluded on 306 occasions. The mean duration of seclusion was 90.3 hours (minimum I hour; maximum 908 hours). A higher proportion of female patients (60%) was secluded than of male patients (25%). Sixty-five percent of the patients were secluded once, 29.5 percent two to four times, and 5.5 percent more than four times. Suicidal threats and self-harm gestures were the reasons for initiating seclusion in 27.4 percent of cases. Patients with diagnosed substance-related disorders accounted for 40.8 percent of all seclusion episodes, whereas those with schizophrenia and related psychoses accounted for 28.1 percent. These findings suggest that seclusion remains a relatively common intervention in some disturbed patients in a forensic setting.
AG Ahmed is a forensic psychiatrist, educator, and REBT clinician with over 30 years of experience working with people struggling with Dysfunctional Anger, Emotional Dysregulation , and related difficulties in both clinical and forensic settings. He is a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Saskatchewan and has held academic and clinical appointments in Ontario, including with the University of Ottawa. His work is shaped by a longstanding commitment to early intervention -helping individuals build emotional responsibility before anger and other emotions escalate into damaging patterns. Trained in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) and influenced by the Albert Ellis tradition, Ahmed is an Associate Fellow and accredited REBT supervisor. He co-leads the Centre for Rational and Cognitive Therapies, in Canada, a psychotherapy Centre dedicated to treatment of individuals with mental disorders and training health professionals and delivering evidence-informed REBT/CBT services. He is a member of the International Association for Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy
Led by AG Ahmed, this research group is dedicated to pioneering innovative treatment pathways for dysfunctional anger and substance use disorders (SUD). With a focus on understanding the biological mechanisms underlying anger and the effects of successful rehabilitation on the criminal justice system, our work aims to improve outcomes for individuals grappling with these complex issues.
Raising Above Chaos: Rational Strategies for Emotion Regulation and Resilience is a practical, reader-friendly guide to using Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) to build emotional stability in an often overwhelming world. Grounded in the REBT ABC model, it teaches readers how beliefs shape feelings and behavior, and how to challenge irrational beliefs, practice acceptance, reframe unhelpful thinking, and cultivate self-compassion and resilience. With real-life case examples, structured reflection prompts, and worksheets, the book offers clear tools for improving daily coping, strengthening relationships, and moving toward lasting emotional freedom.
Virtual Intensive Substance Use Treatment Outpatient Program (ViSTOP) – Therapist’s Manual by AG Ahmed is your essential guide to helping adults transform lives affected by substance use, mental health challenges, and justice involvement. Combining proven strategies like motivational interviewing, cognitive-behavioural therapy, and trauma-informed care with Indigenous-led cultural practices, it offers practical, step-by-step tools for engagement, skill-building, relapse prevention, and reintegration. Flexible, community-ready, and deeply human, it equips therapists to walk alongside participants, guiding them toward safer, healthier, and more connected lives, turning treatment into real, lasting change.
AG Ahmed’s The Plane Always Leaves takes you inside the human side of justice, mental health, and addiction work in northern and remote communities. Through vivid composite stories and on-the-ground observations, it reveals how geography, scarce resources, and systemic pressures shape lives and the work of clinicians, justice professionals, and local staff. Accessible to both professionals and general readers, the book explores the ethical tensions, practical challenges, and quiet responsibilities of doing meaningful work where distance, disruption, and community connections define every decision.
Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy Guide for Busy Family Physicians & General Practitioners is a hands-on, time-smart resource for primary care clinicians who want to use effective psychotherapy without adding pressure to already full schedules. It translates core REBT principles into brief, structured interventions that fit seamlessly into standard appointments, with ready-to-use examples, scripts, and worksheets. Grounded in real clinical practice, the book supports both patient change and clinician wellbeing, helping doctors guide patients out of panic, self-blame, and anger toward clearer thinking, emotional balance, and more adaptive coping in diverse community settings.
An Associated Fellow and accredited supervisor at Albert Ellis Institute of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy. Ahmed has trained mental health professionals in Canada, the USA and Africa, including clinicians at the WHO Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health.
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