Dr Dawn Kingston

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Calgary, AB
Dr Dawn Kingston

https://www.drdawnmentalhealth4women.com/research-studies I’m Dr. Dawn Kingston and I’m on a mission to help women live their best lives. I want to change this.

Dr. Dawn Kingston & The HOPE Team
Helping Women Overcome Mental Heathcare Barriers
🌼HOPE: Free selfguided therapy
📖Book: Your Brain on Pregnancy
🐑Farm in off hrs
⬇️Join a research study! My work centers on helping pregnant women take care of their mental and emotional well-being. Healthy families depend upon healthy mothers, and my goal is to help mothers be at their very best. I have two grown sons of my own, and I know firsthand that I can only support them well when I am healthy myself. As an associate professor at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, and holder of the Lois Hole Hospital for Women Cross-Provincial Chair in Perinatal Mental Health, I’m able to help pregnant women build strong emotional health and become the parent they want to be. I’ve been doing research on prenatal mental health for the past 10 years. I became seriously interested in women’s mental health during pregnancy when I was a nurse caring for sick infants in a neonatal intensive care unit. I realized that the medical field was focused on physical pregnancy problems, but some new research was linking prenatal stress, anxiety and depression to preterm birth and other health problems in children whose mothers suffered with prenatal anxiety or depression. A decade later, we now know that mental health problems are among the most common health problems in pregnancy. Unfortunately, help for emotional and mental health during pregnancy is often unavailable when and where women need it and they end up feeling alone and desperate. My goal is to share information and answers to questions that I constantly hear from women, their families and their prenatal care providers and provide bottom line, practical solutions that you can use to support your emotional health. Everything I offer will be based on our best evidence for how to prevent and treat emotional health problems in pregnancy. One last thing. The material I provide is meant to help you find the help you need to restore or maintain you mental and emotional health. As with all online health information, you should share it with your own provider before beginning any course of treatment. Warmly,
Dr. K

04/09/2026

Recently discovered this bite sized podcast hosted by Darby Crosby (Registered Psychotherapist) and Kameela Osman (Registered Social Worker) of Elite Counselling & Consulting in Bowmanville, ON.

These easy to listen to episodes shed insight into relatable topics such as:

⭐️Micro-moments of connection (excerpt in this video) and how it relates to relationship strength

⭐️ Invisible load

⭐️Late night rumination

⭐️ Unfinished conversation (no closure)

⭐️ When your brain feels like it has 50 tabs open

And many more insightful topics, all in accessible lengths to tune into during the day.

Curious? Check it out by looking up ‘Therapy Inspired’ or ‘DarbyKameela’ on YouTube 🎥

04/07/2026

For too long, women’s mental healthcare has been based on research conducted on men. That’s why I joined an exciting study led by Dr. Dawn Kingston at the University of Calgary—to help researchers understand how women’s brains respond to hormones at different stages in their life-time.

By getting a simple, safe EEG scan, I’m helping to build a future where my daughter—and all women—have better, more personalized mental health care.

Want to be part of this groundbreaking research? Sign up today! 💜

📍 Locations: Edmonton & Calgary
📩 Contact: hope@ucalgary.ca

Many thanks to our sponsors: Alberta Health Services, Women & Children’s Health Research Institute, Calgary Health Foundation, Lois Hole Hospital for Women, Covenant Health and the University of Calgary.

This study has received approval from the Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board at the University of Calgary REB54-0104.

04/02/2026

Being pregnant and having a baby are huge transitions in a woman’s life physically and mentally. Most women find these experiences are like a rollercoaster ride full of highs and lows. ⁠
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For some, the transition is especially hard. Mood and anxiety problems are common during pregnancy and after having a baby. ⁠
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Did you know that 1 in 5 women will experience mood and anxiety problems during this transition in their lives? ⁠
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Here are some signs of anxiety to look out for. If this is you or someone you know, reach out to a healthcare provider. It’s not all ‘in your head’ and you don’t have to walk alone.

If you prefer to work through your anxiety on your own, why not start with the HOPE Platform? The HOPE Platform is a self-guided mental health resource for women - it has screeners you can take and self-guided therapy modules to try. Check out the pregnancy section or try a screener.

03/26/2026

Have you ever seen or used a feelings wheel? ⁠
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There are a few different versions of feelings wheels. If you’re curious, a quick Google search should pull up a few different versions for you to compare. ⁠

A feelings wheel can be a helpful tool to help clarify and put words into emotions.
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The differences are small, in that they all have a similar breakdown but could be significant if certain words used to identify an emotion is spot on. Sometimes the vocabulary used to identify an emotion perfectly can help us navigate tricky emotions and gain some clarity, allowing us to take steps to regain control or emotional equilibrium. ⁠
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This feelings wheel graphic is used courtesy of Anti-Anxiety Therapy Notebooks, a journal created by therapists using CBT (cognitive behaviour therapy) techniques.⁠
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03/24/2026

Why is an EEG study needed for women’s mental health?

Most research has been done on men. Research has not historically been a 50/50 split between men and women.

Pharmaceutical companies worry/think changes in women’s hormones interfere with the research.

So we know a lot about men’s brains... but very little about women’s brains.

🔵The HOPE team is researching ways to understand women’s brains and how women’s health can be better supported with precise treatments. One of the ways we are doing this is through the EEG study.

💗By participating, you will be helping pave the way for future non-invasive therapies that could support women’s mental health and well-being, something my mother - and perhaps yours - never had.

⭐️We would love for you to join us! Message if you have questions!⭐️

Many thanks to our sponsors: Alberta Health Services, Women & Children’s Health Research Institute, Calgary Health Foundation, Lois Hole Hospital for Women, Covenant Health and the University of Calgary.

This study has received approval from the Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board at the University of Calgary REB54-0104.

03/19/2026

When you’re feeling sleep deprived and tired, caring for both your mental and physical health can feel hard. Here are 5 ways to recharge your body and mind to support improved sleep . While it may feel overwhelming to come back from sleep debt, consider what small step you can take. Changing sleep habits can be challenging, but small steps can add up to better sleep and wellbeing.

Wanting a little extra support? Check out cognitive behavioural therapy on the HOPE Platform. CBT offers support in changing unhelpful thoughts, emotions, and actions.

03/17/2026

If you’ve never had an EEG scan before (and even if you have!), questions can come up, and that’s very reasonable. Concerns may circle around time commitment and potential risks and discomforts.

⏲️For the purposes of this study, we ask that participants allocate 45minutes for the EEG portion of the scan, although the actual scan may be as quick as 20minutes.

🔵As for potential risks or discomforts, rest easy knowing that EEGs have been used for many years and is considered a safe procedure. The test causes no discomfort. The electrodes record brain activity. They don’t produce any sensation. There is also no risk of getting an electric shock.

If you have other questions, please reach out - our research coordinator would be happy to help!

⭐️How to Join?⭐️

Joining is easy!

✉️Simple email us at hope@ucalgary.ca, or click the ‘Join Us’ button on our EEG web page to access an email template written for you to join.

Many thanks to our sponsors: Alberta Health Services, Women & Children’s Health Research Institute, Calgary Health Foundation, Lois Hole Hospital for Women, Covenant Health and the University of Calgary.

This study has received approval from the Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board at the University of Calgary REB54-0104.

03/10/2026

Welcome to a mini series on why we are running the EEG study!

The most common treatment women receive for mental health challenges is medication.

And while medication can help, recent studies reveal that only 18% of women receive relief from medication. What many women do experience are side effects, but unfortunately without relief (or relief after trial and error).

The HOPE team is researching ways to understand women’s brains and how women’s health can be better supported with precise treatments. One of the ways we are doing this is through the EEG study.

💗By participating, you will be helping pave the way for future non-invasive therapies that could support women’s mental health and well-being, something my mother - and perhaps yours - never had.

⭐️We would love for you to join us! Message if you have questions!⭐️

Many thanks to our sponsors: Alberta Health Services, Women & Children’s Health Research Institute, Calgary Health Foundation, Lois Hole Hospital for Women, Covenant Health and the University of Calgary.

This study has received approval from the Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board at the University of Calgary REB54-0104.

03/03/2026

Your lived experiences and brain has the amazing power to improve mental health care and well-being for women across Canada.

💗By participating, you’ll be helping pave the way for future non-invasive therapies that could support women’s mental health and well-being.

Making a difference is easy - simply by completing a survey and sharing an EEG scan with our research team and you can help build a future for better, more personalized mental health care.

⭐️How to Join?⭐️

Joining is easy!

✉️Simple email us at hope@ucalgary.ca, or click the ‘Join Us’ button on our EEG web page to access an email template written for you to join.

Many thanks to our sponsors: Alberta Health Services, Women & Children’s Health Research Institute, Calgary Health Foundation, Lois Hole Hospital for Women, Covenant Health and the University of Calgary.

This study has received approval from the Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board at the University of Calgary REB54-0104.

02/26/2026

No matter where you are on your mental health journey, you are not alone.

One of the main reasons that motivated us to create the HOPE Platform is to help women overcome the barrier of access when it comes to getting mental health support.

“We believe self-management taps into a woman’s sense of control over her life, empowering her to make the decisions that are in her best interest,” says Dr Dawn Kingston, head of the HOPE team.

“Often women are so busy juggling the many aspects of their life that they don’t have time or the financial resources to follow up with traditional therapy or doctor’s appointments and they prefer being able to take steps on their own.”

Our digital HOPE Platform, now newly refreshed with easier navigation, allows women to access therapy and educational resources anytime, anywhere to improve their mental health.

Try it for yourself!

Address

Calgary, AB

Website

http://www.hopementalhealth4women.com/, https://www.drdawnmentalhealth4women.com/

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