Media

Radio, television, print, and podcasts.

Responsive. Informed. Factual.

I frequently serve as a resource for the media, having been interviewed for print, radio, and television, and having been a guest on many podcasts.

I understand the need to speak to the point of the story, and I know the time constraints under which most media representatives operate, so I can be relied upon to get back to you quickly.

On this page you’ll find a list of topics I can speak to, plus samples of past work in print, broadcast media, and podcasts.

Topics

I have provided content or interviews on a variety of topics, ranging from mental disorder in Shakespeare’s plays to financial self-management. Here are a few areas that have been of interest to reporters and podcasters in the past:

Effective communication / assertiveness: Discussions of the nature of assertive communication and how best to navigate challenging interpersonal situations. I am reasonably recognized in this area in association with my book The Assertiveness Workbook.

Young adulthood / launchpad issues: Issues associated with young adults struggling to achieve adult independence. Societal factors (including cost of living, the rise of the Internet), individual factors (personality, bullying history, and more), and family factors (interactions between parenting style and offspring personality). Strategies for young adults and caregivers to enhance progress and development. Ideas based in part on my book How to be Miserable in Your Twenties.

Happiness / life satisfaction / personal development: Determinants of life satisfaction. Paradoxical strategies to examine one’s life for potential guidance. What would we do if our goal was to feel worse, rather than better, and could we be inadvertently making decisions as though that was the goal?

Mental health system: Advocacy for evidence-based treatment, flaws in existing system, strategies for improvement of outpatient services.

Clinical depression: How to identify it, epidemiology, risk factors, treatment issues, effectiveness of medication versus psychotherapy, self-care strategies. Based on my work as senior author of Canada’s most widely used group treatment for depression, coauthor of the Antidepressant Skills Workbook, and author of Your Depression Map.

Anxiety disorders: Obsessive compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, phobias, panic, agoraphobia, social anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder. Nature, incidence, and treatment. Based on several decades operating one of Vancouver’s largest private mental health clinics.

Stress management: How the stress response works, what it is designed for, how it gets activated inappropriately, the stress of modern life, stress management strategies. Based on my PhD research, years of public education on this topic, and history of training clinicians in stress management techniques.

Sexual orientation concerns: Nature and determinants of sexual orientation, ineffectiveness of reorientation therapy, stresses on lgbt people, gay marriage, coming out to heterosexual spouse.

Modern life: Stresses of, failure of modern society to reduce unhappiness, illness-promoting aspects of modern culture.

Print & Online

  • Brick Underground: Assertiveness Skills with Landlords

  • OprahDaily.com: How to Successfully Stand Up for Yourself

  • Chatelaine: Can CBT Make Healthy Habits Stick?

  • Shepherd.com: The Best Books for Building Adulthood in Your Twenties

  • Nike.Com: Find Your Flow - And Keep It Going

  • Brandpunt+ (Netherlands): Zo word je (on)gelukkig als twintiger: zoek je passie en voel je speciaal

  • NRC (Netherlands newspaper): How to be Miserable in Your Twenties

  • PBS Rewire: How to Start Advocating For Yourself

  • Experience Life Magazine: The Four Communication Styles

  • PsychWire: ASK About Failure to Launch - Why do some kids never leave home?

  • PsychCentral: 3 myths about boundaries that stop you from setting them
    Contour Magazine: The Value of Paying Attention

  • Real Simple Magazine: "Bookazine - The Power of Less: Why We Can't Say No

  • Global News: On the concept of happiness.

  • Vancouver Sun: Is compassion over-sold?

  • Mobility Magazine: Books that Make Us Better - The Assertiveness Workbook

  • Best Health Magazine: Why We Should Rethink Our Idea of Happiness

  • New York Times: How to stand up for yourself

  • Vice.com: Eric Spitznagel: You Won't Find Happiness Without Deep, Dark Sadness

  • Cosmopolitan Magazine: The value of accepting uncomfortable emotions

  • Psychology Today Magazine: The positive aspects of solitude

  • Oprah.com: Excerpt from How to be Miserable

  • Toronto Star: Hot Summer Reads on the Good and the Bad of Ugly (Ideas)

  • Chicago Now: This is How to Make Your Monday Even More Miserable

  • Shelf Awareness: How to be Miserable in the Book Biz

  • New York Magazine, David Marchese: To get happier, focus on what makes you miserable

  • The Globe and Mail, Gayle MacDonald: Psychologist Randy Paterson on how not to be miserable

  • Success Magazine: Assertiveness in the workplace

  • Vancouver Sun: Making the transition to independent adulthood

  • Woman’s World Magazine: “Ultimate Experts” on how to be more assertive

  • More Magazine: What, me worry? Article on anxiety and coping

  • Coco Magazine: The nature and prevention of depression

  • National Post: Interview for article on mental health policy

  • Best Health Magazine: Interview for article on happiness, November issue

  • PsychCentral: Backgrounder on assertive communication

  • Everyday Leadership with Dan Mulhern: Assertive communication in the workplace

  • The Yellowknifer Newspaper: New anti-suicide program in NWT

  • Strides (publication of Anxiety Disorders Association of BC): Depression, mood disorders, and anxiety

  • Chatelaine Magazine: Eight Strategies to Beat Depression. (reprinted in Reader’s Digest)

  • Georgia Straight (Vancouver-based community newspaper): Educating the public about depression

  • The Vancouver Sun: Psychologist offers techniques to help overcome depression

Broadcast

  • Global News Radio: New Year's Resolutions in a Pandemic Year

  • Ontario Today with Rita Celli: Is the concept of closure helpful?

  • KVON Napa Valley: How to be miserable

  • Roundhouse Radio: Stress and the holidays

  • CBC Radio chain of shows - Early Edition, On The Island, Daybreak Kamloops, Daybreak South, Daybreak North: How to have a miserable Christmas

  • Rogers TV: St Mary's Hospital fundraiser: How to be Miserable

  • Maritime Noon with Normal Lee Macleod, CBC Radio: What makes you happy phone-in

  • Ontario Today, CBC Radio: How to be miserable phone-in

  • CFIS FM Radio Prince George: How to be miserable

  • Relationships 2.0 with Michelle Skeen (KCAA California, syndicated)

  • CJOB Winnipeg: How to be miserable

  • CJAD Montreal: How to be miserable

  • Radio-Canada Front News Vancouver: Mood difficulties during the holidays

  • Context with Lorna Dueck: Outside the Box: How to be miserable book interview

  • CBC Morning Edition: How to be miserable

  • CTV News British Columbia: Blue Monday

  • On The Coast with CBC Radio Vancouver: On toxic optimism

  • CBC Radio North: The treatment of depression

  • CTV Atlantic: Cognitive behaviour therapy for depression

  • CKNW 980 The Rafe Mair Show: Clinical depression

  • WRNJ-Oldies 1510: Let’s Talk About it with Dr Frank Fowler

  • CBC Radio British Columbia: Treatment of social phobia

  • CFPL Television London Ontario News Hour: On suicide

Podcasts

  • The Experible Podcast: How to be Miserable

  • The Bardcast - It's Shakespeare You Dick!: Psychology in Shakespeare's plays

  • Queer Money Podcast: Why We're So Bad at Predicting Happiness

  • Psychologists Off The Clock: Assertive Communication Skills with Randy Paterson

  • Say It Skillfully with Molly Tschang, Voice of America Podcasts: Create - Not Discover - Your Passions

  • HexDevs Podcast: Unhappy as a Developer? How Not to be Miserable with Dr Randy Paterson

  • Finding Genius Podcast: From Adolescence to Adulthood: A Difficult Transition for Many

  • Crux Investor: In-house corporate podcast on assertive communication

  • Evidence-Based (New Harbinger Podcasts): How to be Miserable with Randy Paterson

  • The Author's Corner podcast: The Humorous Wins and Falls in One

  • Author's Book Journey With Randy Paterson PhD

  • The HealthLab Podcast: Dr Randy Paterson

  • Assertiveness for the Developer: The HEXDEV podcast

  • Mindcog Podcast: The Art of Assertiveness

  • MindBrew Podcast: How to be Miserable in Your Twenties

  • Minds & Mics with Nick Wignall: An Expert Guide to Assertive Communication with Dr Randy Paterson

  • Your Great Journey Podcast: How to Feel Happy - A Counterintuitive Approach.

  • As We Get Older Podcast with Bob Pessemier: How we Make Ourselves Miserable - and What to do About It

  • Coffee for the Brain with Aaron Maurer: Living on the Edge of Chaos

  • The Positive Psychology Podcast: How to be Miserable

  • ManTalks podcast: How to be Miserable

  • The Art of Manliness podcast 204: How to be Miserable

  • BlogTalk Radio: Amy Alkon, The Advice Goddess. How and Why to be Assertive

  • CounsellingBC.com: Audio interview on the treatment of depression

  • eYada.com Internet talk radio: Assertive Communication

  • ShrinkRap with Dr Jim Ricks: Coming Out.