What has been the biggest influence in your work?
We have an incredible team that practices active listening, open communication and respect for our values. There are many managers, colleagues, peers, customers, family and friends who have given me opportunities to grow. No one does it alone! Engaging with clients in particular has helped me enrich my ability to listen with compassion.
What's the most important part of helping people?
When you help someone, you feel good. The person you've helped also feels good as a result. This creates a sense of connection between you and builds trust. People are more likely to feel safe and happy when you help them.
What do you like to do for yourself?
As a great aunt to four children, I love spending time with them, watching them grow and seeing their love for life keeps me young and alive. I convinced my husband to take up golf about 15 years ago. Now he's hooked, and we love playing the sport together.
Who inspires you?
My work colleagues inspire me every day. I can see their commitment to mental health and to the cause in the community. It inspires me to take care of my personal mental health and to be the best person I can be.
What's the most important thing you've learned while helping people?
One of the best things you can offer others is to listen. The important thing is to be attentive and warm, so that everyone feels comfortable expressing their voice.
Who inspires you?
I'm inspired by all the health and wellness professionals who dedicate years of study and sacrifice so much to help those in need.
What do you like to do for yourself?
I spend my free time playing the piano, reading novels, doing outdoor activities and spending time with my family.
She completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Ottawa and is a member of the College of Psychologists of Ontario.
Héloïse is trained in mindfulness-based approaches, emotion-focused therapy (individuals and couples), and CBT. She has experience in both private practice and public health.
Practice Areas
What has been the biggest influence in your work?
The biggest influence on my work has been going to therapy myself. I believe this helps me empathize with my clients from a standpoint of shared mutual experience of what it means and requires to undertake therapy.
My understanding of suffering and wellbeing is shaped by my training in mindfulness-based approaches and in emotion-focused individual and couples’ therapy. How we feel and experience the world is impacted by what we pay attention to, and how we interpret what we pay attention to. Mindfulness, which is the skill of paying attention, without judgment, to our experience, is thus a powerful way to improve our wellbeing. When it is consistent with client goals, I incorporate mindfulness into the therapeutic process. I have also learned how important satisfying and secure relationships with ourselves and with others are for our health and wellbeing, and thus place particular emphasis on this in my work. My professional development goals are focused now on broadening my understanding of the impact of our socio-cultural environment and systemic oppression on health.
What's the most important thing you've learned while helping people?
That it's important to have a clear picture of the desired changes! If therapy is effective, what changes do you hope to see in the way you act, feel and experience your relationships and your life? The answer to these questions guides and enables us to measure the effectiveness of therapy. Most people starting therapy don't yet have the answers to these questions, so the first step in therapy to clarify this together.
What do you like to do for yourself?
Moving my body, meditation, spending time outdoors, heart-to-heart conversations, and creativity are all things that ground and energize me.
Who inspires you?
I consider myself incredibly lucky to be able to work in a field where I can be constantly inspired by those around me that have the strength to devote themselves to their own growth and have the courage to show up as they are. That really encourages and inspires me to continue to endeavour to do the same.
You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. -Mary Oliver
She completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Ottawa and is a member of the College of Psychologists of Ontario.
Monic has experience working in primary care and hospital settings. She has a particular interest in social justice and anti-oppressive approaches, as well as collaborating with individuals living with chronic illness. Monic’s passion for her profession also lead her to speak at conferences on a variety of topics related to psychology.
Practice Areas
What's the most important thing you've learned while helping people?
My work as a clinical psychologist confirms to me every day that compassion and empathy can go a long way. It's comforting to work in a professional environment that believes in people. By creating a safe and inclusive space, it's easier to support people in improving their well-being.
What do you like to do for yourself?
I don't hesitate to give myself moments of calm to unwind. I often refocus with activities that connect me to nature, such as cycling or swimming. Finally, I love having good systems and an organization that frees up space in my daily life.
Who inspires you?
I greatly admire authenticity in others and try to present myself in this way to the people around me. I know that no one is immune to difficulties and that it's sometimes difficult to ask for help. So I'm always inspired by people who allow themselves the space to ask others for support in difficult times.
“There is more courage than talent in most successes.” - Félix Leclerc
She completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the Université du Québec en Outaouais and is a member of the College of Psychologists of Ontario.
Marie-Pier has advanced training in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy. She has a particular interest in working with adults in a gender affirming journey and with couples in diverse relationships, whether traditional or not. She is involved in professional development and supervision of peers.
Practice Areas
What's the most important thing you've learned while helping people?
I've learned that one of the most powerful tools to increase emotional well-being is to help people make sense of their story and experience. I’m becoming more aware of the broader environment in which we are a part of. Our culture, community, society, and systems of oppression affect everyone’s story and deserve to be integrated in our understanding of ourselves and others to foster positive changes. I aspire to apply this in my work with clients through an anti-oppressive and minority stress perspective.
What do you like to do for yourself?
Embrace more balance! I love play and adventure just as much as rest and slowing down. Anything that connects me to art, nature and community is good for my soul.
Who inspires you?
I’m most inspired by the people I’m surrounded by. I’m naturally drawn to people who unapologetically show up as themselves or strive towards it, despite facing oppression and adversity. My models are those who have taught me to pay attention and listen to the voices of oppressed and marginalised groups in difficult social times and live by them with integrity. I choose to look at the world through someone else's eyes to guide what I stand for and what I believe.
"You are only free when you realise you belong no place—you belong every place—no place at all. The price is high. The reward is great.” - Maya Angelou
She received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Ottawa and is a member of the College of Psychologists of Ontario.
Patricia is trained in EMDR, CBT and emotion-focused therapy (individuals and couples). She has also worked at the Montfort Hospital (clinical health psychology service) and at the Ottawa Institute for Couples and Families, directed by Dr. Susan Johnson, C.Psych. Patricia is particularly interested in women's health and perinatal issues.
Practice Areas
What has been the biggest influence in your work?
The biggest influence in my work remains my clients. These beautiful people I meet daily, who inspire me, transform me, touch me and remind me every day why I practise this profession. I have the privilege of accompanying them, of seeing them in their suffering and vulnerability, but also of witnessing their victories and the amazing courage they show in the face of adversity. One of the most important things I have learned in helping others, and which resonates with the words of Irvin Yalom, whom I love, is that being able to show oneself fully to another and still feel accepted is a fundamental aspect of helping and changing. It is a space and a connection for this self-revelation that I hope to offer to the people I work with.
What do you like to do for yourself?
What I like to do to take care of myself, to recharge my batteries, is to spend time with those I love… Listening to music while cooking, then sharing a meal, and having a good laugh! Walking in the forest and soaking up the calm of nature, and running, that feels great too!
"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in" Leonard Cohen
Héloïse completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Ottawa and is registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario. She also works as a clinical psychologist with children and adolescents presenting with mental health problems in the context of chronic illness at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO).
What's the most important thing you've learned while helping people?
That every individual and family is truly unique; everybody has a story.
Who inspires you?
Many people for many different reasons:
What do you like to do for yourself?
Eat excellent food, spend time with my little family and friends, move and get outside, slow down.
“Happiness is not always to be found in an eternally blue sky, but in the simplest things in life.” - Confucius
Stéphanie completed her doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of Ottawa and is registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario.
Areas of Practice
What's the most important thing you've learned while helping people?
One of the most important things I have learned in helping people is that everyone has a unique story. Each story brings us to where we are and creates a personal lens through which we see the world. It takes great courage and vulnerability to explore and face our most distressing thoughts and emotions. I feel an immense privilege in sharing these experiences with people as I recognise the personal effort it takes to do that work.
What do you like to do for yourself?
I always strive to appreciate and find pleasure in the little things of life. These are the moments we tend to experience the most, and that fill up the majority of our days. This can include simple acts, such as drinking my favourite coffee or tea, or even spending some time out in nature, whether surrounded by trees, sitting next to a campfire, or lying by the lake.
“There is not one big cosmic meaning for all; there is only the meaning we each give to our life, an individual meaning, an individual plot, like an individual novel, a book for each person.” - Anaïs Nin
She completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the Université du Québec en Outaouais and is a member of the College of Psychologists of Ontario and Quebec.
Andrea also has experience working within a hospital setting.
Practice Areas
What's the most important thing you've learned while helping people?
While deceptively simple, I’ve learned that empathy is a necessary conduit to meaningful change. From my experience, being able to attune to clients’ needs and create a safe space for them to experience their emotions has been an important foundation for the hard work that leads to positive and lasting change.
What do you like to do for yourself?
I make a conscious effort to find joy in simple but meaningful activities, such as connecting with friends, going on long walks, and reading a good book. I also welcome all opportunities to find humour in day to day activities, as laughter helps me to feel connected with others and to be present with everyday pleasures.
Who inspires you?
I am truly inspired by my clients’ courage to engage in therapy by working through difficult experiences, trusting the therapeutic process, and creating space for their emotions in order to optimise their wellbeing. I consider myself very privileged to be a part of this process for clients.
“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of those depths.” - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
Practice Areas
What's the most important thing you've learned while helping people?
To remain authentic in the therapeutic relationship to foster a climate of trust and compassion, helping individuals make sense of their experiences at their own pace. It's observed that individuals inherently possess the personal resources necessary to cope with their challenges and promote resilience.
What do you like to do for yourself?
Cultivate positive social relationships and maintain a desire to learn new things. Enjoy spending time with loved ones, sharing laughter, and engaging in both light and deep conversations, contributing to personal well-being. Also, appreciate broadening horizons by being open-minded intellectually and in sports interests, stimulating curiosity, and pushing personal limits.
Who inspires you?
I am deeply inspired by individuals facing adversity, finding meaning in challenging and/or traumatic experiences, thereby sustaining hope to rise above these events. These individuals provide insight into difficulties as opportunities for growth, leading to the development of new perspectives on world around us.
“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” – Carl R. Rogers
Line holds a Certificate of Registration as a Psychologist with the College of Psychologists of Ontario (#4347). She obtained her doctorate in psychology
from the Université de Montréal in 2002. She has also been a full professor at Laurentian University since 2002. Her areas of work include developmental psychopathology (research), clinical psychology and counseling (practice).
Michelle graduated from the Centre de relation d'aide de Montréal in 2007. In 2018, she became a member of CRPO. She has nearly 15 years' experience in gender-based violence intervention. She offers individual and group therapy as well as training for people working in the social services and mental health sectors.
Areas of practice:
What's the most important thing you've learned from helping people?
I think the most important thing I've learned from helping people is acceptance. It's a job that leads me to discover the beauty and richness of each person's uniqueness. It's a job that also brings me face to face with my limits. I may offer the best of myself during a meeting, but the greatest part of a person's journey takes place outside my office. I've learned to welcome people where they are and to believe in human beings.
What do you do for yourself?
There are many things that recharge my batteries. What I like to do for myself is to take the time to do them! Whether it's spending time with the ones I love, playing Ultimate Frisbee, getting out in nature, cooking a favorite dish, I need to savor the things that bring me pleasure and peace.
“And the time came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”
― Anaïs Nin
She is completing her doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of Ottawa and has training in cognitive-behavioural therapy. Gabrielle has acquired experience in private practice and in the public sector, specifically at Montfort Hospital in the health psychology clinic.
Areas of practice
What's the most important thing you've learned from helping people?
The biggest influence in my work has been doing research in the field of perfectionism. I'm aware that performance and the pressure to be productive are important factors in today's economic and professional context. However, these factors can have a significant impact on our professional and personal goals, as well as on our expectations of ourselves. It can sometimes be difficult to reconcile this pressure with our personal needs. Being aware of this reality helps me to understand the environmental factors that contribute to our gradually forgetting our personal needs. I see my role, among others, as that of helping others to become more connected with these needs, in order to promote their life satisfaction and well-being.
Lauriane is currently completing her doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of Ottawa. She has a diversified background in health issues, having worked with diverse populations in hospital settings. Her approach is based on interpersonal therapy, emotion-focused therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Targeted problems:
What do you do for yourself?
Running, drawing and reading are among my favorite pastimes.
Who inspires you?
I'm extremely lucky to be inspired by so many people every day. My customers, my family and my partner are all people who inspire me to become the best version of myself. These people inspire me in my work and my personal life, enabling me to keep learning and giving me the strength to face the daily challenges.
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