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What has been the greatest influence in your work?


My parents, as well as my colleagues — wherever I’ve worked. We often begin somewhere others have been before us, so it’s important to learn, respect, and build upon what’s already been done, and to add our own contribution with humility.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned from helping people?


Everyone has their own story. It’s essential not to make assumptions, and to listen with kindness and openness.

What do you do for yourself?


I love spending time with my family — my partner and our daughter. We enjoy planning different activities for our weekends, but I also value quieter moments at home. I’m a big sports enthusiast: I play soccer and tennis regularly, and I follow sports closely — whether on TV, through books and podcasts, or live in stadiums.

Who inspires you?


My parents, for the values and education they gave me; my partner and daughter, for motivating me to be the best partner and father I can be every day; and my colleagues, whom I deeply admire and respect for their dedication to supporting our clients’ mental health.

“The extraordinary lies on the path of ordinary people.” — Paulo Coelho

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 

  • Mood disorders (e.g. depression)
  • Anxiety disorders (e.g. generalised anxiety, panic disorder)
  • Trauma and adjustment disorders (e.g. post-traumatic stress)
  • Self-esteem and assertiveness
  • Stress management and burnout
  • Adjustment to physical illness and to life transitions
  • Perinatal issues
  • Relationship issues

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

  • Mood disorders (e.g. depression)
  • Anxiety disorders (e.g. panic disorder, generalised anxiety, post traumatic stress)
  • Stress management
  • Adjustment to physical illness and to life transitions
  • Perinatal issues and postpartum issues
  • Diagnostic assessment of ADHD (adults only)

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

  • Mood disorders (ex., depression)
  • Anxiety disorders (ex., generalised anxiety, post traumatic stress, panic disorder)
  • Stress management
  • Adjustment to physical illness and life transitions
  • Fertility counselling
  • Perinatal and postpartum issues
  • Gender-affirming care

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

  • Mood disorders (e.g., depression)
  • Anxiety disorders (e.g.., generalised anxiety, post-traumatic stress, panic disorder)
  • Managing stress, burnout and insomnia
  • Grief, coping with physical illness and life transitions
  • Perinatal issues (e.g., post-partum anxiety and depression, bereavement, fertility).
  • Women’s sexual health and adaptation to menopause

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:

  • Those who act daily to make the world a better place
  • People who go out of their way to create programs and interventions to help and to develop the evidence based psychological interventions that we have access to
  • The many parents, youth, kids and families who work hard to improve things for themselves and their families
  • My mom

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

  • Adjustment to physical illness and life transitions
  • Anxiety disorders (ex., generalised anxiety, social anxiety, panic disorder)
  • Chronic pain management
  • Interpersonal difficulties
  • Mood disorders (ex., depression)
  • Stress management (ex., acute stress, post traumatic stress)

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 doctorate 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

  • Couples therapy (Emotion-Focused Couples Therapy_ (under supervision)
  • Mood disorders (ex., depression)
  • Anxiety disorders (ex., generalised anxiety, panic disorder)
  • Trauma and adjustment disorders (e.g., post traumatic stress)
  • Stress management and burnout
  • Adjustment to physical illness and chronic conditions
  • Personality disorders (e.g. Borderline personality disorder)
  • Disordered eating (e.g., binge eating disorder)

 

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

  • Perinatal issues (pregnancy, transition to parenthood, perinatal bereavement)
  • Adapting to a sports injury

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: 

  • Stress management
  • Relationship difficulties
  • Relationship breakdown, separation, divorce
  • Anxiety, depression
  • Trauma
  • Vicarious trauma
  • Sexual violence
  • Intimate partner violence
  • Burnout
  • Self-image
  • Self-acceptance
  • Self-compassion

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

 

Naïla holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the Université de Montréal. She is a member of the Ordre des psychologues du Québec (OPQ) and holds a certificate authorizing autonomous practice as a psychologist in Ontario (College of Psychologists of Ontario, CPO).

Naïla has developed her expertise in various settings, including hospitals and universities, working with children, adolescents, young adults, and parents. She has notably worked in private practice and at CHU Sainte-Justine, where she supported young people and their families in a variety of specialized clinics (surgery–traumatology, cardiology, general pediatrics, intensive care). She also provides parental support, tailoring her interventions to each person’s specific needs within an approach grounded in empathy, clinical sensitivity, and respect for each individual’s lived experience.

Practice Areas
• Mood disorders
• Anxiety disorders
• Trauma and adjustment disorders
• Self-esteem and body image
• Adjustment to physical illness and/or life transitions
• Relational and family challenges

What has been the greatest influence in your work?

A major influence in my work has been the young people and families I have had the privilege of accompanying, particularly in hospital settings. Their resilience, vulnerability, and ability to find meaning in adversity have deeply shaped the way I practice as a psychologist. Their capacity to face uncertainty, to mobilize despite pain or fear, and to engage in a process of growth—often under profoundly vulnerable circumstances—remains an endless source of admiration. Their courage to show up as they are, in all their complexity, reminds me every day of the beauty of human resilience.

The most important thing I have learned from helping people is…

One of the most meaningful lessons from my clinical journey is that the most significant changes often take root in the quality of the therapeutic relationship—nurtured by authenticity, safety, and respect for each person’s own pace. Truly being heard and welcomed can have a profoundly healing impact. When the therapeutic space is infused with attentive presence, a reassuring framework, and an openness that encourages self-discovery, it becomes possible for the person to (re)find meaning, reconnect with their inner resources, and sometimes reconcile with parts of themselves.

José completed his doctorate in clinical psychology and research at the Université de Sherbrooke. He is a member of the Ordre des psychologues du Québec (OPQ) and the College of Psychologists and Behavioral Analysts of Ontario (CPBAO).

He is trained in contextual-behavioral approaches, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). He has worked in public, private, and academic settings, providing both individual and group therapy to adults.

Areas of practice / Issues addressed
• Obsessive-compulsive disorders
• Trauma, adjustment disorder, and stress-related difficulties
• Anxiety disorders (e.g., panic, generalized anxiety, social anxiety)
• Mood disorders (e.g., depression)
• Relationship difficulties
• Self-esteem, perfectionism, and self-compassion
• Existential concerns and identity-related questions
• Difficulties related to immigration, acculturation, or adaptation
• Adaptation challenges linked to neurodivergence (e.g., ADHD)

Who has been your greatest influence in your work?
My journey as an asylum-seeking immigrant in Canada, which unfolded over a decade, along with my own personal therapy process, undoubtedly shaped my approach to therapeutic work. These experiences taught me patience, perseverance, and hope in the face of adversity. They also helped me cultivate an attitude of empathy—toward myself and others—a quality I consider essential in any therapeutic relationship.

In my work, I use an integrative approach, drawing from humanistic/existential perspectives and contextual-behavioral therapies. I focus on the person as a whole: their unique story, their perceptions, as well as their strengths and challenges. I believe that lasting change becomes possible when we learn to better understand ourselves, accept ourselves, and treat ourselves with greater compassion. I therefore invite the people I work with to view therapy as a collaborative space to explore their experiences, better understand their (re)actions, and recognize patterns of behavior that may have been useful in the past but may be less helpful now. This exploration aims to reconnect with what truly matters and move toward a richer, more intentional, and values-aligned life.

I am pursuing specialized training in trauma work as well as in obsessive-compulsive thoughts and behaviors. In the future, I hope to expand my practice to working with couples, using an emotion-focused approach. My goal is to offer therapeutic support that is human, effective, and tailored to each person’s unique needs.

The most important thing you’ve learned from helping others…
I’ve learned that every person already carries within them resources, values, and aspirations that are uniquely their own, even if these can be difficult to recognize in moments of distress. These elements are shaped by one’s life story and the context of current challenges. I believe that therapy begins by identifying your “compass” together: what truly matters to you and what will guide your choices in how you feel, act, think, and relate to others. Sometimes that compass leads us back to a familiar path; sometimes it opens a new route that invites us to step outside our comfort zone. Because these directions are not always clear at first, an important part of therapy lies in exploring your experience with intention and kindness, so that we can create a process that reflects who you are and moves you closer to what is genuinely important to you.

What I enjoy doing for myself…
Woodworking, cycle touring, teaching, reading, and spending time in nature are all essential sources of balance and grounding for me.

Who inspires you?
I am often moved by the courage of the people I accompany and proud to contribute to a community of practitioners supporting individuals whose journeys and challenges may be “invisible” and easily overlooked. These individuals come from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, have varied migration histories, different identities and sexual orientations, and neurodivergent profiles. I feel privileged to support their growth, creativity, and capacity to build meaning in their lives—qualities that deeply nourish my practice.

“Life is not [only] what one has lived, but what one remembers and how one remembers it.” — Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Living to Tell the Tale

Valérie obtained her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Ottawa and is currently in supervised practice with the College of Psychologists and Behavior Analysts of Ontario (CPBAO) under the supervision of Dr. Monic Gallien.

Valérie has gained experience in hospital, community, and private settings. She is trained in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Areas of Practice

  • Mood disorders (e.g., depression, bipolar disorder)

  • Anxiety disorders (e.g., generalized anxiety, social anxiety, panic disorder)

  • Trauma and adjustment disorders (e.g., post-traumatic stress)

  • Coping with illness and life transitions

  • Perinatal and postnatal concerns

  • Chronic pain management

  • Sleep difficulties (e.g., insomnia)

What is the most important thing you have learned from helping people?
I have learned how powerful it is to gain greater awareness of ourselves—our thoughts, our emotions, our behaviors. Each of these aspects is a doorway into our consciousness, helping us better understand our present. It is an honor for me to accompany clients in this process of self-discovery, and I hold deep admiration for their resilience and courage as they strive to make sense of their experiences and navigate life’s challenges.

What do you do for yourself?

Spending time in nature, hiking with my dog, cooking, getting lost in a good novel, and moving my body are all activities that help me take care of myself.

Who inspires you?

I am inspired every day by human resilience. Like the seasons, we are constantly changing and renewing ourselves, and no matter the storms we face, I am continually moved by the resilience my clients show in the face of adversity.

“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” – Maya Angelou

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ESPO - Orléans Psychological Health Team
2555 St Joseph suite 202
Orléans, Ontario, K1C 1S6info@espo-opht.ca613-454-7770
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