I am a clinical psychologist specializing in child and family mental health, with a focus on diverse cultural contexts. My interest in knowledge mobilization and exchange between academic and community settings drives the work of our laboratory. Prior to joining the department of Psychology at York in 2004, I was a practicing clinician and mental health administrator, engaged in community and educational initiatives. I am currently clinically active as a supervisor in the York University Psychology Clinic, and collaborate with the Infant Mental Health team at Aisling Discoveries Child and Family Centre.
Having lived, studied and worked in the Canadian North, Africa, France, Germany, Serbia, and the US, I believe that opportunities created by working and learning within a culture other than one's own should play an important part in a well-rounded graduate education. I welcome applications from students who are passionate about opportunities to think outside the box when it comes to the role of psychologists in a globalized, inequitable world that presents many challenges to children and their families.
My clinical and research activities are rooted in a strong belief in human rights, social justice, and the important role of the social determinants of mental health. I believe that our country's record when it comes to the rights of children and youth, especially our Indigenous youth, leaves a lot to be desired, and that scientists and clinicians have an obligation to help improve this record. It is my firm conviction that children, families and communities should be entitled to the best available scientifically supported resources and interventions, that they should have a voice in these interventions, and that prevention and treatment should always be based on collaborative empiricism, and embedded in bio-ecological models.
My students and I are interested specifically in:
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- The study of parenting across cultures, for example Indigenous, Asian and Caribbean cultures
- The impact of family separation on infants, young children and families in diverse contexts including Indigenous contexts and globalization/immigration
- Infant Mental Health: Attachment difficulties and cognitive correlates
- Cognitive behavioral interventions for children, youth and families
- Parental Attributions in families at risk for relational ruptures and maltreatment
- Evidence-based practices and knowledge exchange in community mental health
For more information about our current research initiatives, please click here: https://bohr.lab.yorku.ca/projects/
