Team Categories: Children

Veesta Mavandadi has a Master’s degree in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology and is currently pursuing registration as a Psychological Associate with the College of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO). Veesta brings 7 years of experience providing psychological services at school boards, private practices, and community agencies.

As a psychoeducational consultant, Veesta works to understand the various cognitive, academic, and socio-emotional factors contributing to a child’s difficulties and aims to provide meaningful recommendations that will support the child’s academic success and well-being. She has experience working with learning disabilities, intellectual disorders, ADHD, and Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Therapeutically, Veesta is a compassionate, non-judgmental and creative therapist that is committed to helping her clients improve their mental well-being and quality of life. Veesta supports children, adolescents, and young adults with a range of concerns including anxiety, depression, difficulty regulating emotions, self-harm, relational issues, and general life stressors. She also provides parent counselling for learning success and behaviour management. Veesta primarily draws from Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), and Mindfulness techniques, but will carefully craft an intervention best suited to her client’s needs.

At CASE Psychology, Veesta provides psychoeducational assessments for children and teens under the supervision of registered psychologists and psychological associates at the practice. As such, her services are regulated by the College of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO) through her clinical supervision.

Education: Master’s Degree in Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology (University of Guelph)

Professional Associations: Ontario Association of Mental Health Professionals

Jacklyn Markovinovic holds a Master of Science degree in Clinical Psychology, and completed her post-graduate course work in Applied Behaviour Analysis with the Florida Institute of Technology in 2014, becoming certified as a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA).

Jacklyn has extensive experience working with children, youth, adolescents, adults, and caregivers in various capacities within school board, community agencies, and multi-disciplinary private practice settings.

She has a decade of experience working with students with diverse learning profiles, and is proficient in the assessment of learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, and Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Jacklyn is married with two young children who keep her very busy. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, being active, travelling, reading, and watching movies.

Licensing Body: Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB)

Education: Master of Science in Clinical Psychology and Mental Health (University of Sussex)

Professional Associations:

• Ontario Association of Mental Health Professionals
• Ontario Association for Behaviour Analysis

Sydney Watson is a registered social worker in Ontario with experience in addiction, trauma, and children and youth mental health. She completed her Master of Social Work degree at University of Windsor, and is an experienced therapist with a passion for supporting children, youth and their families with mental health concerns.

Sydney has extensive experience treating children and youth for a wide range of mental health needs, including anxiety, social anxiety, depression or low mood, emotional regulation, suicidal thoughts, self harm, low self-esteem / confidence, and family communication.

Sydney brings her energy and passion into each session and believes that every child, youth and family has strengths. She utilizes a client-centered and trauma-informed approach to her work, and applies a variety of therapeutic modalities including: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Narrative Therapy, Motivational Interviewing and play-based therapeutic approaches.

Sydney aims to provide a safe and comfortable space for children, youth and families to build trusting relationships, engage in tough topics, and to express their emotions.

Licensing Body: Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers

Education: Master of Social Work (University of Windsor)

Professional Associations: Ontario Association of Social Workers

Guia Dela Cruz holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW) and is a registered social worker. She brings over eight years of experience working with neurodiverse individuals, marginalised youth, as well as newcomers, adults, and families from different ethnocultural backgrounds.

She has treated youth and adults with intellectual challenges and concurrent disorders, and also worked in the non-profit sector supporting individuals and their families with their psycho-emotional and psycho-social growth.

Guia passionately fosters an environment where young people and adults she supports feel empowered in their intersecting identities, helping them find their authentic voice and their strengths. Her general-eclectic approach to practice emphasizes the importance of the ways individuals interact with their environment and the systems they are a part of.

Guia’s approach to clinical practice uses components from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Narrative Therapy, Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT), and Motivational Interviewing while implementing trauma-informed and anti-oppressive framework in supporting individuals and their families.

Guia is originally from the Philippines, and is fluent in both English and Tagalog.

Licensing Body: Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers

Education: Master of Social Work (University of Windsor)

Gillian MacPherson is a registered social worker and holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Toronto. She completed a certificate in adoption, and received training in several areas of psychotherapy. As an enthusiastic professional, she engages in ongoing professional development.

Gillian brings over 25 years of experience supporting and counselling children, youth, adults, and families. She works in the public education system as a school-based social worker and has held a supervisory position. She also worked as a Clinical Investigator with the Office of the Children’s Lawyer, conducting custody and access assessments.

Gillian uses a wide range of evidence-based interventions, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), motivational counselling, solution-focused and brief solution-focused therapies. She counsels through a strength-based, anti-oppressive lens and works with her clients to leverage their own strengths to help them achieve what they want and need.

Gillian provides counselling services to young children and teenagers, and works with parents to address parental issues, for a wide range of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, grief, trauma and stress management. She has extensive experience supporting individuals through crisis situations, grief / loss, life stresses, mental health challenges, and traumatic life events.

She easily develops rapport with clients of all ages, and is known not just for her compassion and empathy, but also for her ability to help her clients arrive at their own solutions while providing them with practical tools and life skills.

In her spare time, Gillian enjoys going to the theatre, cooking, gardening and travelling. She is a mother of three children and enjoys spending time with them. Gillian was born in Trinidad and moved to Canada in 1986.

Licensing Body: Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers

Education: Master of Social Work (University of Toronto)

Professional Associations: Ontario Association of Social Workers

Pronouns: she / her / hers

Debra-Anne Ben is a registered social worker in Ontario with over 25 years of experience supporting children, youth, adults and families. She has worked in community settings and within the public education system, and has extensive experience supporting individuals through crisis situations, grief/loss, child welfare, life stresses, mental health challenges, and traumatic life events.

Debbie provides counselling and psychotherapy services for children, teens, and parents, for a range of mental health needs, including anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, stress management, and general wellbeing.

Debbie counsels through a strength-based, anti-oppressive lens for effective problem solving. She utilizes Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Harm-Reduction therapies, Problem Solving therapy, and mindfulness stress reduction approaches.

Debbie believes that we are the experts of ourselves; however, we can all find ourselves losing our path in life at times. If you or your child are feeling stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed by negative thoughts and emotions, Debbie will provide tailored support to help you get back on track.

Licensing Body: Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers

Education: Master of Social Work (University of Toronto)