Health Team

Dr. Megan McElheran is a Clinical Psychologist with Wayfound in Calgary, AB. Dr. McElheran completed graduate training at the PAU-Stanford University Clinical Psychology Consortium, during which she obtained specialized training in the treatment of PTSD through the National Center for PTSD in Menlo Park, CA. Dr. McElheran has been in practice in Calgary since 2008. She continues to focus on work with first responders, and her clinical practice involves work with active-duty members of the Canadian Forces, members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, members of the Calgary Firefighter Department, medical personnel and others who are directly or vicariously impacted by traumatic events. She routinely engages in teaching and supervisory activity in order to ensure sound dissemination of empirically-grounded interventions for trauma. Dr. McElheran is regularly engaged for speaking events, both locally and internationally. She completed a TEDx speech in 2011 related to Trauma, Change and Resilience and most recently completed a discussion for the Healing Project on trauma and PTSD. Dr. McElheran provides a range of empirically-supported treatments for PTSD, including Prolonged Exposure, which is a therapy for which she also provides supervision; Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR); Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART).

Dr. Lawrence Deck has been practicing as a psychologist since 2009. He has historically split his time between private practice and the provincial jail system (7 years). His work has focused on helping people (adolescents, adults, and couples) to find better balance in their lives, and overcome difficulties that may stem from traumatic, emotional, or high stress situations. Dr. Deck’s areas of interest include trauma, anger and aggression, and youth with behavioural difficulties. Dr. Deck’s treatment approach is grounded in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), although he appreciates the usefulness of incorporating other approaches into his practice. In addition to individual and couples therapy, Dr. Deck has extensive experience in multiple forms of assessment including; Cognitive, social emotional, capacity, and risk (sexual or violent risk). He has been formally recognized by the Alberta Provincial Court as an expert in the area of risk assessment and psychometrics. Dr. Deck completed his research in the area of violence and aggression and has specialized training in working with individuals who have offended sexually. Dr. Deck graduated with his Master’s degree in counseling from California State University, Fresno. He subsequently completed his Ph.D. in psychology, forensic specialization through Walden University (Minneapolis, MN). He is a member of the Canadian Psychological Association as well as the National Association of Forensic Counselors. Registered with College of Alberta Psychologists, Dr. Deck’s Alberta Registration number is 3552.

Dr. Milena Spasojevic is a Clinical Psychologist at Wayfound in Calgary, AB. Dr. Spasojevic is a registered psychologist and completed her doctoral training at The Wright Institute in Berkeley, California. She also holds a Masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and completed her Masters internship in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she worked primarily with adults coping with severe mental illness and substance dependency. She completed her doctoral internship at Morrison Child and Family Services in Portland, Oregon, serving underprivileged children and families in a community mental health setting. Dr. Spasojevic has extensive clinical experience working with culturally diverse individuals and families coping with severe emotional and behavioural problems stemming from trauma, poverty, substance dependency, foster care, child welfare involvement, and immigration, among other life stressors. Her treatment approach is highly relational and she works to facilitate self-awareness and change with individuals and families through empathy, trust, and compassion. Her focus at Wayfound includes providing treatment to individuals, couples, and families coping with and recovering from traumatic events. Dr. Spasojevic was recently serving as Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary in the School and Applied Child Psychology department where she has taught at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Dr. Spasojevic has taught courses on assessment practice and theory, and child and adolescent counseling. Most recently, she was nominated for a Teaching Excellence Award via the University of Calgary Students’ Union Teaching Excellence Committee for her work in creating and teaching a course on cross-cultural psychology. Finally, Dr. Spasojevic is involved in conducting research on “Sexual exploitation prevention education for Indigenous girls,” a research project led by Dustin Louie, Ph.D. and funded by the Alberta Human Rights Commission.

Darlene Foucault is a registered Clinical Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists and is also a member of the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta. She completed her residency with the Calgary Clinical Psychology Residency Program and obtained her doctoral degree from the University of Ottawa. Dr. Foucault has been in practice since 2005 and is trained in the provision of individual, couple, and family therapy. She is also trained in the provision of a range of empirically-supported treatments for Anxiety, Mood, and PTSD. For the past 3 years, she has been working mostly with clients who experienced traumatic experiences (single or multiple episodes). She has witnessed the ways life events and challenges can accumulate and affect an individual’s ability to cope effectively with daily demands and even taint their view of self, others, and the world. Dr. Foucault is interested in helping clients recognize their strengths and abilities as well as acquire additional skills to better manage their emotions, improve their coping with daily stresses, and develop stronger and healthier relationships. Dr. Foucault is trained in a variety of techniques to help clients process these challenging events. Dr. Foucault completed training in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART). Dr. Foucault views the therapeutic process as a collaborative one and her ultimate goal is to help clients reclaim their life and even rebuild one that is in keeping with their highest values.

Jennifer is a registered Psychologist and has worked in the human services field for over 15 years. During this time, she has worked in various mental health settings, primarily working with children and adolescents presenting with behavioural, and socio-emotional issues. She has created and delivered numerous groups to children and as provided workshops for parents. In addition to individual counselling, Jennifer’s clinical practice has centered around providing counselling to families, and couples. Jennifer is passionate about the work she does with clients. Her goal is to foster an increased sense of well being within clients, and to help clients learn new ways to effectively manage various stressors and dysfunctions that exists within the their systems. Jennifer works from a trauma informed lens. With a client-centered perspective in mind, she uses different clinical approaches in her practice. Some of the approaches include Narrative, Gestalt, Mindfulness, Cognitive Behavioural, Expressive Arts, and Systems theory.

Dr. Jennifer Short has been in clinical practice since 2009. She has worked with first responder populations, adolescents and families with unique needs and complex mental health concerns, and individuals and families in crisis. Dr. Short works primarily from a Cognitive-Behavioral (CBT) approach but is flexible in terms of adapting her approach to meet the individual needs of her clients. Her goal is to create an environment of acceptance, safety, and collaboration. Her areas of interest include: trauma, parenting, relationship issues, divorce and separation, grief and loss, identity concerns, life transitions, stress management, and sexually abusive behaviours. She is also proficient in conducting sexual risk assessments and violence risk assessments. In addition to the provision of therapeutic services, Dr. Short provides a number of divorce-related and forensic services. These services include: Practice Note 7 assessments and interventions, Practice Note 8, parenting time/parenting responsibility assessments, litigation support, mediation, co-parent counselling, and parental fitness evaluations. Dr. Short also teaches masters level psychology students. She has taught courses on assessment, creating a working alliance, culture infused counselling, and methods of inquiry. Dr. Short is a Registered Psychologist with an undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of British Columbia and a graduate degree in Counselling Psychology from Campus Alberta Applied Psychology. She completed her PhD studies in Forensic Psychology through Walden University. She is a member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (national and provincial chapters), the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers, and the Psychological Association of Alberta. She is also listed on the Canadian Register of Health Service Psychologists.

Sabrina Skar is a registered psychologist who supports clients through a range of issues including addiction, trauma, depression, anxiety, stress management, career transitions and relationship challenges. She has worked in treatment facilities for both men and women and has experience in the area of psychological assessment. She holds a Bachelor of Education degree, as well as a Master’s degree in Counselling. Sabrina is a member of both the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP) and the Psychologists Association of Alberta (PAA). As a former teacher, Sabrina enjoys working with individuals and groups and incorporating the use of psychoeducational materials into the therapeutic process. Her therapeutic orientation stems from a base in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which serves as the cornerstone of her work with clients. She is trained in EMDR and integrates elements of mindfulness, spirituality and humanism into her counselling practice.

Dr. Gloria Jacobucci is a registered clinical psychologist, trained at Simon Fraser University. She has independently practiced psychotherapy for over 15 years, specializing in individual therapy and interpersonal group therapy. Her clinical work is largely focused on helping clients address interpersonal difficulties and improve their relationships with family, friends, co-workers, supervisors, and others. Group therapy is a highly effective modality for accomplishing interpersonal goals, and Dr. Jacobucci’s experience enables her to help each client determine whether group therapy is appropriate for his or her treatment needs. Although group therapy can seem like an intimidating prospect, Dr. Jacobucci is skilled at providing every client the support he or she needs in order to decrease any treatment-related anxiety and achieve his or her therapy goals. Dr. Jacobucci has been an oral examiner for the College of Alberta Psychologists and supervises doctoral level psychology residents. She is a member of the Canadian Psychological Association, the Canadian Group Psychotherapy Association, and the American Group Psychotherapy Association, and she is certified with the International Board for Certification of Group Psychotherapists.

Dr. Jennifer Primmer focuses on providing treatment to members of the community, Veterans, and First Responders who have experienced traumatic events. She routinely works with individuals facing a range of mental health and adjustment concerns. Some of these have included posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, self-esteem issues, relationship issues, stress management, grief and loss, anger/aggression, and other emotional and behavioral issues. Dr. Primmer is committed to employing evidence-based treatments in her practice (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness, and Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)) to better assist her clients overcome challenges and increase their quality of life. She believes that effective counselling fundamentally involves working both with the mind and the manifestation of emotional experiences stored in the body. Every client has a unique path to healing and emotional processing, and Dr. Primmer provides a safe and supportive environment for clients to do this work and achieve their therapeutic goals. Dr. Primmer is a Registered Provisional Clinical Counsellor with the Canadian Professional Counsellors Association. She is also an internationally certified Hypnotherapist with the National Guild of Hypnotists. Dr. Primmer received her undergraduate degree in Philosophy with an emphasis in Cognitive Science and a Minor in Law from Dalhousie University, a Master’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Saskatchewan, and a Ph.D in Philosophy with an emphasis in Cognitive Science from McMaster University. Dr. Primmer is regularly engaged to speak at community-based events on a range of topics, including posttraumatic stress disorder, trauma, critical incident stress, resiliency, work-life balance, non-verbal communication, and stress management.

Dr. Marc Ross (PhD. Ed.) is a Registered Psychologist who, in addition to his work with Integral Therapy, is a mental health practitioner with the Rick Hansen Foundation, Easter Seals and the University of Calgary. Marc specializes in the areas of evolutionary psychology, integral studies, and mind-body medicine, having worked extensively with biofeedback in his practice. Specifically, he is a Certified HeartMath Interventions practitioner who also has had valuable experience in research, teaching, and writing in the area of self-regulation. Marc broke his neck at the age of 17 and has lived with a severe disability (quadriplegia) since that time. His professional training along with his personal experience have made him an invaluable psychologist. He has spoken to thousands of students across Southern Alberta on topics related to risk management, resiliency, and health and wellness. Marc’s personal ordeals combined with his experience working with those struggling with issues of grief, loss and transition have given him a unique and empathetic counselling approach. He integrates biofeedback, mindfulness, hypnosis, art, bodywork, writing, and other modalities that will support clients in working through their challenges, including anxiety, stress, trauma, relationships, chronic pain, meaning and purpose, and navigating important life decisions. Marc has a compassionate way of relating to people because of his years of experience working with students, teachers, and families who face stress, conflict and other hardships. Clients appreciate Marc’s ability to model life skills and his integral way of doing therapy. Marc offers a deeply gentle and caring presence; his patience, cleverness and listening abilities provide a level of safety and trust that greatly facilitates the counselling process. His refreshing sense of humour is also greatly appreciated by both his clients and by his fellow associates.

Jennifer Berard is a counselling psychologist with more than 17 years’ experience in the addiction and mental health field. While she works with adults facing a variety of concerns, her primary focus is supporting clients as they deal with substance use disorders, trauma, anxiety and depression. Jennifer takes a strength-based, client-centred approach to counselling and has dedicated her career to advocating for and providing quality clinical care for those seeking change in their lives. She believes that recovery and healing is a deeply personal process and the therapeutic relationship should be one that is developed through respect and dignity of the individual. Jennifer primarily utilizes Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) to support her clients. Jennifer is a Registered Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists and a member of the Psychologists Association of Alberta. She holds a Bachelor of Health Sciences in Addictions Counselling and a graduate degree in Counselling Psychology. Jennifer also provides clinical case management services for the Calgary Drug Treatment Court.

Nidia is a registered psychologist who has been providing mental health care to children, teens and adults for more than 10 years. She holds a Bachelor of Psychology degree as well as a Master’s degree in Counselling, she is registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists and a member of the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta. She enjoys working with individuals, couples and families. She takes an integrative, client-centered approach, drawing upon from empirically supported treatments (e.g., cognitive-behavioural therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and mindfulness) in assisting clients in their recovery from mental health issues. Her areas of interest include mood and anxiety disorders, interpersonal difficulties, trauma, and stress management. Nidia has experience working with culturally diverse individuals and families coping with emotional and behavioural problems arising from trauma, poverty and early adversity; in different contexts including, foster care, families involved with child protective services, struggling with issues related to immigration-adaptation, and other life stressors. She works with clients seeking support with abuse, acculturation, anger management, anxiety, childhood trauma, depression, multigenerational family conflict, parenting, PTSD, and stress. She also has experience in treating children and teens with behavioral and emotional issues by working both with the family and the Individual. She has also worked in primary care clinics providing behavioural health consultation services. She provides services in English as well as in Spanish.

Laura holds Master’s degrees in Psychology and Sport Science from the University of Hong Kong and a Master of Counselling degree from Monash University in Australia. She is a registered psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologist and the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association, a registered/licensed EMDR Therapist with EMDR Canada and EMDRIA in the US, a licensed Hypnotherapist with the Canadian Hypnotherapy Association and a Sport Psychologist with the CSPA. Previously, Laura worked in Hong Kong as a psychologist and sport psychologist before moving back to Canada in 2015. She has worked in Calgary for the past four years with individuals, couples, adolescents and high level athletes experiencing a range of mental health concerns including anxiety, depression, trauma (acute and complex), grief and loss, work-related stress and burnout, anger management, emotion regulation and interpersonal/relationship difficulties. Laura has gained extensive training and experience with a variety of treatment modalities including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), EMDR Therapy, Hypnotherapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and mindfulness-based psychotherapies. Having represented Canada in running, triathlons and adventure races, Laura still finds joy in these activities but has expanded to include rock climbing, hiking, yoga and the quieter pursuits of meditation and learning languages.

Rachel du Plessix is a counselling psychologist who has experience working with children, teens, adults and couples. She holds bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Psychology and a Master’s degree in Counselling. She is a Registered Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists and a member of the Canadian Psychological Association.Rachel’s experience comes from work in the non profit sector where she worked with clients of all ages and family constellations, coming with a variety of concerns. She is client-centered in her practice and uses a combination of approaches as they fit with client concerns. She is trained in Emotions Focused Therapy for Couples and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. She has a special interest in supporting couples working through conflict, and supporting individuals healing from trauma, anxiety, stress and relationship concerns.

Xiaomiao (Julie) Li is a Registered Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists and is also a member of the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta. She obtained her doctoral degree from the University of Calgary in Clinical Psychology following her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in top universities in China (Tsinghua University and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, respectively). She was trained with and practiced evidence-based psychological interventions and psychodiagnostic and neurocognitive assessments in different settings, including inpatient and outpatient psychiatric units in hospitals and various rehabilitation centres.Julie has worked with people (mainly adults) with Depression, Anxiety, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Substance Use, and health concerns such as Cardiac Disease, Cancer, and Neurological Injuries and Illnesses. She acknowledges the difficulties and traumas people encounter in their lives and believes that it is important to meet with the subsequent sadness, fear, and anger with a deep understanding and compassion. Julie assists people to transform their suffering into posttraumatic growths through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), with an integration of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), and Transdiagnostic Treatment approaches to maximize individual needs.

I am a Registered Psychologist with a Masters of Counselling Psychology degree. I love working with clients to help them achieve their desired outcomes. I have counselling experience in medical, community, and private practice settings and I work with a wide variety of concerns. I use different counselling approaches that are informed by mental health research to address your unique needs and circumstances. I also hope that our work together can provide you with skills and tools to empower you to create meaningful change in your life. We often understand ourselves through our relationships. I strive to build a supportive therapeutic relationship to help facilitate meaningful change and personal growth as we work on your concerns together. I have extensive trauma-informed training and as a lifelong learner I am interested in studying the origins of resilience in the face of trauma. I also have specialized training in grief and loss processing, burnout and compassion fatigue, and anger management. ​ I am registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists and a member of the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta. Please contact me with questions you may have about how we might work together.

Dr. Sarah Holland is a registered forensic, clinical, and counselling psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists. She completed her doctoral training at Fielding Graduate School (American Psychological Association accredited) in Santa Barbara, California, during which she obtained specialized training in Forensic and Pediatric Neuropsychology Psychology. She completed her residency training at a Canadian Psychological Associated accredited program in Kingston, Ontario with Correctional Service Canada. Dr. Holland also completed a Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. Dr. Holland conducts cognitive, social-emotional, and risk (sexual and violence) assessments and has worked therapeutically with children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families across a variety of settings (shelters, residential programs, correctional centres, community mental health, hospitals, and educational settings) for almost 15 years. She approaches her work with clients in eclectic and integrative fashion, which incorporates empirically supported treatment modalities that are need dependant. Some of the interventions Dr. Holland uses with clients include Accelerate Resolution Therapy (ART), Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Play/Art/Narrative Therapy, Sandtray, Gottman Method Couples Therapy, Hypnosis, Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Cheryl Hanley is a Registered Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists, and is also a member of the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta. She focuses on providing trauma assessment and treatment, and has several years experience working with first responder populations. She also has experience providing counselling and psychological services for a variety of issues, including depression, anxiety, stress, grief, anger, sleep disturbances, pain, and others. Alongside individual counselling, Cheryl has provided psychoeducation classes in group settings on a variety of topics, such as sleep hygiene, stress management, resiliency, and mood management, as well as has experience developing and leading group therapy for trauma. Cheryl focuses on providing evidence-based practice, and is trained with a variety of treatment modalities and approaches, including prolonged exposure therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, solution-focused therapy, narrative therapy, mindfulness-based psychotherapy and clinical hypnosis. She is also a Registered Yoga Teacher, and values understanding and using the relationship between mind and body in her practice to guide recovery and enhance wellbeing.

Nakachi Ogbonna is a Mental Health Consultant and registered social worker with the Alberta College of Social Workers. Graduating from Ryerson University in Toronto, ON, Nakachi has 11 years of practice experience working with individual adults and youth, couples, groups, and families. Her range of experience includes supporting the staff, faculty, and first response safety personnel for the University of Calgary, as well as work within secondary and primary education systems, the Government of Alberta, the private mental health sector, and community organizations. She also has extensive experience within post critical incident grief and trauma debriefing. While primarily based in the Calgary area, Nakachi works nationwide supporting both adults and youth through trauma recovery. Some of her primary areas of specialization include workplace wellbeing, operational stress recovery, and post traumatic growth. She is endorsed by the Alberta Fire Fighters Association as an occupationally aware clinician in the treatment of first responder trauma and joins Wayfound in the delivery of its BOS programs.