Education
2003 – 2004 Master of Social Work, University of Toronto
2001 – 2003 Bachelor of Social Work, York University
1993 – 1997 Bachelor of Arts, University of Toronto
Professional Positions
2003 – Present Mental Health Therapist, Private practice
2017 – Present Founder, Ananda Mental Health Workshops
2016 – Present TZK Seminars, Presenter (webinars)
2004 – July, 2018 Mental Health Therapist, Southlake Regional Health Centre
2013 – 2017 PESI, Presenter
2001 – 2004 Case Manager, Bradford Community Support Services
2000 – 2004 Intake Worker, Mental Health Services of York Region (now CMHA)
Volunteer Experience
2011 –2014 Facilitator, Bipolar Disorder Family Support Group
2011 – 2012 “Sharecare” expert, answering questions about mental health
2000 – 2003 Crisis Worker, ViCARS (Victim Crisis Assistance and Referral Services) York Region
2001 Team Leader, ViCARS York Region
1998 – 2000 Canadian Mental Health Association
Continuing Education
October, 2000 The Nature and Impact of Traumatization Across the Life
October, 2000 Critical Incident Stress Management (Basic Group Crisis Intervention)
September, 2001 Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in Children, Adolescents and Families
December, 2001 Interpersonal Psychotherapy
February, 2002 Non-Violent Crisis Intervention Training Program
March, 2002 Applied Suicide Intervention Skills
April, 2002 Anxiety: Comprehensive Assessment & Integrative Therapy
November, 2002 Problem Gambling: Identification, Assessment, Treatment and Prevention
March, 2003 Treating the Spectrum of Attachment Disorders
March, 2003 Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
May, 2003 First Episode Psychosis
February, 2004 Concurrent Disorders
February, 2004 Mindfulness in Therapy
2004 – 2005 Solution-Focused Therapy certificate program
February, 2006 Mindfulness Practice
June, 2007 Mindfulness and Psychotherapy
June, 2007 Dialectical Behavior Therapy On-Line Training
December, 2006 Cognitive Behavior Therapy certificate program
- October, 2007
March, 2008 DBT Intermediate Level Training
May, 2008 Mindfulness-Based Approaches for the Treatment of Emotional Disorders
June, 2008 Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for the Prevention of Depression Relapse
November, 2008 Introductory Hypnosis
March, 2009 Advanced Applications of Hypnotherapy
April, 2010 Neural Plasticity and Mindfulness in the Treatment of Trauma
May, 2010 Taming the Hungry Ghosts: Combining Science and Compassion in Working With Addictions
May, 2010 Clinical Research Coordinator Workshop
November, 2010 Deconstructing Trauma: Memory Exposure, Mindfulness, and Existential Awareness in Psychotherapy
November, 2010 The Brain That Changes Itself: The Neuroplasticity Revolution for the Helping Professions
December, 2010 Couples Work: Ideas & Techniques for Couples Counselling
Jan. – March, 2011 Dialectical Behavior Therapy: Problem Based Learning (20 hour certificate program)
March – May, 2011 Dialectical Behavior Therapy: Clinical Supervision
December, 2011 Neuroscience, Mindfulness, and Mindfulness Meditation
May 3, 2012 Memory
Oct. 26 – 27, 2012 Attachment Across the Life Span for Front-Line Clinicians
June 6 – 7, 2013 Mindfulness-Integrated CBT
July 29, 2013 – Updates in Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills with Marsha Linehan (15 hours)
Aug. 2, 2013
Dec. 3 – 6, 2013 Doing DBT: An Advanced Intensive Training with Kelly Koerner and Charlie Swenson (32 hours)
May 27 – 30, 2014 Externship in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy with Sue Johnson & Gail Palmer (30 hours)
Oct. 8, 2014 Trauma in the Mind’s Eye: Mitigating and Eliminating Intrusive Thoughts, Flashbacks & Nightmares (6 hours)
July 27 – 31, 2015 Teaching Mindfulness Using the New Revised DBT Skills Books, with Marsha Linehan and Kathryn Korslund (15 hours)
July 18 – 22, 2016 Mindfulness, Radical Acceptance, and Willingness: Integrating DBT Skills into Clinical Practice, with Marsha Linehan and Kathryn Korslund (15 hours)
Nov. 6 - 7, 2017 Fostering Post-Traumatic Growth and Resiliency in a Traumatic World, with Joddie Walker (12 hours)
April 30-May1,2018 Dialectical Behavior Therapy for the Treatment of Eating Disorders, with Anita Federici (12 hours)
June 4-5th, 2018 Cultivating Courage & Shame Resilience Within Clients, with Ivana Mitchell (12 hours)
Aug. 27-31, 2018 Integrating EMDR Into Your Clinical Practice: 5-day intensive, with Roy Kiessling (40 hours)
April 23-24th, 2019 Working with Emotion in Psychotherapy: The Transforming Power of Affect, with Les Greenberg (12 hours)
June 6-7th, 2019 CBT for Depression & Psychosis, with Eilenna Denisoff and Noah Lazar (12 hours)
Nov. 22nd, 2019 New Developments in the Treatment of PTSD and Complex PTSD, with Donald Meichenbaum (6 hours)
Dec. 9th, 2019 Cannabis Update: What Counsellors and Therapists Need to Know Now, with Michael Verbora
Professional Activities
March – May, 2007 Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Borderline Personality Disorder workshop series, co-presenter at Southlake Regional Health Centre
June 8, 2007 The use of Dialectical Behavior Therapy with a mixed psychiatric population co-presenter at Southlake Regional
Health Centre: 4th Annual Psychiatric Academic/Clinical Day
April 28, 2008 Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Borderline Personality Disorder, co-presenter at Addiction Services for
York Region.
Sept. 26, 2010 A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study of Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Mindfulness Practice in a
Psychoeducational Group for Individuals With Bipolar Disorder, paper presentation at the Canadian
Psychiatric Association annual conference
Jan. 28, 2011 Southlake Regional Health Centre Psychiatric Grand Rounds: DBT Skills Training in a Psychoeducational Group for
Bipolar Patients
Feb. 21 – 22, 2012 Dialectical Behavior Therapy in Case Management: Two-day workshop on DBT presented for Canadian Mental
Health Association, Barrie.
April 28, 2012 DBT: Not Just for BPD! Keynote and workshop presentations at the General Practitioner Psychotherapy Association Annual Conference.
Sept. 26, 2012 Dialectical Behavior Therapy: Not Just for BPD: two ½ day workshops
and presented at Toronto Western Hospital
Nov. 21, 2012
Nov. 2, 2012 Activating Neuroplasticity Through Mindfulness and Acceptance Techniques: co-presenter at Southlake Regional Health Centre’s Annual Psychiatric Clinical Day
May 6 – 7, 2013 Calming The Emotional Storm (2-day workshop) for Leading Edge Seminars in Toronto, Ontario
Oct. 26, 2013 DBT Made Simple (1-day workshop) for Pinewood Health Services, Oshawa
March 4, 2014 DBT Made Simple (1-day workshop) for Grey-Bruce Health Services, Owen Sound
April 25, 2014 Dialectical Behaviour Therapy: Not Just for BPD! Presented at North York General Hospital’s Psychiatric Grand
Rounds
April 28-29, 2014 Calming The Emotional Storm (2-day workshop) for Leading Edge Seminars in Toronto, Ontario
Nov. 4 & 11, 2014 Calming The Emotional Storm (2-day workshop) for Catholic Family Services, Toronto, Ontario
Jan 12-13, 2015 Calming the Emotional Storm (2-day workshop) for University of New Brunswick Counselling Department
March 25–27, 2015 Calming the Emotional Storm (3-day workshop) for Sunnybrook Health Services
April 27-28, 2015 Calming the Emotional Storm (2-day workshop) for Leading Edge Seminars in Toronto, Ontario
May 13-15, 2015 Calming the Emotional Storm (3-day workshop) for Sunnybrook Health Services
June 15-16, 2015 Calming the Emotional Storm (2-day workshop) for George Brown College in Toronto, Ontario
Nov. 23-24, 2015 DBT: Beyond the Basics (2-day workshop) for Leading Edge Seminars in Toronto, Ontario
Dec. 5, 2016 CBT/DBT Conference, with Jack Hirose & Associates in Calgary, Alberta
April 12, 2016 One-day presentation for Renascent Drug & Alcohol Rehab Addiction Treatment Centres in Toronto, Ontario
May 2-3, 2016 Calming the Emotional Storm (2-day workshop) for Leading Edge Seminars in Toronto, Ontario
May 25, 2016 CBT/DBT Conference, with Jack Hirose & Associates in Vancouver, British Colombia
June 1, 2016 CBT/DBT Conference, with Jack Hirose & Associates in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Oct. 14, 2016 DBT Skills presentation to Milestone Foster Homes for foster families
Oct. 27-28, 2016 Calming the Emotional Storm (2-day workshop) for Mission Empowerment, Stratford
Oct. 29, 2016 Calming the Emotional Storm (1/2 day workshop) for the Ontario Association of Marriage and Family Therapists Annual General Meeting
Nov. 7 & Dec. 12, DBT Made Simple: Advanced DBT Skills for Addiction Services for York
2016 Region
Nov. 18, 2016 DBT/CBT Conference – speaker for Jack Hirose & Associates, Edmonton
Nov. 28-19, 2016 Calming the Emotional Storm (2-day workshop) for Jack Hirose & Associates, Vancouver, BC
Nov. 30-Dec. 1, Calming the Emotional Storm (2-day workshop) for Jack Hirose &
2016 Associates, Winnipeg, MB
Feb. 21 & 28, 2017 Calming the Emotional Storm (2 one-hour webinars) for General Practitioner Psychotherapy Association, Ontario
March 13-15, 2017 DBT Made Simple (3-day workshop) for PESI, Seattle, WA
March 30-31, 2017 Calming the Emotional Storm (2-day workshop) for University of Northern British Columbia, BC
April 3, 2017 DBT/CBT Conference – speaker for Jack Hirose & Associates, Edmonton
April 24-25, 2017 Calming the Emotional Storm (2-day workshop) for Leading Edge Seminars, Toronto, Ontario
May 15-16, 2017 Calming the Emotional Storm (2-day workshop) for Jack Hirose & Associates, Victoria, BC
May 17-18, 2017 Calming the Emotional Storm (2-day workshop) for Jack Hirose & Associates, Calgary, AB
June 5-6, 2017 Beyond the Basics: Advanced DBT Skills (2-day workshop) for Leading Edge Seminars, Toronto, Ontario
June 23rd, 2017 Advanced DBT Skills for Emotion Dysregulation (1-day workshop) for Jean Tweed Centre, Toronto
August, 2017 Surviving the Emotional Rollercoaster: 1-day workshop series for TATRA Training (Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, Australia)
September 28-29, Calming the Emotional Storm (2-day workshop) for Ananda Mental Health
2017 Workshops, Barrie, Ontario
Oct. 13, 2017 Advanced DBT Skills for Emotion Dysregulation (1-day workshop) for Family Services of Toronto, Ontario
Oct. 16-17, 2017 Calming the Emotional Storm (2-day workshop) for Cedar Centre, Newmarket, Ontario
Nov. 23-24, 2017 Beyond the Basics: Advanced DBT Skills (2-day workshop) for Mission Empowerment, Kitchener, Ontario
Jan. 5-6, 2018 Calming the Emotional Storm (2-day workshop) for Life Management Center, Panama City Beach, Florida
March 5-6, 2018 DBT: Beyond the Basics (2-day workshop) for Ananda Mental Health Workshops, Barrie, Ontario
March 15-16, 2018 Calming the Emotional Storm (2-day workshop) for Niagara College, Ontario
March 26-27, 2018 Calming the Emotional Storm (2-day workshop) for The Learning Network, Alberta
Spring, 2018 Calming the Emotional Storm Webinar series for the North American Chinese Psychological Association
April 9-10, 2018 Calming the Emotional Storm (2-day workshop) for Jack Hirose & Associates, Edmonton, Alberta
April 11-12, 2018 Calming the Emotional Storm (2-day workshop) for Jack Hirose & Associates, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
April 23-24, 2018 Calming the Emotional Storm (2-day workshop) for Leading Edge Seminars, Toronto, Ontario
May 24-25, 2018 DBT: Beyond the Basics (2-day workshop) for University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia
May 28-29, 2018 Calming the Emotional Storm (2-day workshop) for Jack Hirose & Associates, Kelowna, British Columbia
June 14-15, 2018 Calming the Emotional Storm (2-day workshop) for Catholic Family Services, Simcoe County and Waypoint Centre, Penentanguishine
July 9-11, 2018 Calming the Emotional Storm (3-day workshop) for Jack Hirose & Associates, Charlottetown, PEI
Sept. 5-6, 2018 Calming the Emotional Storm (2-day workshop) for Durham District School Board, Whitby
Nov. 8-9, 2018 Calming the Emotional Storm (2-day workshop) for University of Northern British Columbia, BC
March, 2019 Calming the Emotional Storm: 1-day workshop series for TATRA Training (Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Adelaide, Australia)
May 9-11, 2019 Calming the Emotional Storm: 2-day introduction to DBT workshop, and optional 1-day Beyond the Basics workshop, for Leading Edge Seminars, Toronto
May 30th, 2019 Calming the Emotional Storm: 1-day introduction to DBT workshop for Ontario Association of Social Workers
July 8- 10, 2019 DBT Made Simple: 3-day workshop for Jack Hirose & Associates, Banff, Alberta
Sept. 23-24, 2019 Calming the Emotional Storm: 2-day introduction to DBT workshop, for Ananda Mental Health Workshops, Barrie
Sept. 30th – Oct. 1, DBT Beyond The Basics: 2-day workshop for The Learning Network,
2019 Bonnyville, Alberta
Oct. 3 – 4, 2019 Calming the Emotional Storm: 2-day introduction to DBT workshop, for UNBC, Prince George, BC
Oct. 10-11, 2019 Calming the Emotional Storm: 2-day DBT workshop for East Metro Youth Services, Scarborough, ON
Oct. 22, 2019 Introduction to DBT, Part Two: 1-day DBT workshop for OASW, Wasaga Beach, ON
Nov. 15, 2019 DBT-Informed Treatment of Bipolar Disorder: 1-day workshop for MediPsy, Montreal, Quebec
Dec. 5-6, 2019 DBT: Beyond The Basics: 2-day workshop for Renascent, Toronto, Ontario
Dec. 12, 2019 DBT-Informed Treatment of Bipolar Disorder (2-hour webinar presented for Russian Community through Nikolay Pavlov)
Publications
The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook for Bipolar Disorder: Using DBT to Regain
Control of Your Emotions and Your Life. June, 2009. New Harbinger Publications.
The Bipolar Workbook for Teens: Activities to Help You Take Charge of Your Life. January,
2010. New Harbinger Publications (co-author).
Don’t Let Your Emotions Run Your Life for Teens. February, 2011. New Harbinger Publications.
Calming The Emotional Storm: Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills to Help You Find Balance In Your Life. 2012. New Harbinger Publications.
DBT Made Simple: A Step-by-Step Guide to Dialectical Behavior Therapy. 2012. New Harbinger Publications.
Relationship Skills 101 For Teens. 2015. New Harbinger Publications.
Surviving The Emotional Roller Coaster for Teens. (in press). New Harbinger Publications.
ADDitude Magazine: The Role of Dialectical Behavior Therapy in Treating ADHD (2019).
The DBT Skills Workbook for Self-harm for Teens (in press). New Harbinger Publications.
Research
A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study of Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills in a
Psychoeducational Group for Individuals With Bipolar Disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders (March, 2013).
Awards/Scholarships
2010 R.O. Jones Award, first place, for best paper submitted to the Canadian Psychiatric
Association Annual Conference
2014 Dr. L. Morley Smith Scholarship Award
Professional Affiliations
2001 – Present Ontario Association of Social Workers
2004 – Present Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (license #802657)