About our Team
Cassandra White, M.Sc. R. Psych
Lead Clinician and Owner of Calgary Child Psychology Group
For the past 15 years Cassandra's focus has been on the areas of Autism, Asperger's and ADHD, as these are the fastest growing areas of identified learning disabilities. She also has extensive experience in the area of giftedness, and understands the full picture of what children and adults experience when they have an unusual profile of strengths and weaknesses.
Her interest in these areas extends into her personal life, where she is the mother of four children, each with emotional, behavioural, and learning challenges of their own. It is important to Cassandra that the strategies she provides to parents and educators aren't simply recommended based on a book or report, but that she has seen them work long-term in real life. Her gift is in grasping the big picture about what is going on for a child and his family, and making practical, realistic recommendations that get to the heart of the matter.
Each week, Cassandra's work takes place in our
office, in children's homes, and in classrooms. This variety of settings gives her a well-rounded perspective on what it takes for children
to succeed in different areas of their lives. She has been providing valuable assessment and
consultation services to school organizations, such as the Rockyview
School Board, Trinity Christian School, and New Heights Learning
Services, since 2006.
Working with children, Cassandra recognizes that there are many people involved whose needs have to be met. The child needs to feel understood and validated, his parents need the assurance that there is a plan for their child, his teacher wants assurance that the child will be able to succeed in class without a disproportionate amount of attention, and his education system often needs a professional diagnosis in order to access funding to support him.
Cassandra makes sure that the needs of all parties are addressed. She goes to a great deal of effort to ensure that her explanations and reports are easy to interpret and can be understood by everyone. She is careful to use plain English whenever possible so that the reports themselves serve clients well and don't require ongoing interpretation.
Colombia Carter, M.Sc. Psych. (Provisional)
Clinician specializing in Counselling and Developmental Therapy for children on the Autism Spectrum
Colombia has been working with us since 2007, providing skillful and warm support to teachers, parents, and children on the Autism Spectrum.
Also a mother of four, Colombia brings to her work a deep faith in every child's desire and ability to succeed. Even in the most frustrating situations, she knows that there is a child who wants to feel confident, capable and secure, and an adult who wants to connect with that child and see him thrive. Colombia's gift is for combining two worlds; she has developed an arsenal of clinical knowledge about proven supports for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, as well as a sensitive feel for the messages that parents and children are trying to send each other about what they need and how much they care. Her therapy plans are designed to help children and their adults understand each others' messages and learn the most effective ways to meet each others' needs.
Yvonne Hindes, Ph.D., R. Psych
Clinician specializing in Assessment
Yvonne joined our team in the summer of 2011. She brings a wealth of experience in clinical assessment with both the Calgary Board of Education and the University of Calgary Applied Psychological and Educational Services. She believes that the assessment process should be ultimately useful, and focuses on providing families and school professionals with practical information and recommendations to help them have a real impact on the child's learning, development, and everyday well-being.
Yvonne's areas of interest include Psycho-Educational issues (such as Giftedness, Learning Disabilities, and cognitive impairments), and Social, Emotional, and Behavioural issues (such as Depression, Anxiety, Oppositional-Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder, and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder), as well as Autism Spectrum Disorder. In addition to assessment, Yvonne has pursued experiences in research and has presented her findings in conferences and peer-reviewed journals. She is also currently teaching as a sessional instructor at both the University of Calgary and Athabasca University.
All of her capability is put to good use at Calgary Child Psychologist, where Yvonne helps us provide professional, sensitive assessment services that have a meaningful impact for our clients.
Julie Falk
Administration Assistant
Julie has been manning the helm and keeping our office running smoothly since the spring of 2011. She is the first person our new clients encounter, and guides them through their options and our intake process with empathy and efficiency.
A mother of three, Julie is sensitive to parents' struggles in making a household work around family members' individual needs and abilities. She also brings several years of experience in supporting children and adults with special needs, both in front-line aide positions, as well as in team management. She's an intelligent and extremely dedicated lady who tackles challenges energetically, and makes sure that things make sense for our team and our clients.
Laurie Zottmann
Administration and Psychology Assistant
Laurie is a jack-of-all-trades who supports the team in whatever way is needed. She brings 12 years experience in working with children with special needs as a multi-tasking contractor, holding positions such as Behavioural Aide, Classroom Aide, Martial Arts Instructor, and small business Office Manager, usually all at the same time. She has been involved with Calgary Child Psychologist since 2009, setting up and revising administration systems, creating and running group social skills programs, and designing individual programs and materials to help families and their aides connect with children to improve behaviour, build skills, and reach goals with satisfaction and confidence.
Laurie recently took on a new role as a first time parent, and is grateful to all of her clients and her mentors on the team who have taught her wonderful things about the warmth, connection, and joy that bloom when families are committed to growing positively together.
