Who We Are
Our Team
Team Bios
Dr. Sean Kidd is a clinical psychologist registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario. He is the co-founder of West End Psychological Services. He received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in 2003 from the University of Windsor. Dr. Kidd has trained in a range of settings in the United States and Canada and he completed his residency and postdoctoral fellowship at Yale University. He has experience in several psychotherapy approaches, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT), as both a practitioner and a clinical supervisor. He is a Senior Scientist at a large mental health and addictions service setting in Toronto and a Professor with the University of Toronto Department of Psychiatry. He has published extensively on complex interventions for marginalized populations and in areas related to health equity. His clinical interests focus on depression, grief, complex trauma, anxiety, and psychosis. He is interested in providing services to diverse populations and works with adults and adolescents.
Dr. Cassandra Crangle is a Clinical and Rehabilitation Psychologist registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario. She received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Toronto Metropolitan University (recently renamed). In addition to her private practice, she holds a position as staff Psychologist at Altum Health at Toronto Western Hospital. Dr. Crangle’s training has included a pre-doctoral residency at London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph’s Health Care in London, Ontario in health and rehabilitation psychology. She has additionally received training from a variety of settings including the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, and the Ryerson University student counselling centre. Dr. Crangle is involved in supervision of graduate students and Psychologists in supervised practice.
Dr. Crangle works predominantly from a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy framework, as well as integrating Mindfulness and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy based interventions. She works with clients with a variety of presenting concerns including depression, anxiety, trauma, perfectionism, grief, insomnia, coping with life stressors, and work-related challenges. Additionally, with her experience in rehabilitation psychology, she works with individuals coping with musculoskeletal injuries (including limb amputation), traumatic injuries, chronic pain, concussion, cancer, and other chronic illnesses and disabilities. She values collaboration and focusing on personal strengths to build strong relationships and a safe therapeutic environment.
Dr. Crangle works with adults. Her primary areas of clinical interest include anxiety disorders (particularly generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and health anxiety), post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, as well as adjustment to chronic illness and acquired injury. She has experience working with clients at the intersection of how mental (and physical) health concerns impact work abilities, and working through challenges impacting work performance and return to work.
Dr. Ilana Davine is a clinical psychologist registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario. She completed her Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D) at Adler University in Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Davine has trained in various hospital, community mental health and private practice settings in the U.S. and Ontario providing assessment and treatment services to both adolescents and adults. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at a substance abuse recovery facility in Palm Beach, Florida where she worked with adolescents and adults struggling with both mental health and substance use difficulties.
Dr. Davine is trained in both Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and uses both these treatment modalities in her work with clients. In addition, she has training and experience in providing Cognitive Processing Therapy for individuals presenting with PTSD. Dr. Davine’s therapeutic approach is queer and trans-positive, warm, nonjudgmental, collaborative and strength based.
Dr. Davine’s clinical experiences and interests involve treating both adolescents and adults with a variety of concerns including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, OCD, trauma, substance use disorders, individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder and emotion regulation difficulties. She enjoys working with youth as they navigate and explore the different aspects of their developing identity and independence. Finally, as a queer identified therapist, she is particularly passionate about LGBTQ mental health and working with folx on the LGBTQIA2+ spectrum.
Ellie Gutowski, PhD (pronouns: she/her) completed her PhD in Counseling Psychology from Boston College, an MA in Mental Health Counseling from Boston College, a clinical fellowship at Harvard Medical School, and a doctoral internship at Emory School of Medicine. In addition to working at West End Psychological Services, she is an Assistant Professor at University of Toronto at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) where she teaches graduate students in the Counselling and Clinical Program and has a research lab. Her broad interests include understanding the role of psychosocial factors (stress, trauma, relationships) in mental health and well-being and engaging in social justice/anti-oppression work within teaching and clinical practice. She enjoys working with a range of concerns including trauma, stress, relationships, anxiety, depression, and psychosis. She incorporates a number of theories into her clinical practice and works from an integrative perspective.
Dr. Williams is eager to work with adults experiencing a range of problems, including depression, anxiety, panic, PTSD, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), prolonged grief disorder, self-criticism, life stress, and emotional difficulties (including persistent anger, shame, guilt, sadness, emotional volatility, emotional numbness, and emotional blindness).
Mike Pett is a clinical social worker with 25 years of clinical experience in adult mental health. He received his Masters of Social Work from Carleton University in Ottawa Ontario and is a registered social worker with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers.
Mike has worked in a number of clinical settings where he has provided both short-term and long-term therapy for both individuals and groups. He has extensive experience and training with a wide range of clinical issues including depression, anxiety, relationship issues, anger and impulsivity. He is trained in various clinical modalities including: Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), anger management, violence risk assessment and management, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and concurrent disorders (the relationship between substance use and mental illness).
Mike previously worked as the Advanced Practice Clinical Leader at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and his primary role was to provide clinical supervision to inpatient and outpatient teams in the Complex Care and Recovery Program. He also provided consultation, capacity building, and education and training on violence risk management and concurrent disorders at CAMH and to external stakeholders. He currently works in the Physician Health Program at the Ontario Medical Association as a clinical coordinator supporting, advocating, and monitoring physicians on medico-legal contracts who are experiencing mental health, addiction, and behavioural issues.
Anger treatment, Men’s issues, substance use treatment, psychosis, personality disorders, and mood disorders.
In his spare time, Mike enjoys coaching rep baseball and hockey and driving his three sons all over the city to ensure that they get to the field or rink on time.
Kelly is a clinical social worker with clinical experience in adolescent and adult mental health. She received her Masters of Social Work from the University of Toronto and is a registered social worker with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers.
Kelly has worked in various hospitals and community mental health settings providing treatment services to both adolescents and adults.
Kelly has training and experience working with individuals and their families using primarily Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). In addition, she has training and experience in providing Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Prolonged Exposure (PE) for individuals presenting with PTSD. Kelly’s therapeutic approach is trauma informed and LGBTQIA2+ affirming. She is warm, nonjudgmental, collaborative, and goal-focused.
Heidi is a Social Worker registered with the Ontario College of Social Worker and Social Service Workers and a member of the Ontario Association of Social Workers. She received her Masters of Social Work from the University of Toronto.
Heidi has worked in numerous settings ranging from private practice, community services, employee assistance programs providing crisis and short-term support, and online therapeutic approaches.
Heidi primarily works with individuals and adults presenting with concerns related to depression, anxiety, trauma related to attachment/events, and life transitions.
Heidi has been trained in the following approaches: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). Heidi has a special focus on trauma-informed care and has extended her training in evidence-based trauma therapies: Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure and Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR).
As a former service member, Heidi’s clinical interests are in the military and first responder communities. Her goals are to continue with ongoing educational pursuits to learn and promote trauma-informed approaches to care.
Anita is a Clinical Social Worker registered with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. She received her Masters of Social Work degree from the University of Toronto and has a collaborative specialization in gerontology. She also has her Honours Bachelor of Social Work degree from York University.
Anita has had the opportunity to work with a variety of organizations specializing in mental health in community-based practice. She has worked with individuals and families from socio-culturally diverse populations with a range of clinical issues including depression, anxiety, trauma, and grief and loss.
Anita primarily uses a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) approach, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and Trauma-Focused CBT (including Prolonged Exposure and Cognitive Processing Therapy).
Jennifer Alhelou was trained as a clinical psychologist in Lebanon and is in the process of working towards registering with the College of Psychologists and Behavioural Analysts of Ontario. She holds a Master's degree in Clinical and Pathological Psychology from Saint Joseph University of Beirut.
Jennifer's previous experience includes working as a Psychologist as a Mental Health Supervisor at Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), the Lebanese Red Cross as a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist at U Expand polyclinic, and at the Lebanese Autism Society.
Jennifer's educational journey is complemented by numerous certifications and training, including a specialization in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), a certification in Prolonged Exposure therapy (PE) for PTSD, training Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD (CPT), training in Psychodynamic Therapy, Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). She works with both Adolecents and Adults offering assessment and treatment.
She is multilingual, and is fluent in Arabic, French, and English.
Vassilis completed his MSc in Clinical Psychology at Utrecht University. After finishing his studies, he received post-graduate clinical training from the 1st Department of Psychiatry, University of Athens, Eginitio Hospital. Vassilis has extensive experience conducting comprehensive psychological assessments and developing tailored treatment plans based on a Cognitive Behavioral approach. He has previously worked as a licenced psychologist at the Psychosocial Rehabilitation Center of Eginitio Hospital in Greece, where he provided Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to individuals diagnosed with psychosis spectrum disorders and co-facilitated evidence-based family psychoeducational interventions. In addition to his clinical work, Vassilis is a Research Associate at the National & Kapodistrian University, Medical School of Athens (Eginito Hospital), where he is involved in research on assessing quality of life and functional outcomes for individuals diagnosed with psychosis spectrum disorders, as well as evaluating the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for psychosis. His primary clinical interests include anxiety, depression, psychosis spectrum, and bipolar disorders. He is currently completing Dialectical Behavioural Therapy training under the supervision of Dr. Michelle Carroll.
Sidney Lichtenstein (pronouns: he/him) completed his Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D) in clinical psychology at Memorial University of Newfoundland. He has trained in assessment and intervention across various hospitals and community mental health settings in Canada, including Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Ontario and the Waterford Hospital and Flexible Assertive Community Treatment Team in Newfoundland. Sidney has experience working with a variety of presentations, including depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, trauma, personality disorders, substance use difficulties, and neurodevelopmental and neurocognitive disorders. A particular focus of his clinical and research training to date has been working with adults presenting with psychosis. Sidney predominantly practices from a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) framework, though he flexibly incorporates elements of other therapeutic approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Motivational Interviewing as needed. He is also passionate about conducting comprehensive assessments that provide clients with an evidence-based conceptualization and an individualized and accessible treatment plan. He is interested in providing services to adolescents and adults from diverse populations.
Currently, he is applying to become licensed for supervised practice with the College of Psychologists and Behavioural Analysts of Ontario. At WEPS, he is being supervised by Dr. Michelle Carroll. He is also completing a post-doctoral fellowship at the CAMH, in which he will be continuing to work with individuals with psychosis-spectrum disorders.
Alexandra is a Ph.D candidate in the Clinical Psychology program at Toronto Metropolitan University. She has experience providing psychological treatment and assessment at the Psychology Training Clinic at St. Michael's Hospital, the Frederick W. Thompson Anxiety Disorders Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and the Young Adult Substance Use Program at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton.
Alexandra is trained in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). At West End Psychological Services, she provides Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and ADHD assessment under the supervision of Dr. Michelle Carroll. Her clinical interests include working with borderline personality disorder (BPD), substance use disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as with young adults and LGBTQ+ clients.
Kera is a Psychological Associate in Supervised Practice with the College of Psychologists and Behavioural Analysts of Ontario (CPBAO), working under the supervision of Dr. Ilana Davine and Dr. Michelle Carroll.
She earned her M.Sc. in Counselling Psychology from the University of the West Indies in Barbados and began her career as a Counselling Psychologist at Families in Action, an NGO in Trinidad and Tobago dedicated to community and organization well-being. She worked in this capacity for 5 years before relocating to Ontario where she is now in the process of becoming licensed.
Kera provides collaborative, compassionate, and evidence-based therapy to adults and adolescents. Her approach draws from a range of modalities, including CBT, DBT, ACT, and mindfulness-based therapies. She is currently completing more intensive training in DBT and CBT.
Kera works with a variety of concerns, from major life transitions, relationship difficulties and personal development to clinical issues like anxiety, depression, stress, and trauma. She has a particular clinical interest in borderline personality disorder.
Rooted in her Caribbean background, Kera is passionate about providing culturally responsive care. She is dedicated to fostering an inclusive, safe and supportive space where clients feel understood, empowered and equipped with the tools necessary to create meaningful change.
Dr. Larry Baer is registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario and l’Ordre des psychologues du Québec. In addition to private practice work, he holds an adjunct position at McMaster University as assistant clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neuroscience, where he is engaged in clinical research in psychosis. Dr. Baer also supervises clinical psychology trainees. He previously held a position as a clinical psychologist in the Complex Care and Recovery Program at CAMH.
He has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Concordia University in Montreal and a Master’s degree from McGill University. His training includes a postdoctoral fellowship at McGill University in the Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychosis and a doctoral internship at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).
Dr. Baer treats a variety of clients and issues using interventions based primarily on cognitive behaviour therapy from a perspective of self-compassion. His areas of clinical focus include anxiety, depression and psychosis, particularly young adults dealing with a first psychotic episode.
Dr. Baer identifies as part of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and is experienced in treating the mental health issues that can afflict individuals in our community.
Dr. Yarissa Herman is a clinical psychologist registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario. She received her doctoral degree from the University of Western Australia where she completed her pre-doctoral internship with street-involved youth diagnosed mental health and addiction difficulties. Her doctoral research explored the relationship between cognitive functioning and outcomes in addiction treatment.
Dr. Herman is currently a psychologist in the Complex Mental Illness Program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). The focus of her clinical and research work is the development, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-based interventions for individuals with severe mental illness and concurrent substance use disorders. Alongside her clinical work, Dr. Herman provides training and supervision across a number of therapeutic modalities including cognitive behaviour therapy, motivational interviewing, and mindfulness-based interventions.
Dr. Herman provides evidence-based interventions for a variety of difficulties including addiction, psychosis, anxiety, and depression. She works with both adults and adolescents.
Administrative Team
Karine Shvartsberg is currently completing her undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of Toronto and plans to continue her education with the goal of becoming a clinical psychologist. Karine is particularly interested in adult mental health and is passionate about helping individuals build more fulfilling, meaningful lives.
She takes a warm, empathetic approach in all her interactions and is committed to ensuring each client receives thoughtful, tailored support. By integrating her academic knowledge with real-world client care, Karine strives to create a smooth and supportive experience from the very first point of contact.
Outside of work, she enjoys staying active, reading fantasy novels, and diving into DIY projects.
Alveena is currently a graduate student at Adler Graduate Professional School, pursuing a Master’s degree in Psychology. Her focus is on working with culturally diverse populations, with a particular interest in adults and seniors. Her goal is to provide trauma-informed care, aiming to support individuals facing challenges related to relationships, grief, addictions, and self-esteem.
Alveena's future research will delve into understanding and highlighting the importance of senior care, as well as exploring ways to enhance societal support for older individuals. She is passionate about offering inclusive support to people of all ages and backgrounds, drawing from her experience with diverse populations and a range of mental health disorders.
Irene Iskenderova is a graduate student dedicated to guiding individuals in their journey toward healing and personal growth. She is currently completing her Master’s in Clinical Psychology at Adler University and before this, she earned her Honors Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Wilfrid Laurier University. Irene strongly believes in each person’s inherent capacity for growth and resilience and is passionate about nurturing and unlocking this potential in the individuals she works with.
Her clinical focus includes helping adolescents, adults, and families navigate a wide range of mental health challenges, including trauma, mood and anxiety disorders, personality disorders, eating disorders, and relationship issues. Irene is deeply dedicated to diversity, inclusion, and culturally adapted practices. Her research interests focus on identifying factors that contribute to the risk of anorexia among second-generation immigrants in Canada and exploring culturally appropriate early interventions to mitigate these effects. She has also co-authored a manuscript on optimizing early treatment responses in therapy for insomnia disorder, with findings published in Behavioral Sleep Medicine Journal.
In addition to her clinical and research pursuits, Irene is an online fitness coach, supporting women of all ages in their fitness and self-improvement journeys. She focuses on helping women heal their relationship with food while building mental and physical strength.