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Dr. Kate Spere is a Clinical Psychologist registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario to work with children, teens, and adults. She opened a psychology clinic in 2014, which became Kitchener Psychology Centre and is now Reflections Mental Health Group. Kate is passionate about her work and is committed to helping her clients work on their mental health and live a full life. She uses an integrated, collaborative therapeutic approach, drawing from different therapeutic modalities and tailoring the treatment strategy to each client’s unique presentation. Kate also provides comprehensive psychological and psychoeducational assessments for learning disabilities, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder and mental health concerns.
Kate obtained a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with an Applied Developmental Emphasis from the University of Guelph. Her clinical training included work at a local school board, the Selective Mutism Service at McMaster Children’s Hospital, a pre-doctoral internship at Hamilton Health Sciences, and placements at kidsLINK and the Centre for Psychological Services at the University of Guelph. She is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Waterloo, where she supervises clinical psychology students as part of their training. She also enjoys supervising students and Psychologists in Supervised Practice at Reflections Mental Health Group.
Kate lives in Waterloo Region with her husband and three sons. She enjoys spending time in nature, hanging out with her family, friends, and many pets, and cheering on her sons in their sports.
Dr. Kristy Boughton received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with an Applied Developmental Emphasis from the University of Guelph. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at Hamilton Health Sciences and has also received training at the Centre for Psychological Services at the University of Guelph, The Waterloo Region District School Board and Lutherwood Mental Health Services. Kristy has experience conducting comprehensive psychological assessments for children, youth, and young adults presenting with a range of cognitive, learning, behavioural, and social-emotional difficulties. She provides therapy to children, youth, and young adults experiencing various mental health and behavioural concerns. Kristy is currently completing additional training to expand her practice to provide therapy and assessment services for adults. Kristy is dedicated to providing assessment and intervention that is focused on the unique needs of each individual client. She has a particular interest in working collaboratively with parents to help them best support their child.
Kristy enjoys baking, reading, and spending time with her husband and daughters.
Anna Polotskaia received her Bachelor of Science in Patho- and Neuropsychology from Moscow State University, and her Master of Science in Psychiatry and her doctorate in School/Applied Child Psychology from McGill University. During her graduate training, Anna has provided assessment and therapy services to children, adolescents and their families at the ADHD Clinic of the Douglas Research Institute and the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal. She completed pre-doctoral internship at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa, applying Cognitive-Behavioural, Dialectical Behavioural and Solution-Focused Therapeutic approaches in her work with youth and their families. Having moved to Kitchener-Waterloo region in 2015, Anna worked as a Psychoeducational Consultant for the Halton District School Board and has recently joined the Waterloo Region District School Board. Anna is dedicated to helping children and their families, advocating the needs of each individual client. She provides evidence-based therapy to youth with a wide range of mental health concerns, including anxiety, depression, impulsivity, attentional problems, emotional dysregulation and behavioural difficulties. She also provides comprehensive psychological/psychoeducational assessments for a variety of presenting problems including learning disabilities, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and other concerns affecting child’s academic and behavioural functioning. Anna also teaches undergraduate courses in Educational Psychology and Psychopathology at the University of Waterloo. She is a member of the Ontario Psychological Association.
In her spare time, Anna enjoys spending time with friends and family, biking, skiing and traveling.
Julia received her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Guelph. She completed her clinical residency at the SickKids Centre for Community Mental Health, and has also worked within the Thames Valley and Hamilton-Wentworth District School boards, the Child and Youth Mental Health Program at Hamilton Health Sciences, and the Centre for Psychological Services at the University of Guelph.
In her spare time, Julia enjoys visiting her family’s cottage on the Northern Bruce Peninsula, where she enjoys hiking with her husband and dog, and kayaking on Lake Huron.
In her spare time Dr. Legate enjoys hiking, mountain biking, and running outdoors. She loves live music, board games, and knitting while watching a good television series.
Hayley Bowers received her Ph.D. in the Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology Program at the University of Guelph. She completed her clinical residency at the Toronto Area Residency Consortium (TARC), where she provided assessment, treatment, and consultation for children and adolescents at the Toronto Public District School Board and Integra. She also received training at Hamilton Health Sciences, the Waterloo Region District School Board, the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, the Canadian Mental Health Association, and the Centre for Psychological Services. During her graduate training, Hayley also worked at Laura Bickle’s Psychological Services providing assessments and treatment for children, adolescents, and their families in the tri-city area.
Hayley has experience conducting comprehensive psychological assessments for children and youth presenting with a range of cognitive, learning, behavioural, and socio-emotional difficulties. Hayley also provides therapy to children, youth, and their parents experiencing various mental health and behavioural concerns. Hayley approaches therapy from an emotion-focused lens and integrates other skills from different therapeutic modalities based on the needs of the client and their family (e.g., Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectic Behavior Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). Hayley prides herself in providing therapy that is guided by the client’s needs from a positive psychology orientation. She believes her role as a therapist is to provide her clients space to be heard without judgment, while supporting the development of skills and knowledge to support individual growth.
In her free time, Hayley enjoys cycling, running, and outdoor activities. She likes spending time with her friends, family, her dog and her cat.
Laura is a registered Psychological Associate who completed her Master’s degree in 2017 at the University of Calgary in School & Applied Child Psychology. She has extensive and diverse assessment and intervention experience with children and adolescents in schools and private practice settings.
At Reflections Mental Health Group, Laura completes comprehensive psychological and psychoeducational assessments of neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., ADHD, Learning Disorders, Intellectual Disabilities, Autism) and evaluates other areas that may affect learning and daily functioning (e.g., anxiety, executive functioning, memory). She also provides therapy services to youth, flexibly and collaboratively drawing upon evidenced-based modalities, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), to meet her clients’ individual needs. Laura especially enjoys working with neurodivergent clients, appreciating each person’s unique strengths and perspectives, as well as the associated difficulties of navigating societal pressures and expectations. She uses a strengths-based and client-centred approach in assessment and therapy with all clients and their families.
Laura lives in Kitchener and loves exploring coffee shops, restaurants, and hiking trails in the area with her partner and adorable dog. She also works part-time at the Waterloo Region District School Board.
Jordan completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology at the University of Guelph. She received her M.A. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Guelph and her B.A. in Honours Psychology from McGill University. Jordan completed her clinical residency at the Waterloo Consortium, where she provided assessment, treatment, and consultation for children and adolescents at Lutherwood Children’s Mental Health Centre, the University of Waterloo Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment, and the Waterloo Region District School Board. She has also trained at the SickKids Centre for Community Mental Health in Toronto, the Centre for Psychological Services at the University of Guelph, and the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board.
Jordan has experience conducting comprehensive psychoeducational assessments for youth presenting with a range of cognitive, learning, behavioural, developmental, and social-emotional difficulties. She also has experience providing therapy to children, adolescents, and families with various concerns including anxiety (e.g., generalized, obsessive compulsive disorder, selective mutism), mood, attachment issues, emotion regulation, and behavioural difficulties. She integrates Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and emotion focused techniques in her approach to treatment, and draws from other therapeutic modalities (e.g., Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)) depending on the needs of her clients.
During her free time, Jordan enjoys being active, travelling, and spending time outdoors with family, friends, and her dogs.
In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two young boys, reading and volunteering in the community.
Sarah received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Waterloo. She received her M.A. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Waterloo and her B.Sc. in Psychology from the University of Guelph. Her clinical training included work with children, adolescents, and adults. As part of her training, Sarah has worked at the Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment, the in-house clinic at the University of Waterloo. She has also completed training at Lutherwood Children’s Mental Health, the Upper Grand District School Board and Grand River Hospital.
Sarah has completed psychoeducational and psychodiagnostic assessments for children and youth presenting with a wide variety of concerns including cognitive, learning, behavioural, and social difficulties. She also has experience providing therapy to children and adolescents with a range of difficulties including mood, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, behavioural difficulties, and social problems. Sarah works primarily from a cognitive-behavioural theoretical orientation.
Sarah lives in the Waterloo region with her husband and her dog. In her free time, Sarah enjoys spending time outdoors with family, friends, and her dog.
Jasmine received her Honours Bachelor of Science (Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour) from McMaster University and her Master of Arts (Clinical Psychology) from the University of Waterloo. Since then, she has continued her studies at the University of Waterloo, where she is currently a second-year Ph.D. student in Clinical Psychology.
Thus far in her clinical training, Jasmine has worked at the Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment at the University of Waterloo, as well as the Waterloo Region District School Board and The Feelings Place (Toronto, ON). She has developed skills in conducting comprehensive psychoeducational assessments. She also provides evidence-based therapy services for children, adolescents, and parents/caregivers.
In her free time, Jasmine enjoys spending time with friends, reading, and running.
Joelle Braccio is in the final stages of completing her clinical Masters of Psychology degree at Adler Graduate Professional School in Toronto. She completed her clinical placement and has since moved on to an associate position at a mental health clinic in Hamilton that offers therapy and assessment to adolescents, and adults. Joelle has experience providing assessments in the areas related to mood, anxiety, development, and personality. She provides consultation and therapy for children, adolescents and adults struggling with anxiety, low mood, trauma, PTSD, self-esteem, substance use, interpersonal issues, and relationship conflict. She mainly employs humanistic and trauma-focused approaches such as IFS and ACT to get to the core of her client’s experiences.
Over the course of her education and training, Joelle felt it important to gain experience working with diverse populations of individuals and now has considerable experience providing therapeutic services to members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Joelle has found her work highly rewarding thus far and continues to open her services to individuals identifying as LGBTQIA+. In addition, Joelle believes in a mind, body, and spirit approach to healing; incorporating this in various ways through the use of mindfulness, energetic (Chakra) attunement, somatic-informed trauma work, and meditation for therapeutic benefit. Joelle strives to understand each client’s individuality with the aim of providing a calm, safe, and supportive environment for her clients
Joelle enjoys spending her spare time outdoors in forests and other peaceful landscapes as she deeply values the healing power of nature.
Melissa Illsley joined the team in August 2015 after graduating from Conestoga College’s Executive Office Administration program. She is committed to making the client’s and their families experience at our office a positive one! She is happy to assist you with scheduling, and any questions you may have. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family, friends and her dog.
