Gabrielle graduated from the College of Science, Technology, and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. She also completed her Master of Science degree in Psychology at the University of South Wales in 2021. Gabrielle honed her clinical skills within the context of multidisciplinary teams, which gave her a unique opportunity to work collaboratively with psychologists, psychiatrists, special educators, and other allied healthcare providers. Importantly, her exposure within multidisciplinary teams enabled her to develop a more holistic perspective concerning children’s and adolescents’ needs. This exposure also allowed her to hone her ability to form a strength-based alliance with her clients and their families.
Gabrielle’s clinical work included facilitating parent support groups and providing group therapy to children and adolescents presenting with anger management concerns before immigrating to Canada. She also worked as a Special Education Aide at the Ministry of Education with a specific mandate to provide students with behavioural and emotional support to improve their learning outcomes. Most recently, Gabrielle’s clinical work involved providing behaviour therapy to children on the autism spectrum in Canada. Gabrielle worked under the direct supervision of a registered psychologist and board-certified behaviour analyst. Gabrielle also teaches psychology courses at Humber College currently.
Toronto Psychological Services & Research Centre (TPS) is pleased to welcome Gabrielle to our Clinical Team. As a Clinical Therapist and Assessment Consultant, Gabrielle provides supervised therapy and assessment services to children, adolescents, and young adults ages 2 to 21. Gabrielle works closely with children, adolescents, and young adults presenting with neurodevelopmental, mental health, and behavioural challenges in her current role at TPS. More specifically, she provides cognitive behavioural therapy and cognitive behavioural play therapy sessions to clients presenting with anxiety, OCD, ADHD, behavioural challenges, and emotion regulation concerns.
Gabrielle is a dedicated mental health professional and youth advocate committed to fostering resilience and hope in her clients and their families. She is adept at facilitating her clients’ ability to mobilize their inner strength and develop effective strategies for navigating life’s challenges. Gabrielle’s background as a special educator and currently as a post-secondary instructor in psychology enables her to provide her clients and their parents with essential tools to cultivate a supportive and healthy family environment. In her practice, Gabrielle offers services in counseling, mental health resource development, psychoeducation, and more. She empowers her clients to grow and accomplish their goals by creating a supportive therapeutic context in which they can modify their thoughts and behaviour, and learn to regulate their emotions effectively.
Gabrielle’s exuberance and grace are evident in her work, reflecting her deep passion for child and youth mental health. She finds joy in connecting with her clients. Children and adolescents tend to connect easily with Gabrielle because of her youthful disposition. This bodes well for establishing a solid therapeutic alliance with children and their families marked by genuine warmth and compassion. In like manner, her older clients generally find her disposition disarming, which makes it easy for them to relax and share openly. Gabrielle sets her clients at ease and is skillful at setting boundaries. Consequently, clients generally respond well to her structured and methodical therapeutic approach, which enables them to make tangible progress. Registered Psychologists, Ghia Townsend, MSc. C. Psych, and Rosemarie Nardella, MA. C. Psych, supervise Gabrielle’s clinical practice at TPS.