Licensed Clinical Psychologist Toronto
Licensed Clinical Psychologist-Serving Toronto and the Surrounding Area
Dr. O'Connor is a Toronto based licensed clinical psychologist. She offers Psychological Testing and Assessment services to children, adolescents, young adults and their families. She provides services at her Toronto office, located at 2 St. Clair Avenue West (Yonge and St. Clair). She also provides services to clients in the York and Simcoe regions at offices located in Barrie and Alliston. She takes referrals from educational personnel, physicians, pediatricians, personal injury and family lawyers, mental health professionals and organizations.
Dr. O'Connor provides in depth, comprehensive psychological assessments and testing services for children, adolescents and young adults. She integrates a school neuropsychological understanding into the psychological testing and assessment services she offers to young people, their families and the helping professionals who work with them.
School neuropsychological assessments provide a more comprehensive, in depth assessment than the traditional psychoeducational assessment. This applies specifically to the underlying neuropsychological processing concerns that young people with learning and other psycholological problems often exhibit.
The traditional psychoeducational assessment can serve as a critical screener to identify neuropsychological processing weaknesses or deficits that may be a factor in the learning and psychological difficulties the young person shows.
Further exploration through an in depth comprehensive school neuropsychological assessment can determine how these concerns interfere with the young person's ability to cope successfully at school, at home and within the community. The school neuropsychological assessment also leads to evidence based interventions, based on both the young persons assessed strengths and weakness.
The young people Dr. O'Connor works with require comprehensive psychological and/or school-neuropsychological assessments to get to the root of the psychological and learning issues that plague them. A psychoeducational assessment is generally not enough to help the young clients she works with.
However, she includes the full components of a psychoeducational assessment within the comprehensive psychological and/or school neuropsychological assessments she provides. These components occur at the beginning of the assessment, so if after completing this first stage of the assessment, Dr. O'Connor does not feel a more in depth assessment is required, she would not proceed with the more fulsome school neuropsychological evaluation.
To learn more about school neuropsychology, click here.
Her psychological testing and assessment services include:
Psychological Testing and Assessment Services
Dr. O'Connor's Psychological Assessment and Testing Services help "get to the root" of the psychological challenges that present in the young person, and lead to evidence based solutions to address them.
Experience and Credentials
Dr. O’Connor is a licensed clinical psychologist with over two decades of experience working with children, adolescents, young adults and their families. She received her doctorate in psychology from the University of Toronto. She holds a Diplomate in School Neuropsychology from the American Board of School Neuropsychology. She holds specialty designation in Clinical Psychology from The American Board of Professional Psychology, and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Clinical Psychology. In addition, she holds a Certificate in Attachment Theory and Treatment.
Her areas of practice with the Ontario College of Psychologists include clinical psychology, school psychology and counseling. She is a member of the Canadian Psychological Association, The Ontario Psychological Association, The Canadian Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology, The International Neuropsychological Society and The American Board of School Neuropsychology.
Dr. O'Connor consults as a clinical supervisor. She has provided psychological assessments and clinical supervison to The Family First Play Therapy Centre in Bradford, Ontario. In addition, to her practice in Toronto, she serves the York Region and Simcoe County. She also provides psychological assessments to the Lingyu International Psychology Centre in York Region. Her private practice in Toronto is located at Yonge and St. Clair.
Dr. O'Connor has also worked as a school psychologist with the Toronto District School Board.
Teaching, Presentations and Training Programs
As a professor with the Yorkville University Master of Arts in Counseling Program, Dr. O'Connor developed and taught graduate courses (The Biological, Developmental & Scientific Basis of Behavior; Psychopathology - Disorders of Personality). She also worked as a professor at Ryerson University in Toronto (now the Toronto Metropolitan University). In addition, she consults, conducts seminars and writes on topics related to her work in school neuropsychology and clinical psychology.
She has developed and presented seminars, workshops and training sessions to various organizations, including addiction treatment centres, social service, mental health and educational organizations.
Dr. O'Connor has her teaching certificate, she taught in a regular class program, worked as a teacher with special education students and has worked and with students in an English Second Language program.
Publications
I Can Be Me
A Helping Book for Children From Troubled Families
-with a special focus on children of addicted parents
Dr. O'Connor is the author of "I Can Be Me-A Helping Book for Children from Troubled Families.
I CAN BE ME supports children from troubled families. It includes a special focus on children of addicted parents, and also supports children who are experiencing other adverse childhood experiences.
I CAN BE ME is a helping book for professionals and parents who want to help children of alcoholic and drug addicted parents. It addresses family problems from the perspective of children whose parents are addicted to alcohol or other substances.
It has been updated to reflect the literature on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). There is an adult guide to assist therapists,
parents and other adults in addressing this issue with children, and a
children's work book.