Sarah Lade

Psychologists

Sarah Lade, PhD, Psychologist and Neuropsychologist

Dr. Sarah Lade (she/her; NS #C10949) has a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from McMaster University. She recently completed her Predoctoral Psychology Residency with the Saskatoon and Area Predoctoral Psychology Residency program. Her research examines the qualitative dimensions of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Military and Public Safety Personnel, with a focus on Military Sexual Trauma.

Sarah’s clinical training has spanned both public and private healthcare settings. Her assessment experiences have included neuropsychological and psychodiagnostic assessment, as well as risk-relevant assessments for justice-involved persons. Sarah approaches treatment and assessment from an integrative and humanistic theoretical orientation. She possesses training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Cognitive Processing Therapy.

She is passionate about working with individuals with brain-based disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders, and brain injuries. Sarah has an affinity for working with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, particularly with Military and Public Safety personnel. She greatly enjoys supporting clients of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community through a gender-affirming approach to treatment and assessment. Other conditions which Sarah provides support for include mood disorders (depression, bipolar), anxiety disorders (social anxiety, generalized anxiety, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder), developmental conditions (autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder), complex grief, substance use, gender dysphoria, and personality difficulties/personality disorders.

In her free time, Sarah enjoys playing the piano, accompanied by a warm cup of tea, as well as embracing the great outdoors with her dog. Sarah acknowledges her identity as a white, cis-gender female. She seeks to provide all services from an anti-oppressive and trauma-informed framework.


Christiane Whitehouse

Psychologists

Christiane Whitehouse, PhD, Psychologist

Dr. Whitehouse is on sabbatical as of January 2024. She will return to the practice in November 2024.
Dr. Christiane Whitehouse (she/her; NS #R1093) has a special interest in the mental health side of living with physical health conditions. She has worked with adults living with chronic health conditions (chronic pain, insomnia, COPD), neurologic conditions (brain injury, stroke), neurodegenerative diseases (multiple sclerosis, dementia), and people pre- or post-surgery (bariatric surgery, organ transplants). Her therapy training has focused on how our physical health problems affect our mental health, leading to struggles with anxiety, panic, depression, and loss of a sense of self or purpose. Dr. Whitehouse conducts therapy using two evidence-based approaches: cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and acceptance & commitment therapy (ACT). She is trained in the specific treatment of CBT for insomnia.

Dr. Whitehouse also does assessments: Both neuropsychological (i.e., cognitive) and psychodiagnostic (i.e., mental health diagnoses). Her experience in assessment centers on evaluating cognitive functioning in adults and seniors with head injuries or physical/mental health conditions. She has specific expertise in working with seniors regarding a diagnosis of dementia.

Dr. Whitehouse is a white, cis-gender female. She aims to provide a safe environment for all of her clients.


Annie Richard

Psychologists

Annie Richard, PhD, Neuropsychologist

Dr. Annie Richard (Registration #R1074) provides neuropsychological assessment services for adults. Originally from New Brunswick, she completed her graduate studies in Australia and holds an MPsych/Ph.D. in Clinical Neuropsychology from The University of Melbourne. Her clinical placements and internships were completed in diverse settings, including a cognitive dementia and memory service, general neurology clinic, geriatric inpatient unit, community-based rehabilitation service and epilepsy centre.

She is still actively involved in research and holds a position as a Research Associate at the Autism Research Centre, IWK Health Centre. Her main area of research interest is in neurodevelopmental conditions, in particular how their presentation evolves from childhood to adulthood and their comorbidity with other neurodevelopmental, physical, or mental health conditions and with neurocognitive difficulties.


Elizabeth Church

Psychologists

Elizabeth Church, PhD, Psychologist

Dr. Elizabeth Church is a registered psychologist in Nova Scotia (#R0457) and a Fellow and member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Psychological Association. In 2019, she joined Genest MacGillivray Psychologists after having been Vice-President Academic and Provost for nine years at Mount Saint Vincent University, where she is currently Professor in the Faculty of Education and teaches in the Master of Arts in School Psychology program.

Dr. Church began practicing clinically in 1987 in Newfoundland. She works individually with adults and adolescents to address issues including anxiety, depression, stress, abuse, trauma, relationship problems, 2SLGBTQ+, loss and grief, sexuality and gender, adoption, parenting, separation and divorce, stress, anger management, and women’s mental health.

In therapy, she starts by developing a collaborative relationship with clients and identifying their needs, preferences, and goals for therapy. She uses an integrative approach, drawing on a wide range of evidenced-based therapeutic tools and approaches that are tailored to the individual client. Dr. Church has extensive experience and expertise in helping clients work through life transitions, including divorce, re-partnering, stepfamilies, parenting, and loss.

In addition to her practice, Dr. Church has written Understanding Stepmothers (Harper Collins, 2004) which was widely reviewed and read, and she was a monthly columnist on parenting issues in Canadian Living magazine. She was previously Coordinator of the School Psychology program at Mount Saint Vincent and Training Director of the Doctoral Internship in Psychology at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Dr. Church has also been actively involved in community and professional service, including as current Chair of the CPA Working Group on Telepsychology, the past Board Chair at Phoenix Youth, and as a Board member and Chair of the Education and Training Committee for the Canadian Psychological Association, Coordinator of the Section on Women and Psychology, and a member of the Investigations Committee with the Nova Scotia Board of Examiners in Psychology.

Dr. Church is in part-time practice with GPS.


Noelle Strickland

Psychologists

Noelle Strickland, Psychologist (Cand. Reg.)

Dr. Noelle Strickland (she/her; Cand. Reg. #C10923) completed her Clinical Psychology doctorate at Dalhousie University in Halifax, and her doctoral residency at University of Manitoba Student Counselling Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Along with individual therapy, Dr. Strickland’s training experiences have included psychological and diagnostic assessment, group therapy, clinical supervision of students, and workshop/outreach programming.

Dr. Strickland has a foundation in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), trauma-focused, and process-oriented interventions. Along with anxiety and depression, she works with clients struggling with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), adjustment difficulties, perfectionism, stress management/burnout, addictions, identity development, and coping with challenges related to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Dr. Strickland also conducts adult cognitive ADHD/Learning Disorder and psychodiagnostic assessments.

Dr. Strickland takes an integrated, client-centred, feminist approach to her work with clients. She is pleased to consider herself a LGBT2Q+ friendly practitioner.


Frank Fedde

Psychologists

Frank Fedde, PhD, Psychologist

Dr. Fedde has a special interest in Couple & Marital Relationships, Chronic Pain, PTSD & Anxiety, Burn-out & Stress Coping, Sleep Management, Procrastination, and treatment-resistant Depression. He offers treatment for Adults, Families, Children, and Couples in both English and German.

Dr. Frank Fedde (NS#R0903) has been specializing in the treatment of Chronic Pain, PTSD, Anxiety, and Depression for the past 13 years. Dr. Fedde was Senior Psychologist at the Canadian Back Institute in Surrey (BC) and Chief Psychologist at the Centre for Anesthesiology, Intensive Care, and Pain Treatment in Tutzing, Germany. In this capacity, he has treated clients after severe workplace injuries and head trauma. Dr. Fedde offers EMDR, Prolonged Exposure Therapy, and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and has extensive experience treating fire fighters, police officers, prison guards, and assault victims.

As one of only a few such therapists in Canada, Dr. Fedde also practices Coherence Therapy (CT), which can be offered to individuals, families, and couples. Dr. Fedde was trained by CT Founder Bruce Ecker and CT Institute Co-director Dr. Sara Bridges over 10 years ago and has refined his therapeutic skills ever since. Coherence Therapy focuses on guiding clients to become aware of unconscious and symptoms-requiring meaning structures, which were formed as a way to cope with traumatic incidents earlier in life. As meaning structures change through Coherence Therapy treatment, symptom relief can be surprisingly swift and lasting, even with persistent problems such as lifelong depression, procrastination, anxiety, and anger.

Dr. Fedde is trained in Gottman Therapy for Couples, which focuses on moving from gridlock to dialogue on perpetual areas of conflict in relationships. Gottman therapy is one of the most evidence-based treatment methods for marital problems to date.

Dr. Fedde also enjoys the unique energy of helping Children age 11+, Teens, Students, and Young Adults reach their full potential. Whether problems arise at home, in school or with friends, his goal is to function as an ally to the family by facilitating communication, bundling resources, and guiding parenting to fit the individual needs of the child. By working for major pediatric university clinics and hospitals in the US and Germany, he gained over 15 years of assessment and treatment experience in helping children who suffer from various behavioural and emotional concerns.

Dr. Fedde started his clinical and research career in 1999 at the Catholic University of Eichstaett (Germany), finishing with a Graduate Degree in Intercultural Social Work. After being awarded the Fulbright Fellowship by the US State Department and the German Foreign Ministry, he moved to Portland (USA) to complete his Masters degree in Counseling Psychology at Lewis & Clark. In 2006, now a doctoral student at the University of Memphis, he was awarded the Graduate Student Research Award and graduated in 2009 with a Doctorate in Counseling Psychology. Since then, he has been invited to speak on chronic pain and workplace injury treatment at national and international conferences. In an effort to lend his expertise to the improvement of public safety, he served from 2016-19 on the BC Ministry of Public Safety Driver Fitness Advisory Council.

Click here to visit his website


Connie Wanlin

Psychologists

Connie Wanlin, Ed.D., Psychologist

Dr. Wanlin is a Registered Psychologist, who has practised in Nova Scotia and British Columbia (Nova Scotia R# 710; B.C. registration 1491). She has extensive training in the area of sport, exercise, and health psychology. Dr. Wanlin provides services to address a wide range of emotional and behavioral issues – women’s issues (postpartum depression, birth trauma, health issues, body image, and disordered eating), parenting challenges, relationship and couples therapy, family therapy, personal growth, self-esteem, grief counseling, health issues (chronic illness, terminal illness, chronic pain, traumatic injury, disability), stress (family, workplace), lifestyle change (exercise adherence, smoking cessation, weight management, procrastination), depression and anxiety.

Dr. Wanlin completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology and a Masters degree in Sport Psychology at the University of Manitoba. She then completed a second Masters in Counseling and a Doctoral Degree in Sport Psychology with additional training in Counseling Psychology at West Virginia University. Her training was grounded in cognitive-behavioral therapy; she also incorporates developmental and systems approaches. She has specialized training in hypnosis, EMDR, Gottman Couples Therapy, and has completed an intensive course in the Developmental Attachment Approach to dealing with parenting/family/child issues.

Dr. Wanlin has practiced in a variety of settings, including private practice, employee assistance programs, in-patient psychiatric, medical rehabilitation/pain clinic and community counseling centres.

Dr. Wanlin takes a holistic, solution-focused approach to therapy. She understands that beginning the therapeutic process can be daunting and she hopes to reassure clients that this is a healthy, conscious, proactive step towards life change. She works collaboratively and compassionately with clients to reach their therapeutic goals.


Marc Woods

Psychologists

Marc Woods, PhD, Psychologist

Dr. Marc Woods (Registration #R0670), originally from Newfoundland, completed his Master’s (1997-1999) and Doctoral (2001-2005) training in clinical psychology at the University of Regina. He provides assessment and treatment for adults and late adolescents experiencing a wide range of difficulties, including but not limited to such problems as depression, anxiety, stress, sleep difficulties, anger management, grief, acceptance, sexual and intimacy issues and behavioural problems (See Motivating Yourself: 8 Simple Strategies). He has particular expertise in assessing and providing psychological treatment for people with pain and health problems and he also frequently works with members of the military, RCMP and Halifax Regional Police. His research and clinical interests also reflect his background in athletics (he played basketball with Memorial University of Newfoundland’s varsity team).

Dr. Woods has clinical experience working in a variety of settings, including private practice, interdisciplinary health teams, in-patient psychiatric care, hospital settings, and university counselling centres. He provided services for five years at the Chronic Pain Centre in Saskatoon and prior to moving to Halifax, was an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan.

Dr. Woods has extensive training and experience using multiple therapy approaches, including cognitive behavioural, acceptance based, humanistic, interpersonal and emotion-focused. He practices therapy with a collaborative and client-centred focus that is holistic and solution-oriented. Practically speaking, this involves engaging the client actively and meaningfully in the therapy process (e.g., setting goals, identifying the focus in session, problem solving). He will also use the therapy approach/tools that best serve the client.


Beverly Butler

Psychologists

Beverly Butler, PhD, Neuropsychologist

Dr. Beverly Butler (Registration #R0592) specializes in clinical neuropsychological assessment and rehabilitation of adults after traumatic brain injury (including concussion), stroke, and other neurological, psychiatric or medical conditions. Her practice includes assessments and recommendations for rehabilitation purposes as well as independent medical evaluations for insurance companies, workers’ compensation boards, employers and legal professionals. Dr. Butler has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology (with a concentration in Neuropsychology) from Dalhousie University (2006). She has been an active researcher, a board member of the Brain Injury Association of Nova Scotia, and a member of the Working Group of the Nova Scotia Provincial Acquired Brain Injury Strategy.


Myles Genest

Psychologists

Myles Genest, PhD, Psychologist

Dr. Myles Genest (Registration #R0263) provides personality, forensic, posttraumatic stress (PTSD), and disability assessments for individuals, insurers and the courts. His research, writing, and extensive experience with assessments leads to work as an expert for legal, medical, insurance and rehabilitation purposes. Dr. Genest has carried out assessments for clients in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, PEI, New Brunswick, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Nunavut, and Alberta and has testified as an expert witness in psychological assessment in Family and Supreme courts in Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan. He has extensive experience assessing the long-term impact of physical and sexual abuse related to civil law suits, on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants.

Dr. Genest is one of the pioneers in the psychological assessment and treatment of pain and other health-related problems. He is co-author of the text, Pain and Behavioural Medicine, which is widely cited as a classic in the field. The author of numerous chapters, papers, and books concerned with therapy and assessment, Dr. Genest is sought as a consultant by other health professionals.

Dr. Genest has a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Waterloo. He was Professor and Head of the Psychology Department at Acadia University from 1992 to 2000. Prior to that, he taught at the Universities of Saskatchewan and Waterloo, and Wilfrid Laurier University. He served as President of the Association of Psychologists of Nova Scotia and Chair of the Nova Scotia Board of Examiners in Psychology and as President of the Canadian Register of Health Providers in Psychology.

Dr. Genest has offered clinical and consulting services to individuals and corporate clients since 1982. Dr. Genest is listed in the Canadian Register of Health Service Psychologists (#3069).