News

Clinical psychology graduate students Jasmine Zhang and Sarena Daljeet, presented talks about Adolescent Media use and Mental Health & the value of involving caregivers in therapy for youth at Grand River Hospital's Ontario Network of Child and Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatry Services (ONCAIPS) Annual Conference on March 20th, 2025.

Jasmine presented her research on Adolescent Media Use and Mental Health.  Her talk provided a high-level overview of the mental health challenges faced by youth in a technology-saturated world.  Jasmine also provided the audience with innovative practices and tools that could help adolescents develop a more positive relationship with media.

The main message of Sarena’s presentation was the value of involving caregivers in therapy for youth and the importance of the therapist in being attuned to the alliances of both the youth and the caregiver.  She presented outcome data on Dyadic Emotion Focused Therapy for youth.

Both presentations were extremely well-attended and well-received. Another wonderful connection made by our outstanding students.

These opportunities are a wonderful demonstration of psychology's ability to translate knowledge and research into practical and helpful information for everyone. We continue to be grateful for the strong community partnership that allows for these opportunities!

Clinical psychology graduate students  Fatima Wasif, Brianna MacPherson, and Chantelle Castelino, presented a workshop entitled, Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) through the lifespan to the general public at the Central branch of the Kitchener Public Library on January 28th, 2025.

They presented a fantastic history of ADHD and explained the way symptoms occurred and varied with age and gender, as well as provided many useful strategies and resources.There was a nice crowd of about 20 attendees who braved the snowy weather to join us for this presentation.

These community workshops are a wonderful demonstration of psychology's ability to translate knowledge and research into practical and helpful information for everyone. We continue to be grateful for the strong UW/KPL partnership that allows for these opportunities!

Clinical psychology graduate students Alexa Nordine, Sophie Kudryk, and Van Bui, presented a workshop entitled, Is This Common? Differentiating Shyness from Social Anxiety to the general public at the Central branch of the Kitchener Public Library on November 26, 2024.

The students provided an informative and engaging workshop to share an understanding of the construct of social anxiety, how symptoms are maintained, and tips and strategies to help address the problem.  

These community workshops are a wonderful demonstration of psychology's ability to translate knowledge and research into practical and helpful information for everyone.

Clinical psychology graduate students Erin Bowman, Monica Grove, and Michelle Korlacka, presented a workshop on Self-Compassion to a capacity crowd of participants in the Active Adults (50+) program at Forest Heights Public Library on October 30th, 2024.

The event was well attended, and the students provided an informative and engaging workshop to explain the concept of self-compassion, research on the benefits and considerations for use with older adults, and practical strategies for implementation.  Feedback from the participants was highly positive, and the library organizer is delighted to have our strong UW / KPL partnership. 

Department of Psychology and CMHRT Researcher, Dr. Dillon Browne and the FamilyPsycle Lab, were featured this week in the University of Waterloo's Global Futures Report. 

Clinical psychology doctoral students Aliya McNeil and Jolie Ho represented the CMHRT and our clinical psychology area at a local mental health awareness event on Friday January 12, 2024.

Clinical psychology graduate students Jenessa Shaw, Michelle Korlacka, and Monica Groves, presented a workshop for the general public on Self-Compassion at the Kitchener Public Library (Central Branch) on January 11, 2024. The event was well attended, and the students provided an informative and engaging workshop to explain the concept of self-compassion, research on the benefits and considerations for use, and practical strategies for implementation. The students were a credit to the clinical program, department and our psychology profession, integrating research and a

Clinical psychology graduate students Taylor Crawford, Tyler Eschenwecker, and Aliya McNeil presented a workshop for on Understanding Obsessions and Compulsions at the Kitchener Public Library (Central Branch) on Nov 30, 2023. Mentored by Dr. Christine Purdon, the students provided an informative and engaging workshop to address popular misconceptions of OCD and to better understand the symptoms and why they persist, along with effective treatment approaches.

Clinical psychology graduate students from the University of Waterloo Sarena Daljeet, Sim Tung, Fatima Wasif, and Jasmine Zhang developed and presented an engaging, informative, and interactive workshop for seniors at the Forest Height Public Library. The presentation reviewed relevant research and interesting facts pertaining to technology use and well-being for children, adolescents, adults and older adults. Audience response was positive and interested in the topic. 

Clinical psychology graduate students Jessica Edwards, Katie Finch and Fatima Wasif presented an amazing workshop on Stress Management for Athletes on April 25, 2023, to the elite competitive swimmers of the Club Warriors Swim Club.