The Lab Team

Meet our dedicated team

Illustration of four people looking at abstract data on a white board

People

Our team team includes graduate students in clinical psychology and psychological science, undergraduate students, and research volunteers. We also are very fortunate to collaborate with numerous excellent researchers, community organizations, and community members, without whom our research would not be possible.

  • All Members
  • Graduate Students

Lab Director and Associate Professor

Karen Milligan, Ph.D., C. Psych.

karen.milligan@torontomu.ca
416-979-5000 ext. 557054

Dr. Karen Milligan is the Lab Director of the Child & Family WISE (Wellness through Integrated Systems and Evaluation) lab and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). Prior to coming to the university in 2012, she worked for close to a decade as a child clinical psychologist and researcher in children’s mental health and addiction treatment sectors. Dr. Milligan received her PhD in school and child clinical psychology from the University of Toronto and is a registered psychologist working with children, adolescents, adults, and families.

Dr. Milligan conducts psychological research and program evaluation in partnership with community organizations serving children, caregivers, and families. Current research studies focus on:

1) Pregnant and parenting people with problematic substance use and their children (aged 0-6 years), with a focus on integrated programs, parenting interventions, and the influences of maternal cognition, emotion regulation, and social and structural determinants of health on parenting.

2) Caregivers of children and transitional aged youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities.

3) Youth mental health intervention, particularly for youth with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as learning disabilities and ADHD.

4) Training and supervision of youth mental health clinicians, including ethical and safe Generative AI approaches. Across these research themes, Dr. Milligan uses varied methodological designs, including cross-sectional, longitudinal, and quasi-experimental designs and use of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches.

Dr. Milligan is actively engaged in clinical supervision and mentorship. She is currently the Child Clinical Training Coordinator for the TMU Clinical Psychology Program and a previous Director of Clinical Training. Dr. Milligan is a supervising psychologist at St. Michael’s Hospital, working with the Family Health Team and Paediatrics Clinic.

Dr. Milligan is not reviewing applications for a graduate student for the current application cycle (entry Fall 2026).

 

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Graduate Student

Irina Osminin

Irina is a second-year PhD student in the Clinical Psychology program. She earned her Specialized Honours degree in Psychology from York University and completed her MA in Clinical Psychology at TMU. Her MA thesis examined sensitivity and disrupted caregiving behaviours in mothers with problematic substance use, highlighting that these constructs overlap yet remain distinct. Notably, differences were most pronounced among mothers parenting in the context of poverty and basic need insecurity. Building on this work, her dissertation will examine changes in parenting quality over time in response to intervention, focusing on identifying mediating and moderating factors that influence parenting outcomes. Her graduate studies have been supported by SSHRC, OGS, and a TMU graduate scholarship.

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Graduate Student

Nekeisha Jean-Baptiste

Nekeisha is completing her MA in TMU’s Clinical Psychology program. Her research interests include resilience and its impact on mental health and well-being in marginalized youth and families, including racialized and neurodiverse populations. She completed a mixed-methods study examining the experiences of caregivers of children with neurodevelopmental disability accessing healthcare services. She is currently completing her PhD practicum at the Better Behaviour program at CAMH. Nekeisha graduated from the University of Toronto Scarborough with an Honours Bachelor of Science degree specializing in Psychology.  In her free time, Nekeisha enjoys reading and crocheting!

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Graduate Student

Erica Rodrigues

Erica is a PhD candidate in Clinical Psychology. She completed her BSc in Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour at McMaster University in 2020 where she conducted research on personality and quality of life in adults with schizophrenia. Her Master’s thesis involved assisting with implementation of a parenting intervention among mothers with problematic substance use, examining the roles maternal emotion regulation and trauma symptoms on intervention outcomes. Erica’s doctoral dissertation investigates how parent and youth emotion regulation and impulse control relate to relationship quality and mental health among neurodivergent youth, with a focus on those with learning differences. Her clinical experience, including her training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and work with families of highly sensitive and emotionally dysregulated youth informs her graduate research. Erica’s graduate studies have been supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and a TMU Graduate Fellowship. She is currently completing her Doctoral Internship at Kinark Child and Family Services (CPA accredited).

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Graduate Student

Charlie Gryspeerdt

Charlie is a MA student in the Clinical Psychology program at TMU. She completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology at TMU, where her undergraduate thesis explored the mediating role of perceived stress in the relationship between mothers’ experience of childhood maltreatment and their current observed emotionally available parenting behaviour. Her MA thesis project is a mixed-methods analysis seeking to explore the integration of emotion regulation into a model of barriers to substance use treatment engagement for pregnant and parenting women. Her graduate studies have been supported by SSHRC, OGS, and TMU graduate fellowships.

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Undergraduate Thesis Student

Celia Ambeault

Celia is a fourth-year undergraduate student in Psychology at TMU. She is completing her honours thesis in the Child and Family WISE Lab. Her thesis project is examining the influence of parent and adolescent understanding of learning issues on youth mental health, with a focus on youth with learning disabilities and ADHD. Celia plans to pursue a Masters of Social Work after graduation.

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Study Coordinator

Research Study Coordinator

Florencia is the study coordinator for our CIHR-funded study examining caregiver and youth experiences as they transition from pediatric to adult services, specifically for youth with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. In addition to this role, Florencia is completing her MA in School and Child Clinical Psychology at OISE/University of Toronto.

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Lab Alumni

Previous Graduate Students

Dr.  Victoria Ingram, 2025

Dr. Ingram graduated from the Clinical Psychology Program. She completed her MA and PhD in the Child and Family WISE lab. Her PhD research focused on implementation of an attachment-based intervention (Attachment and Biobehavioral Catchup or ABC) with mothers with problematic substance use.  Dr. Ingram is working towards registration as a Clinical Psychologist at the CAP centre in Aurora.

Dr. Annabel Sibalis, 2021

Dr. Sibalis graduated from the Psychological Sciences Program at TMU and completed her master’s and doctorate degree in the Child and Family WISE Lab. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH, Dr. Brendan Andrade) and is now a Senior Policy Analyst with Health Canada.

Dr. Tamara Meixner, 2021

Dr. Meixner graduated from the Clinical Psychology Program at TMU. She completed her master’s and doctorate degree in the Child and Family WISE Lab. She now works as a clinical psychologist with the FASD clinic at St. Michael’s Hospital and in private practice at Foundations for Emotional Wellness in Toronto, ON.

Deanna Klymkiw, 2015, MA 2017 (PhD, Supervised by Dr. David Day)

Alex Irwin, 2015-2017 (PhD, Supervised by Dr. Leslie Atkinson)

Postdoctoral Research Fellows

Dr. Lesley A. Tarasoff, 2017-2018 (Healthy Mothers, Healthy Families)
Dr. Tarasoff is now the Research Manager for the Provincial Council for Maternal and Child Health.

Dr. Amelia Usher, 2015-2016  (Healthy Mothers, Healthy Families)
Dr. Usher is now a Behavioural Scientist with the Ontario Behavioural Insights Unit (Provincial Cabinet Office).

Undergraduate Thesis Students

Patricia Forbes, 2025

Graduate student in Clinical Psychology.

Julia Peak, 2020
Julia completed a MSc in Neuroscience at McMaster University and is currently completing her PhD in Clinical Psychology at McMaster University.

Gregory Vukets, 2020
Graduate student in Clinical Psychology.

Laura Daari, 2019
Laura was the Research Coordinator in the Child and Family WISE Lab before starting her graduate studies in  clinical psychology at Simon Fraser University in 2021.

Leah Sack, 2018
Completed  PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Guelph.

Natalie Besharat, 2016
Completed a Masters of science degree in paediatric psychosocial care at McMaster University.

Melissa Edwards, 2016, former Research Coordinator
Completed a Master’s of Social Work degree at Wilfrid Laurier University.

Madeline (Quinn) Morris, 2016
Completed a PsyD in Clinical Psychology at Memorial University.