Presenter: Cassandra Harmsen, PhD

Presenter Bio: Cassandra Harmsen is a Ph.D. student in the Clinical-Developmental Psychology program at York University, in Toronto, Canada. She obtained her B.Sc. in psychology from McMaster University in 2014, and her M.A. in Clinical-Developmental Psychology from York University in 2021. As a Ph.D. student under the supervision of Dr. Robert T Muller, Cassandra’s primary research focus is understanding effective interventions for trauma survivors. Her work has been presented at various conferences, including the 40th annual ISSTD conference and she currently has two publications in review on this topic. Cassandra has other published work in the areas of Emotion Focused Family Therapy, barriers to trauma treatment for LGBTQ+ individuals, and complicated grief during COVID-19. Cassandra has several years of experience working with children and young families in several clinical settings. She has practiced in hospitals, including the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health (CAMH), and most recently at Ron Joyce Children’s Health Centre (Hamilton Health Science) as an intervention practicum student. She has also worked in private practices focusing on assessing and treating youth with various presenting concerns. She uses evidence-based practices, including CBT, ACT, Family Based Therapy for eating disorders, and EFFT most prominently.

Presenter: Kristina Cordeiro, PhD

Presenter Bio: Kristina is a senior PhD student in the Clinical-Developmental Psychology program at York University, in Toronto, Canada. Supervised by Dr. Robert T. Muller, her research has focused on intrafamilial trauma and attachment-based treatments for children and their families. Most recently, she’s been collaborating on a large clinical trial of the effectiveness of Emotion Focused Family Therapy for caregivers supporting children living with mental illness, and she has been studying the clinical benefits of using the Adult Attachment Interview as an add-on to therapy. Her research has been recognized by the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation, and she has received numerous grants in support of her research and clinical training. Kristina has over 15 years of experience working with children and young families in educational and clinical settings and is a trained behaviour therapist. Currently a Doctoral Associate at the Family Psychology Centre, Kristina works with youth, adults and families presenting with a variety of mental health concerns, providing both assessment and treatment services. She is passionate about increasing access to effective and timely mental health services and considers the caregiver-child relationship to be a critical entry point for preventative interventions. Her hope is to affect systemic change in how we involve parents in the treatment of their children.