Dr. Ashley Paterson (she/her) graduated from the University of Windsor with her Ph.D. in clinical psychology. She has over 15 years of clinical experience providing services to children, adolescents, and adults who present with a variety of mental health and neurodevelopmental concerns. For the past 10 years, she has worked in the school system supporting children and families, collaborating with school teams, and providing individual therapy to adults in private practice. Dr. Paterson has supported children, teens, and adults with a wide range of mental health concerns, including anxiety, depression, trauma, and adjustment to an illness or injury. Prior to this, she was mentored at the Teen Health Centre, Regional Children’s Centre, and Victims Services. She completed her residency through the Kingston Internship Consortium where she provided assessment and therapy to children and adults with Intellectual Disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and other neurodevelopmental concerns. Dr. Paterson is registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO) with declared areas of competence in clinical and school psychology with children, adolescents, and adults.

Dr. Paterson has a client-centred and collaborative approach to therapy that is grounded in evidence-based practices. She primarily draws from Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Emotion-Focussed Therapy (EFT), and Emotionally-Focussed Family Therapy (EFFT). Attachment theory and trauma-informed practices guide much of her work. Dr. Paterson is compassionate and non-judgemental, and she ensures that her clients feel safe and supported as they work toward their goals.

Psychoeducational assessments can be important sources of information to better understand the strengths and needs of a child. Working in the school system, Dr. Paterson ensures that the report and recommendations that result from an assessment highlight children’s strengths, and help families and school teams better meet the needs of children and youth. She provides academic testing in both French and English to meet the needs of students in French and French Immersion schools.

In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Paterson volunteers at the Windsor Regional Hospital. She is a founding co-chair of the Family Advisory Care Team for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). In that role, she helped established a peer support program for families in the NICU. She continues to work with the medical team to give a voice to families who have lived experience caring for an infant in the NICU.