About

Gayle has been working with children, teens and adults as an individual and group therapist for the past 21 years. Her clinical work has aimed to improve mood related issues such as anxiety and depression. Areas of interest have also included working with individuals with learning disabilities, attention issues, and Asperger’s, as well as the parenting struggles that are coupled with these difficulties.

Gayle has extensive training and experience using Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) techniques to help clients manage troublesome moods more effectively.  This training has been enhanced by the Mindfulness training she has brought into her practice for the past 11 years.  This training has included MBSR training (Jon Kabot-Zinn’s mindfulness-based stress reduction), Buddhist Psychology, evidenced-based MBCT (Zindel Segal), and DBT (dialectical behavioural therapy).

Gayle currently works in private practice offering individual, family and group counseling with a specific interest in working with issues relating to emotional regulation, anxiety, and social difficulties.  Treatment approaches are focused on improving the social and emotional health of her clients, using evidenced-based approaches like CBT, and MBCT. These treatment approaches are suitable for children, teens and adults.

Parent counseling includes skill-based strategies aimed to help parents become more attuned to their child’s needs, and help them improve the child’s ability to more effectively manage their mood.

In addition to counseling, Gayle provides consultations to schools as well as designs and delivers teacher and student workshops. Topics range from anxiety and mood related issues to building social competence. Workshops also include mindful practices to manage stress and mood related issues like anxiety and depression, as well as mindful parenting strategies to enhance attachment.  In addition, Gayle has delivered workshops on building social resilience, understanding learning issues and executive function issues, self-advocacy, Asperger’s, and enhancing group facilitation skills.

Gayle has an undergraduate degree in Psychology from York University and a Graduate degree from OISE’s Institute of Child Study at the University of Toronto. Gayle is a registered Social Worker with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers as well as the Ontario Association of Consultants, Counsellors, Psychometrists and Psychotherapists (OACCPP). Gayle is currently a faculty member of Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto in the AMM (Applied Mindfulness Meditation) program. Gayle is the mother of 3 children ages 18, 14, and 11.