BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Kayla Hamel
Chair
Kayla Hamel is a clinical psychologist currently completing a postdoctoral fellowship through the CAMH on a community collaboration providing wraparound supports for youth who have experienced homelessness. She also works part-time completing court-mandated psychological assessments for youth offenders, and in private practice. She is a graduate of York University’s Clinical Developmental Psychology program where she conducted research centered around positive mental health and resilience. Her dissertation research was conducted with a sample of street-involved children and youth in Nicaragua in order to develop a context- and culture-specific model of resilience that illuminated the diverse manifestations of resilience, and provided avenues for developing interventions to support well-being in this marginalized and understudied group of young people. Additionally, she has conducted research exploring the role of exercise and mindfulness in the cultivation of self-compassion. Her non-academic passion teaching fitness classes provides an avenue for her to build physical and mental wellness in her clients! Throughout both clinical and research endeavours over the past few years, Kayla has enriched her knowledge of CBS approaches and has been using self-compassion and flexibility to benefit her clients – and herself.
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Sarah Walsh
Secretary
Sarah Walsh is a Registered Social Worker and recently joined ACBS in 2018. Her excitement about ACT is driven by almost 10 years of clinical experience in child and adolescent mental health, and it’s broad applicability and accessibility to the experience of suffering. She has worked in both inpatient mental health and community based mental health services. Currently, she is providing individual, group and family therapy to youth and families involved in residential treatment. Although a relatively new member and learner in the ACT community, she is working to learn and apply ACT with clients along with other mindfulness based behavioural therapies.
Shlomo Radcliffe
Chair Elect
Shlomo Radcliffe is a Toronto-based Registered Psychotherapist with a practice focused on integrating contextually-focused behavioural approaches to help clients struggling with issues related to anger and anxiety. Shlomo holds a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology and is currently enrolled in Yorkville University's Doctor of Counselling and Psychotherapy program. Shlomo is passionate about all things ACT and eager to grab every new ACT book release as it comes out. Although his wife would like him to spend less time reading and more time helping out with the kids, Shlomo happily reminds her of his commitment to his values-focused action of learning all things ACT. While his wife considers broad applications of how best to 'defuse' Shlomo, his nomination to the ACBS board will surely help him learn how to more effectively apply and share the principles of contextual behavioural science while keeping his mind, body, and self fully alive and in the present.
1. Katarina Guillen
Treasurer
Katarina is a registered psychotherapist that works with youth, adults, families, and couples in private practice. She was first introduced to the concept of ACT when learning applied behavior analysis (ABA) principles and working as a registered behavior technician. She began formally learning how to provide ACT throughout her Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology. Her thesis research evaluated the impact of a compassion focused therapy (CFT) group on parent and caregiver psychological flexibility, and she continues to have a special interest in working with parents and caregivers. Currently, she is committed to deepening her understanding of ACT and strives to blend ACT with CFT to promote self-compassion and psychological flexibility in clients.
Betül Alaca
Member-at-Large
Dr. Betül Alaca is a Clinical and School Psychologist who works with children and adolescents and their caregivers. She received her PhD from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, where she is currently teaching as a Sessional Lecturer. Betül has provided assessment, treatment, and consultation for youth with complex mental health needs in hospital, community mental health, youth detention, and private practice settings. She has also worked in elementary and high schools where she conducted psychological assessments and engaged in consultation with school staff.
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Farshid Sadatsharifi
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Officer
Dr. Farshid Sadatsharifi (He/Him) is a dedicated scholar and researcher in ‘Applied Literature’. His work investigates how literature can offer insights into human experience, exploring themes of meaning, purpose, and well-being.
His doctoral research, which brought an existential lens to his analysis of classic Persian literary works, has significantly enriched the academic discourse. During his postdoctoral studies, he broadened his focus, exploring how literature and film can illuminate the search for the ‘Meaning of Life’. This extensive research, which forms the basis of his most recent book, offers a fresh perspective on the renowned Persian poet Hafez through the lenses of positive psychology and ‘Eudaimonia’.
Exploring the intersection between literature and psychology led him to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). He has invested significant time and effort in ACT training, seeking to understand how literary themes can enhance and complement the ACT framework. His current project, analyzing Attar Neishaboori's "Conference of the Birds" from an ACT perspective, further demonstrates this innovative approach.
Farshid also identifies as a person with disability who is a “Value-driven ACTivist, Accessible Creator, Inclusive Manager.” All this said, his Commitment to Equity, diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) is not just a professional stance but a deeply personal one. As a racialized newcomer with a disability, he has experienced firsthand the challenges of exclusion. These personal experiences have fueled his years of work in promoting multiculturalism and accessibility, making his commitment to creating inclusive spaces where everyone feels valued deeply rooted in empathy and understanding.
His dedication to this cause is further evidenced by his proven track record of organizing and facilitating more than 600 successful events in Iran and Canada over the past two decades. He is eager to contribute his skills to the Ontario ACBS board, believing deeply in the power of community and collaboration within the ACT sphere.
Sarah Elizabeth McMillan
Member-At-Large
Sarah (she/her) is a registered social worker, psychotherapist both in private practice and within a hospital based chronic pain clinic. Her work centres around supporting clients with mental health concerns related to health, illness, pain & disability. She trained in many types of therapies before deciding to really lean into ACT and loves how this model invites us all to explore the messy, complex and often difficult parts of our selves and our lives in order to move closer to what matters to us most.
Sarah has a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Toronto and a Master of Arts degree in Sociology with a focus on health and well-being from Wilfrid Laurier University. In addition to her clinical work, she has held roles within health services research, ethics and quality improvement.
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Sue Kim
Student Representative
Sue Kim is a Ph.D. candidate in the school and clinical psychology program at Western University. Her passion for contextual behavioural science (CBS) was sparked during her time at the Centre for School Mental Health at Western University, where she led various research projects on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), and mindfulness. Since delving into CBS research, she has integrated these approaches into her clinical work with clients at community mental health agencies and schools located in Southwestern Ontario. The supportive ACBS community has played a pivotal role in her journey as a clinician-in-training, and she is eager to ensure students continue to benefit by serving as the Student Representative.