Meet our team

Melissa Lavallee

Melissa is a Registered Behaviour Analyst. She has been working with children and youth with autism and/or developmental disabilities since 1999 and received her BCBA in 2006. She is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno with a Master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis and received her Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Linguistics from the University of Toronto.

Melissa has worked in both private practice and in the regional autism program where she provided clinical oversight and accountability to multiple teams of supervisors and therapists working across agencies. She has created and presented trainings for ABA teams, conducted external and internal quality assurance reviews, and worked diligently over the years to support changes to the AIP/OAP so that best practices and client outcomes were always at the forefront of decision making.

Melissa is passionate about teaching therapists to be successful at using a behaviour analytic approach throughout their sessions so that every learning opportunity is maximized for their client. She taught ABA courses in the Autism and Behavioural Science program at George Brown College and Seneca College and is currently a part-time professor at George Brown College in the Behavioural Sciences degree program. Melissa has provided mentorship and supervision to many therapists and BCBAs over the past two decades and continually seeks opportunities for new learning and collaboration with colleagues.

Melissa provides ABA services in Durham Region.

Lisa Giewercer

Lisa began her career in Edmonton, Alberta in 2001. She graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Science degree with a specialization in Psychology and went on to complete a Masters of Arts in Applied Disability Studies from Brock University. She was the recipient of the Dean of Graduate Studies Excellence Scholarship, the Ontario Graduate Scholarship and the Distinguished Graduate Student Award. Lisa is a Registered Behaviour Analyst and received her BCBA in 2012.

Working in the regional autism program, Lisa provided clinical oversight to multiple teams across agencies. She supervised a Section 23 classroom consisting of a team of therapists working in partnership with a teacher and educational assistants. It is here where she first began to recognize the importance of well-planned school transitions and skill generalization. Lisa is very knowledgeable at connecting families to resources and translating behavioural treatment goals to skills that will work in the classroom.

Understanding that there is no one-size-fits-all intervention, she works with her clients and their families to find what will work for them, as ultimately that is where best outcomes occur.

Over the last several years, Lisa became actively involved in virtual service delivery and supervision. She saw benefit and gains that she had not expected. As such, she continues to believe in the value of both virtual service delivery and/or virtual supervision, where appropriate to the client and their family.

Lisa provides ABA services in York Region.

Joanne Ayotte

Joanne holds an undergraduate honours degree in Psychology and is an Early Childhood Educator (ECE) with specialization in ECE Special Needs and Wellness and Lifestyle Management. She has been working with children with autism spectrum disorder since 2000 in various capacities within the regional autism program including implementing, developing, supervising, and evaluating behavioural intervention programs.

Joanne began her career in the field of ASD and Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) as a therapist working 1:1 with young children and their families in client homes, daycare settings, and agency centers. Joanne has spent the majority of her career supervising and coaching therapists, developing and reviewing comprehensive and focused individual and group-based treatment programs, and working collaboratively with caregivers. She has also provided training and evaluation to therapists, reviewed, assessed, and made recommendations to external treatment programs as part of the quality assurance team. She later moved to the Connection for Students (CFS) program providing transition support to students leaving the regional program and entering school full time. Through CFS, she also developed and delivered trainings about ASD and ABA to the Toronto District School Board.

At Ascent Clinical Services, Joanne works closely with the BCBAs to develop and oversee clinical programming. She provides ongoing consultation to our clients and their family to establish and monitor a meaningful clinical pathway for a comprehensive and individualized treatment plan, integrating supports and services to maximize each clients learning and life potential.

Joanne provides ABA services in Scarborough and Durham Region.

Jordanna Guida

Jordanna is a Registered Social Worker who is dedicated to helping individuals enhance their mental health and well-being. She obtained her Masters of Social Work from the University of Windsor. As a practitioner, Jordanna takes a client-centred, trauma-informed and strength-based approach to therapy with the goal of creating a safe and supportive environment.

Jordanna practices using a variety of evidence-based interventions to address each client's unique needs and challenges. These evidence-based interventions include Cognitive Behavioural therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment therapy, Emotion-Focused skills training, and Dialectical-Behavioural Therapy.

She has experience working with individuals, couples, families and groups facing a wide range of challenges including but not limited to anxiety, depression, relationship concerns, family dynamics and family functioning. Jordanna’s passion for helping others and her deep understanding of the complexities of mental health concerns make her a valuable resource for clients seeking support.

Jordanna provides counselling/psychotherapy services through teletherapy.

Urvashi Sirur

Urvashi has been providing ABA services to individuals with autism and developmental disabilities for over twenty years through a client- and family-centred lens that is reflected in her every interaction. She has worked in home, the community, and centre-based models of service delivery in both private and public service.

She works directly with children, youth, and their families to develop program goals and implement positive interventions in service of her clients. She has a long history of providing training and clinical supervision to ABA therapists and champions an interprofessional approach to service delivery. Welcome, Urvashi!

Urvashi provides ABA services in Scarborough and Durham Region.