Our Team
Devon Chazan
Counselling Intern
Hello! I have experience working with body image and eating concerns, trauma, depression, and anxiety with children, adolescents, and adults. I believe a strong working alliance to be an essential foundation of our work together. As such, I aim to foster a safe interpersonal space for you to be seen and heard in the exploration of your thoughts, emotions, and behaviour. We will work at your own pace to move beyond the presenting symptoms with the goal of targeting the underlying causes that maintain the problems in your life.
Together we will explore the origin of your struggles, process painful memories, and identify the patterns which are no longer serving you and may be, in fact, contributing to your present-day difficulties. My
method will help identify your strengths to then be utilized as a catalyst for growth and change. I largely subscribe to a humanistic orientation in that I believe that you are the expert of your own experiences and already possess adaptive resources. My role is to help you unlock these resources and put them into action. I work using an integrative approach, tailored to your unique needs and goals, which combine emotion-focused, psychodynamic, and cognitive-behavioural theories. Furthermore, I draw on these techniques all through a strengths-based and self-compassionate lens.
I have experience working in schools administering psychoeducational assessments, diagnosing, and providing recommendations for optimal functioning for children with diverse learning, emotional, and behavioural needs. In this setting, I also provided individualized psychosocial interventions as well as had the privilege of leading a Social Thinking group for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. I have always closely worked with parents or caregivers in these capacities and have gained experience providing parent-management training to those caring for children with ADHD.
I am particularly passionate about helping those with body image and eating concerns. To this end, I have worked in an eating disorders program, in a hospital setting, providing therapy for in-patients, day-patients, and outpatients. Additionally, I have led body positivity and self-esteem building groups for adolescent girls. My doctoral research focus is also aligned with my clinical interest in body image. Outside of these experiences, I devote my time to volunteering for a number of organizations close to my heart and enjoy reading, travelling, and spending time in nature.
I have a BA in Psychology from McGill University (2017) and a MEd in School and Clinical Child Psychology from the University of Alberta (2019). I am currently mid-way through a PhD in the same program. My master’s and doctoral level training have equipped me for psychological work with children, teens, families, and adults in a variety of settings. At the completion of my PhD, I intend to become licensed as a psychologist with the Order of Psychologists of Quebec. Until then, I am working under supervised practice.
I look forward to getting to know you and helping you reach your full potential.