Meet the Trainers
Who are the Ontario ACT & Pathways 2 trainers?
We have 30 trainers who have over 700 years of combined experience in the child welfare and mental health fields. They also represent the different regions of Ontario. All of our trainers demonstrated that they are highly qualified professionals many having both child welfare and mental health experience as well as experience training professionals and/or families. They also exemplified the following attributes we hoped to attract in our team of trainers:
- a rich understanding of and experience with the issues involved for adoptive and kinship families
- a heart for our kids and families and a real commitment to improving the status quo
- a commitment to ensuring lasting permanency for our kids
- a commitment to work within their communities to bring these trainings to professionals and caregivers and to help the ACO further broaden support to families through the establishment of, for example, support groups, peer mentor programs, buddies, youth networks, and respite programs
- an interest in working and growing as a team together with the other trainers and the ACO
Among the group there are mental health professionals, child welfare professionals, adoptees and adoptive parents. Their individual years of experience range from 15 to over 40 years.
Our trainers have all completed the ACT training and comprise the first group of permanency and adoption competent professionals in Ontario.
Professionals

Dannielle Samuel
Dannielle (she/her) is a registered social worker with extensive experience working in palliative and long-term care, with specific competencies in end-of-life care, loss, grief and bereavement counselling. With robust lived and professional experience, Dannielle has a passion for the adoption and permanence community. Particularly focused on post adoption supports, her trauma informed practice is focused on supporting adoptive parents and their families through the lifelong journey to permanence. She also has lived experience understanding the art of attachment, the intricacies of open adoption and the importance of concurrent planning. Dannielle uses her strength-based approach to apply narrative, solution focused techniques to her therapy. Dannielle also has a keen interest in diversity and inclusion work, providing information and workshops on self-awareness, the concepts of antiracism, and the power of forgiveness. She lives in Ottawa, where she and her husband are raising three teens.
Specialties
- openness
- preparation for adoption/permanency
- parenting support/education
- parenting youth who are adopted
- parenting children/youth with additional needs
- parenting children/youth with mental health needs i.e. ADHD, anxiety, depression
- Inter-racial/cross cultural parenting
- post-adoption/placement counselling
- adoption disruption/dissolution counselling
- Self-care
- coaching, mentoring training child welfare professionals
- coaching, mentoring, training about permanency and adoption
Teresa Jarosz
Private Adoption Practitioner
International Adoption
Domestic Private Adoption
Children’s Aid Society
Relative Adoption
Supportive Counselling
Linkage to Resources
Sylvia Gibbons
Sylvia founded and runs a Support Group for Adoptive Families and founded and runs an Adopted Youth Group, both of which are in Simcoe County. She is the ACO’s PACT Parent Liaison. In this role she assists and guides Pathways parent groups to form ongoing parent support groups in their communities. Sylvia continues to provide peer support to many adoptive families throughout Ontario. Sylvia has been a PRIDE trainer over 13 years. Sylvia is also an adoptive parent.

Melissa Pye
The Sioux Lookout First Nation’s Health Authority provides mental health services to 33 first nations in Northern Ontario.

Laura Banks
I am the owner and therapist at Family Journeys. I have been working in the field of childhood trauma for more than 20 years with children, families and adults. I was a treatment foster parent for over 20 years and this lived experience has been the foundation for my work. My work in trauma was born out of my passion and commitment to help children and adults heal those spaces inside of them that have interfered with their ability to love and be loved. I am an adoptive parent of 7 children. I have clinical and lived experience parenting children with a variety of unique needs.
I bring what I learned in my journey through training and education but more importantly I bring what many children and families have taught me about living and loving hurt and traumatized children. Children need security and commitment to heal. We all heal within relationships, relationships in therapy, in families and in communities.
Specialties
- substance abuse
- self-harm
- openness
- preparation for adoption/permanency
- parenting support/education
- parenting youth who are adopted
- parenting children/youth with additional needs
- parenting children/youth with FASD
- parenting children/youth with mental health needs i.e. ADHD, anxiety, depression
- Parenting a child/youth who identifies as LGBTQ2S+
- transition planning
- post-adoption/placement counselling
- adoption disruption/dissolution counselling
- Self-care
- coaching, mentoring training child welfare professionals
- coaching, mentoring, training about permanency and adoption
- play therapy
Jackie Robertson
Educator, Clinical Consultant and Registered Psychotherapist in the Durham, ON area with 33 years experience in mental health, trauma and adoption.
Utilizes a trauma focused and attachment (DDP trained) lens in her work with her clients.
Specialties
- substance abuse
- self-harm
- preparation for adoption/permanency
- parenting support/education
- parenting youth who are adopted
- parenting children/youth with additional needs
- parenting children/youth with mental health needs i.e. ADHD, anxiety, depression
- Inter-racial/cross cultural parenting
- transition planning
- post-adoption/placement counselling
- adoption disruption/dissolution counselling
- Self-care
- coaching, mentoring training child welfare professionals
- coaching, mentoring, training about permanency and adoption

Jacquie Tjandra
Jacquie specializes in working with adults touched by adoption, foster and kin care whether birth family members or adult adoptees. She has developed expertise in supporting people as they navigate the search and reunion process. Jacquie’s practice includes providing coaching and support to adoptive/foster/kin parents as they face the challenges of parenting children who may be displaying behaviours related to trauma and loss. Jacquie has a home office located in East Scarborough for in-person service but she is currently seeing most clients virtually.
Specialties
- search and reunion
- openness
- preparation for adoption/permanency
- parenting support/education
- parenting youth who are adopted
- parenting children/youth with additional needs
- parenting children/youth with mental health needs i.e. ADHD, anxiety, depression
- Inter-racial/cross cultural parenting
- transition planning
- post-adoption/placement counselling
- adoption disruption/dissolution counselling
- Self-care
- coaching, mentoring training child welfare professionals
- coaching, mentoring, training about permanency and adoption
Dr. Charlie Menendez

Elaine Quinn
Elaine Ash
I am an Adoption Competent, trauma-responsive Social Worker with over 40 years of experience. For the majority of my career I have worked in Out-Patient Child and Family service agencies, with 17 years spent in the Out-Patient Child and Family Clinic at Trillium Health Partners, Credit Valley Hospital site, Mississauga, Ontario. I have had the opportunity to develop expertise in working with children/youth coping with self-harming behaviour, gender identity, self-regulation issues as well as diagnosis such as Anxiety, OCD, Autism, FASD and Eating Disorders (to name a few). I work from a Solution-focused perspective with training in Cognitive Behavioural therapy and an understanding of the impact developmental trauma can have on all members of the adoption constellation. I have been working in private practice in Mississauga for over 15 years and in my Toronto office for over 10 years, offering individual, family, parenting and couples counselling. In my role as a Pathways to Permanency 2 trainer I have facilitated groups for parents since the beginning of this ACO program. Through my role as trainer for the ACO, I have also provided Adoption Competency Training to Child Welfare and Children’s Mental Health professionals. With a passion for the role of attachment in the success of post-adoption integration I have taken additional training in Attachment enhancing interventions such as Watch, Wait and Wonder. For the past 5 years I have been employed 3 days a week as the in-house therapist for a not-for-profit foster care company, Key Assets, providing therapeutic support and training to foster carers and the staff of the organization. In this capacity I have additional training in the “PersonBrain” model that is a NeuroRelational model of therapy that focuses on the relationship of brain science with behaviour.
In addition to my theoretical training I have the lived experience of being a single parent of 2 Trans-racially adopted daughters. One of my daughters was adopted Internationally and the other was adopted through the public system when she was 12 years old. They have been my greatest teachers when it comes to the joys and challenges of raising children who come into our lives with a history of loss and trauma.
In the work I do with adult, I work with people struggling with Anxiety, Depression and Life Cycle Issues, such as the transition to parenting, new employment or a move to retirement.
Specialties
- self-harm
- preparation for adoption/permanency
- parenting support/education
- parenting youth who are adopted
- parenting children/youth with additional needs
- parenting children/youth with FASD
- parenting children/youth with mental health needs i.e. ADHD, anxiety, depression
- Inter-racial/cross cultural parenting
- post-adoption/placement counselling
- adoption disruption/dissolution counselling
- Self-care
- coaching, mentoring training child welfare professionals
- coaching, mentoring, training about permanency and adoption
Dianne Mathes
Debbie Burk

Darby Crosby
AT THIS TIME, I OFFER ONLY VIRTUAL SERVICE IN ONTARIO ONLY. I USE A SECURE PLATFORM WHEN DOING VIDEO SESSIONS.
I work collaboratively with individuals couples or families to empower them to reach their goals. I have over 20 years experience using strength based evidence based skills to support clients. I use a variety of skills to assist my clients to feel better. I have a MA in Counselling Psychology/certificate in Trauma Therapy from the Adler University
I continued my training with courses in Sex Therapy and Marriage and Family Therapy. I am a Registered Psychotherapist and on the Registry of Marriage and Family Therapists. I am an Adoption Competent Therapist and trainer. I have worked with Birth families, adoptees and adoptive families.
Divorce and separation concerns are also times when support can be crucial. Counselling is a personal process. Sessions are tailored to best suit your needs and to meet your goals. Check your insurance plans to confirm that counselling with a Marriage and Family Therapist or a Registered Psychotherapist is covered.
Please visit www.darbycrosby.com for information on workshops, video counselling and more information.
Specialties
- preparation for adoption/permanency
- parenting support/education
- parenting youth who are adopted
- parenting children/youth with mental health needs i.e. ADHD, anxiety, depression
- Parenting a child/youth who identifies as LGBTQ2S+
- LGBTQ2S+ parenting
- Inter-racial/cross cultural parenting
- transition planning
- post-adoption/placement counselling
- adoption disruption/dissolution counselling
- Self-care
- coaching, mentoring training child welfare professionals
- coaching, mentoring, training children's mental health/counselling/psychotherapy professions.
- coaching, mentoring, training about permanency and adoption
Cindy Stewart
Individual counselling with families and all members of the adoption constellation_x000D_
_x000D_
Providing search and assistance with the Searching/Reunion process. Search and Reunion services can be across Canada
I can assist others if the adoption was done in Canada

Caroline Sears MSW, RSW
Private Practice
As a adoptive parent and therapist, I provide virtual counselling services for anyone touched by adoption and/or experienced childhood trauma. We can journey together and it is my hope you will be encouraged along the way.
Specialties
- self-harm
- search and reunion
- preparation for adoption/permanency
- parenting support/education
- parenting youth who are adopted
- parenting children/youth with additional needs
- parenting children/youth with FASD
- parenting children/youth with mental health needs i.e. ADHD, anxiety, depression
- Inter-racial/cross cultural parenting
- transition planning
- post-adoption/placement counselling
- adoption disruption/dissolution counselling
- Self-care
- coaching, mentoring, training about permanency and adoption
Barbara Jones Warrick
I am a solo practitioner in a shared practice space. However, during the pandemic I am limiting my practice to online work. I work with children and families as I understand that children’s mental health is family mental health. My experience as a psychotherapist includes working with individuals, families and groups, children, adolescents and adults. I have been providing counselling services to adoption, foster and kinship families for over 25 years and bring my personal experience as an adoptee to my work. My training in attachment based approaches includes Circle of Security, Incredible Years (parenting), Modified Interaction Guidance (MIG), Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (P-CIT), Theraplay and Watch-wait-Wonder. Guidance, supports my work. I am a certified play therapist and supervisor (CPT-S) with the Canadian Play Therapy Association. In addition I am trained in various trauma-based approaches including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and am a member of the ACO Developmental Trauma working group. I work from a holistic perspective attending to the strengths, stories and spiritual aspects of my clients’ experience.
Specialties
- openness
- parenting support/education
- parenting youth who are adopted
- parenting children/youth with additional needs
- parenting children/youth with mental health needs i.e. ADHD, anxiety, depression
- Parenting a child/youth who identifies as LGBTQ2S+
- LGBTQ2S+ parenting
- Inter-racial/cross cultural parenting
- coaching, mentoring, training children's mental health/counselling/psychotherapy professions.
- play therapy
- expressive arts therapy