Our Team

We are a dynamic team of professionals with over 15 years of experience serving children in our community. Our experienced and devoted team of professionals work collaboratively to provide ABA services to suit each child’s unique needs. We provide challenging and fulfilling career opportunities in the Ottawa and Whitby regions.

Join Our Team

A young female daycare teacher of Indian decent, sits beside a sweet, curly-hired young girl as they look at the completed puzzle they cooperatively finished. They are each dressed casually, smiling and laughing as they sit back and enjoy looking at their finished work.

KAREN MCARTHUR

President and CEO

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CHARLENE GERVAIS

Chief Clinical Officer, Registered Behaviour Analyst, M.ADS, BCBA, R.B.A (Ont.)

Charlene is a Registered Behaviour Analyst dedicated to delivering compassionate, evidence-based services that empower children and their families. With a career spanning over 20 years, she has extensive experience supporting the developmental and behavioral needs of children from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.

Charlene is passionate about early intervention and specializes in designing personalized programs that address the unique challenges families face in accessing services. Her work focuses on building inclusive, supportive systems that foster caregiver involvement, ease transitions from intensive services, and promote staff development through training and supervision.

A strong advocate for professional and community collaboration, Charlene is committed to advancing ABA best practices through partnerships, caregiver education, and interdisciplinary teamwork to ensure meaningful, lasting outcomes for the children and families she serves.

KARI MORROW

Clinical Supervisor, Registered Behaviour Analyst, MPEd, BCBA, R.B.A (Ont.)

Kari joined the Portia team in 2014 as an Instructor Therapist. Now the Clinical Supervisor of our Nepean location, Kari has experience working both hands-on and behind the scenes to deliver fun, effective programming. Her primary areas of interest include developing functional communication, reducing challenging behaviours, and supporting her clients and their families throughout school transitions. As a Board-Certified Behaviour Analyst, Kari also enjoys supervising professionals who are pursuing their education and certification in the field of ABA.

ALISSA BERGERON

Clinical Supervisor, Registered Behaviour Analyst, M.ADS, BCBA, R.B.A (Ont.)

Alissa joined The Portia Learning Centre as an Instructor Therapist in 2016. Now a Senior Therapist at our Nepean location, Alissa enjoys working closely with families and outside professionals to develop individualized programming goals for her clients. Alissa has her Masters of Applied Disability Studies and is working towards obtaining her BCBA credential. Having a passion for sharing her knowledge with others, Alissa enjoys working closely with parents, caregivers, therapists, and outside professionals to help her clients reach their full potential. Other areas of interest include teaching functional communication skills, reducing challenging behaviours, and teaching essential daily living skills.

MARGHERITA CURCIO

Clinical Supervisor, Registered Behaviour Analyst, M.A. Spec. Ed., BCBA, R.B.A (Ont.)

Margherita is a Clinical Supervisor at The Portia Learning Centre, where she is dedicated to helping children gain the foundational tools they need for success in the classroom and beyond. Margherita has always been passionate about guiding children to reach their full potential. She was introduced to ABA during her undergraduate studies and has since pursued extensive education and training, earning her BCaBA certification in 2019. With over 10 years of experience at Portia, she has worked closely with children and families, delivering personalized, evidence-based interventions that support learning and development. As a Clinical Supervisor, Margherita takes a collaborative approach, working with families, educators, and therapists to create individualized intervention plans that foster communication, social engagement, and independence. She is committed to empowering children by nurturing their strengths and building confidence in a supportive and enriching learning environment. Her passion for school readiness, academic success, and meaningful skill development ensures that each child receives the guidance and encouragement needed to thrive.

PAM GILES

Client Services and Human Resources Manager

Pam started with The Portia Learning Centre as an Instructor Therapist in February 2014. She moved into her current position as the Clinical Co-Ordinator in June 2017. She holds certification in Mental Health First Aid. Pam is the first point of contact for families seeking information and support from us here at Portia. She loves connecting with families to help them navigate through all the service options available.

ALEY MACDOUGALL

Clinical Supervisor, Registered Behaviour Analyst, M.ADS, BCBA, R.B.A (Ont.)

Aley began volunteering with the Ottawa Catholic District school board in 2013 helping to support children with autism and other disabilities in the classroom setting. This sparked her interest in working with children with autism and developmental disabilities and encouraged her to acquire additional knowledge and experience related to the field. In 2014, Aley began working at the Portia Learning Centre as an Instructor therapist. Since then, she has completed her Masters of Applied Disability Studies and is now a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst. She is currently the Clinical Supervisor at our Ottawa East End location. Aley’s interests lie in developing programming tailored to the unique needs of each client, collaborating with outside professionals, providing parent/caregiver training, and providing supervision to professionals pursuing BCBA certification.

SHANNON LEBLANC

Supervised Senior Therapist, B.A.

Ever since Shannon was a young child she wanted to teach. Shannon and her sister would engage in imaginary play for hours with Shannon teaching her dollies new things and her sister "Marking the dollies work" During Shannon's 3rd year of her undergrad she started working at The Portia Learning Centre. Shannon immediately knew this was where she was meant to be.

Shannon is a driven and dedicated Supervised Senior Therapist who has been working at The Portia Learning Centre since 2007. Shannon is continuously looking to further educate herself in the field of ABA. Throughout the last 15 years at The Portia Learning Centre Shannon has been very passionate and eager to improve the lives of her clients and families by encouraging and helping her clients reach their full potential.

MADISON WYATT

Clinical Supervisor, Registered Behaviour Analyst, MPEd, BCBA, R.B.A (Ont.)

Madison fell in love with the field of ABA during her post graduate studies in the Behavioural Science and Technology program through George Brown College. She completed her placements in Toronto at Aisling Discoveries and the Geneva Centre. She graduated from her Masters of Professional Education at Western University and is obtained her BCBA certification in 2020.

When Madison moved back to Ottawa in 2015, she began her career as an Instructor Therapist at The Portia Learning Centre. Since then, Madison has had the opportunity to work at all 3 of our Ottawa locations and is now the Clinical Supervisor at our Whitby centre.

Madison has a wide variety of interests but particularly enjoys developing programs to target foundational skills for with young children who have higher support needs. Her greatest joy comes from teaching skills that produce meaningful change for clients and their families.

JENNA LAFOND

Registered Behaviour Analyst, M.A. Spec. Ed., BCBA, R.B.A (Ont.)

Jenna joined The Portia Learning Centre as an Instructor Therapist in 2018. Jenna has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminology with a focus in Psychology where she graduated from Carleton University in 2017. Jenna completed her Masters for Special Education with a distinction in Applied Behaviour Analysis from Arizona State University in 2023. Jenna is dedicated to her clients and enjoys working closely with families with a focus on parent training. Jenna enjoys her role in teaching and inspiring future therapists within the field.

KAITLYN MCDEVITT

Clinical Coordinator, DSW, ABS

Kaitlyn has always been passionate about working with children with developmental disabilities. She began her studies in the Developmental Service Worker certificate program with Algonquin College, and from there she was driven to learn more about Autism and continued her studies by completing a certificate in Autism and Behavioral Science. Kaitlyn has been working with the Portia Learning Centre since 2018, and during her time she has grown into a Lead Therapist, and now Clinical Coordinator. She now handles all our staff recruitment, and training future Instructor Therapists. She also works closely with families continuing with Portia, and manages client contract renewals. Her greatest joys come from teaching meaningful skills that will positively impact her client, and their families.

ASHLEY CROKE

Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), MACP

Ashley has been working in the field of disabilities and neurodivergence since 2010. She has always had a passion for advocacy and inclusion, and helping others to meet their goals. This passion led her to complete her BA in psychology with a minor in American Sign Language at Carleton University; the Autism and Behaviour Science program at Algonquin College; and her masters in counselling psychology at Yorkville University. Currently, Ashley is working towards completing her BCBA certification coursework. With this combination of education and experience, Ashley is able to approach clients with care and understanding, to meet them where they are at, and support their desire to meet their own goals.
Ashley joined the Portia Learning Centre team in 2017 as an instructor therapist and progressed through the different positions at Portia until transitioning to work as a registered psychotherapist (qualifying). Currently, Ashley provides psychotherapy to clients out of the Kanata centre, using a variety of techniques including play therapy, art therapy, and DBT, among others. Ashley uses an eclectic approach to therapy and works in collaboration with the Senior therapists, as needed. By using a holistic approach Ashley can provide more balanced care and can provide ideal services tailored to each individual.

ALLISON CHARTRAND

Supervised Senior Therapist, M.A. Spec. Ed.

Allison joined The Portia Learning Centre in 2019 as an Instructor Therapist. Now a Supervised Senior Therapist at our Kanata location, Allison enjoys working closely with parents and caregivers in order to develop and implement individualized programming goals to aid and support her clients in reaching their full potential. Allison completed her Masters in Special Education with a distinction in Applied Behaviour Analysis from Arizona State University in 2022. Allison‘s background as a toddler and preschool educator taught her the importance of being creative and engaging in order to capture and maintain a child’s motivation to learn. Her primary areas of interest are reducing challenging behaviours, teaching life skills in the home and natural environment, and parent/caregiver training. Her greatest joy comes from seeing her clients’ learn and display new meaningful skills.

STEPHANNE LEBLANC

Supervised Senior Therapist

Stephanne began his Portia Learning Centre journey in 2019 as a Co-op student. Now, as a Supervised Senior Therapist at our Kanata location, Stephanne enjoys working closely with the dedicated team to support the clients learning. He enjoys supporting the team of Instructor Therapists by providing ongoing training and supervision. Stephanne is currently completing his Masters of Education at Western University. Some of Stephanne's main interests include ongoing learning, helping clients and Instructor therapists reach their potential, reducing challenging behaviors, family/caregiver training, and supporting the community

MELISSA SOARES

Supervised Senior Therapist

Melissa is a dedicated Supervised Senior Therapist at the Portia Learning Centre, at the Whitby location where she has the privilege of working with individuals to make a positive impact in their lives. Melissa has an educational background as a Child and Youth Worker. Since 2018, Melissa has been collaborating with a dedicated and skilled team of professionals who share a common goal - to enhance the lives of those we support.

DR. DILLON BROWNE

C.Psych.

My name is Dillon Browne, and I am a licensed clinical psychologist in Ontario, Canada. I specialize in working with children and youth who are having mental health, developmental, and learning difficulties. I also have substantial experience providing services to entire families who are struggling with relationships. I have been providing high quality mental health services to young people and families for nearly 15 years.

I grew up in Burlington, Ontario, and completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Guelph (2009), where I majored in Psychology and minored in Family and Child Studies. For graduate studies, I completed my masters (2011) and PhD (2016) in School and Clinical Child Psychology at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. For clinical internship and postdoctoral fellowship (2017), I moved to the United States, completing my education at the University of California, San Francisco. I trained in several rotations including the Intensive Family Therapy Program and the renowned Child Trauma Research Program. After, I taught for one year at the California School of Professional Psychology, San Francisco, before returning to Ontario. I currently live in Kitchener, Ontario.

As a clinical psychologist, I have a small private practice, providing intensive and specialized services to young people and families throughout Ontario both virtually and in person. Additionally, I am a professor at the University of Waterloo in the Department of Psychology, where I hold the Canada Research Chair in Child and Family Clinical Psychology.

MICHELLE RAMALHO

M.S.W,. R.S.W.

Michelle Ramalho graduated with a Masters of Social Work from the University of Toronto, is registered with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW) and is a member of the Canadian Association of Social Workers. Michelle has worked with a wide range of people such
as veterans, adults, and children and their families. She is especially interested in working with families and has trained in a variety of evidence based modalities such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Emotion Focused Family Therapy, Trauma-Focused CBT, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and using Dialectical Behavioural Therapy skills.

When working with families, Michelle’s approach is strength-based and emotion-focused,
promoting communication, acceptance of each other, and problem solving (when appropriate).
Michelle has extensive experience working with teens and young people, helping them to
navigate life transitions and challenges and really enjoys this age group as well.
Dedicated to a person-centered approach, Michelle draws on anti-oppressive, trauma-informed, 2SLGBTQ+ inclusive lenses to learn about each family member, as well as each family’s unique background. At the heart of her practice is a belief that the client is the “expert” in the room. Michelle is passionate about walking alongside those she works with and is honoured to support their mental health, relationships, and quality of life.

Michelle values building effective client relationships above all else, and initial sessions will
focus on learning about your family, what has been effective for you in the past, and discussion
of your future goals with Portia. This is a time to come together and connect. Generally, the
monthly sessions will focus on an initial update of family life, a discussion of any questions,
space to brainstorm possible solutions, or work to accept things that may not have “solutions”.
Depending on your personal and family needs, Michelle can offer skills to support you to
manage difficult moments, and also empathy and validation as you navigate those moments.
Overall, Michelle is looking forward to connecting and providing you the support you are looking for in your family’s journey with Portia.

RAZAN BASTAKI

Supervised Senior Therapist Assistant, BA., Psych.

Since joining The Portia Learning Centre in 2022, Razan has served as a supervised instructor therapist primarily at the Kanata location. Razan holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Concordia University and brings experience from various childcare settings. Currently, Razan operates as a Supervised Senior Therapist Assistant, primarily based at the Kanata location while also providing support at the Nepean location. Razan is committed to fostering an environment that enhances clients' learning experiences and is dedicated to supporting staff through ongoing training and supervision.

JORDAN LEBAR

Supervised Clinical Lead, BA., Psych

Jordan has been with The Portia Learning Centre since 2022, starting as a Supervised Instructor Therapist and now serving as a Supervised Clinical Lead. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Western University with a minor in Gender and Sexuality Studies and is currently completing her Master’s in Counselling Psychology at Yorkville University. In her role as Supervised Clinical Lead, Jordan supports clients across all Portia locations, assisting with clinical programming and intervention strategies. She is also actively involved in developmental screenings, helping to assess and identify early support needs for children and families. Jordan is passionate about empowering learners to build independence, enhance communication skills, and develop emotional awareness. Her dedication to individualized care ensures that each client receives personalized, evidence-based support to help them thrive.

BRIANNA DELANEY

Supervised Clinical Lead, BA., Psych

Brianna is a Supervised Clinical Lead at The Portia Learning Centre’s East-end location, where she provides staff training, development, and ongoing clinical support to Instructor Therapists. In addition to mentoring staff, Brianna works closely with clients and families, delivering personalized 1:1 therapy and helping children achieve meaningful milestones. Since joining Portia, Brianna has developed a deep passion for the field, embracing the opportunity to create a positive impact on both her colleagues and the families she supports. She is dedicated to fostering a collaborative and engaging learning environment, ensuring that both staff and clients receive the guidance they need to thrive. Through her expertise in staff development and client support, Brianna plays a key role in maintaining high-quality clinical services and advancing best practices in therapy and intervention.

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