Our Team

CO-FOUNDER & OPERATIONS MANAGER

Andrea (She/her) is an Early Childhood Educator with 15 years of experience working with children in diverse environments, she is also a mother of two girls. Andrea has extensive experience developing curriculums using a play-based learning model to promote child development. She has experience supporting children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families in various communities throughout Toronto. Andrea has completed several trainings and workshops on mindfulness therapies, children’s mental health, self compassion, positive parenting, ASD and ADHD.

Andrea understands the challenges of raising children and the obstacles parents are presented with on a daily basis. She believes in using positive parenting strategies and is passionate about teaching other families how to develop mutual respect, encourage open communication and ultimately develop trustworthy family relationships!

On her free time Andrea is often out in nature with her family, or getting creative at home with one of her many hobbies!

SERVICE COORDINATOR

Kaitlyn (She/her) is the first point of contact for families as the service coordinator at Willow Tree. She is an experienced and dedicated professional with diploma in Medical Office Administration from George Brown College and over 10 years of experience in providing exceptional client service and administrative support. Throughout her career, Kaitlyn has developed strong organizational and communication skills, along with a deep understanding of how to effectively support individuals in navigating systems and accessing resources.

With a strong desire to make a positive impact, Kaitlyn is excited to continue contributing to the well-being of families and the community as the Service Coordinator at Willow Tree Mind & Wellness. She is dedicated to helping families achieve their goals and fostering an environment where clients feel heard, respected, and cared for.

Outside of her professional life, Kaitlyn enjoys spending time with her family, especially her nieces and nephews, who bring her great joy. She also loves being outdoors and spending time in nature with friends! 

CLINICAL SERVICES MANAGER
CLINICAL SUPERVISOR

Frank Nicolson (she/her) is a Registered Behaviour Analyst (Ont.) with a Master of Education in Applied Behaviour Analysis from Monash University, Australia. She has been a dedicated member of the behaviour analysis community since 2009, supporting families around the world in Australia, the U.S. and now Canada. She's passionate about collaborating with families to help neurodivergent children build values-driven lives and help them discover a love of learning they can take with them through their lives. 

When she's not cheering on families at Willow Tree, you'll probably find Frank doing improv theatre. Improv is her second passion with its welcoming and inclusive community where laughter and fun are always encouraged. Doing improv means celebrating mistakes, forgetting your worries, and truly embracing the present moment with fellow players.

CLINICAL LEAD - MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
SOCIAL WORKER

Safia (She/Her) is the Clinical Lead for Mental Health Services at Willow Tree Mind & Wellness. She is a Registered Social Worker with a Master of Social Work, a BA in Child and Developmental Psychology, and a certification in Autism and Behavioural Sciences.
Safia is currently completing her PhD in Social Work at York University. Safia’s research and clinical interests have focused on better understanding how intersectionality impacts child, youth, and family mental health. Safia is passionate about supporting the socioemotional needs of children and youth with diverse dis/abilities, and uses client-centered, anti-oppressive, neurodiversity-affirming approaches in all her work. Safia has extensive experience in children’s mental health, child development, ABA therapies and play based therapies for neurodivergent youth. Safia provides direct therapy to children, and parent consultation as well as clinical supervision to the child and youth therapists at Willow Tree.

In her free time, Safia enjoys watching basketball and social strategy games, painting, and spending time with loved ones.

SENIOR CHILD & YOUTH THERAPIST

Jordana (She/her) loves to develop fun and engaging programs as a senior therapist at Willow Tree! Jordana completed the Behavioural Science program at Seneca college and received her undergraduate degree from York University in Psychology.  Jordana has conducted research focusing on the ways coping strategies can mediate stress experienced by parents of children with ASD. Jordana is currently completing a Master’s degree in Developmental Psychology and Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto.

Jordana has over ten years of experience working with children and youth in a variety of roles including implementing Applied Behaviour Analysis based therapies for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit disorder (ADHD) and other behavioural challenges. Jordana enjoys spending time with her family and her dog. She is always trying to learn new things by asking questions, researching, and gaining new experiences!  

SOCIAL WORKER

Eshe (she/her) is a Registered Social Worker with the OCSWSSW, and holds a MSW from York University and a master’s degree in Child and Youth Care from Toronto Metropolitan University. She has been working with children, youth and families for the past 10 years in a variety of social services settings including, residential homes, homeless prevention programs, community centres and school/afterschool programs. She looks forward to developing therapeutic programs for children and youth that are skills-building, mindfulness enriched, and fun! 

Eshe enjoys writing short stories in her free time, and hopes to publish children’s books aimed at helping parents and children engage in difficult conversations. Eshe is currently completing her PhD in humanities, studying the childhood cultures.

She also loves spoiling her two turtles Ham and Cheese, and spending time with her friends and cousins.

SOCIAL WORKER

Victoria Polese (she/her) is a social worker and child and youth therapist at Willow Tree. She has a Bachelors Degree in Social Work from York University and is a Registered Social worker with the OCSWSSW. She has experience learning about children with autism from her educational background and from living with her three and sixteen year old nephew who have autism. Victoria is most passionate about providing children with the skills they need to love themselves and to navigate the issues that arise as they grow! She is excited to do this through creating a safe and fun space for children to explore their interests, identity and skills. 

On Victoria's free time, you can find her going to the gym, journaling, or reading. She enjoys working on self-love and learning new and healthy ways of being expressive. 

SOCIAL WORKER

Sherelle (She/Her) is a Registered Social worker that holds a Master of Social Work degree (MSW) from the University of Windsor. She also obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree (B.A) in Child and Youth Care. She has over 5 years experience working with children, youth, and adults. She has experience doing one on one counselling with individuals well as group counselling, working in school boards, and as a program facilitator. Sherelle enjoys providing support, guidance and understanding for individuals to share their experience, while she supports them on their individual journey. Sherelle is eager to support children and youth to develop coping mechanisms, grounding techniques, and assist in achieving their goals. She utilities various modalities such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Narrative Therapy and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy.

In Sherelle’s free time, she enjoys spending time with her friends, family and traveling to new places.

SUPERVISED INSTRUCTOR THERAPIST

Anjali Joseph is a supervised instructor therapist at Willow Tree. She holds a certificate in Autism and Behavioral Science and has a Master’s degree in Social Work from India. She is passionate about supporting children with developmental needs, using her education and experience to create engaging and meaningful opportunities for growth. Anjali is committed to fostering a safe, supportive environment where children can develop new skills and build confidence as they navigate their unique journeys.

She loves to read and If not at Willow Tree, you can find her at the nearby library!

SUPERVISED CHILD & YOUTH THERAPIST

Tracy (she/Her) is a Child & Youth Therapist that has an Honours B.A. in Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour with a Specialization in Music Cognition and Concurrent Certification in Applied Behaviour Analysis from McMaster University.

She has experience working with children and youth as a Piano Teacher and a Teaching Assistant for music therapy classes at McMaster University. She also has research experience in music cognition and child development in which she spearheaded a study regarding children’s ability to express emotions via music! Tracy is currently completing her Master’s of Social Work and Juris Doctor at University of Windsor.

In addition to music being a large part of her life, Tracy loves to read and spend time with her dog!

SUPERVISED CHILD & YOUTH THERAPIST

Luluaa Attari (she/her) is a child and youth therapist at Willow Tree Mind & Wellness. She has experience working with children with autism in both clinical and home settings, where she has developed a deep appreciation for understanding diverse learning preferences and developing educational materials.

Luluaa is passionate about research, particularly in exploring how AI methodologies can be implemented to develop psychoeducational interventions for neurodivergent learners. Her primary goal is to bridge the gap between psychotherapy and excessive wait times, ensuring timely access to mental health services.

In her free time, she likes expressing herself through various forms of art like painting, or reading about mental health wellness to keep advancing in the field.

PLACEMENT STUDENT
York University - Bachelor of Social Work

PLACEMENT STUDENT
York University - Bachelor of Social Work