Dr. J. Louise MacKay is a Registered Counselling Psychologist who currently lives and works in Edmonton, Alberta.

 

She began her studies with an Honors degree in Psychology from the University of Prince Edward Island. Then, she completed her Masters and Ph. D. in Educational Psychology with a specialization in Counselling Psychology at the University of Alberta. She completed her studies in November, 1999.

 

She spends the majority of her working hours in her private practice with children, adolescents, and adults who have been victims of sexual, physical, emotional trauma as well as other types of trauma where the clients are grieving the loss of a loved one. In addition to trauma work, Dr. MacKay also works with a wide variety of issues with children, adolescents, and adults such as anxiety, attachment issues, depression, and family of origin issues, school difficulties, peer relations, bullying, sexuality issues, gender identity issues, adjusting to divorce and separation, and issues of loss. As well, Dr. MacKay works with both children, adolescents, and adults who are on the Autism Spectrum.

 

Dr. MacKay is trained in various modalities of counselling and intervention strategies for children, adolescents, and adults such as play therapy, solution focused therapy, narrative therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy. She recently completed training and became a Certified Somatic Therapist (SEP).

 

Dr. MacKay has conducted numerous presentations on the area of children and adults who have been victims of trauma. In addition to counselling children, teenagers, and adults who have been victims of trauma, Dr. MacKay spent years conducting psycho-educational assessments both in Edmonton and in Yellowknife. Currently, she only conducts trauma assessments on children and adults.

 

As well, earlier in her career, she worked for a short time at the Zebra Child and Adolescent Protection Center in Edmonton providing trauma assessment and treatment for young victims as a part of a multidisciplinary team including specialized child welfare investigators and detectives who worked with young victims of trauma. Since then, due to her expertise in the area of trauma, Dr. MacKay worked closely with the Pediatricians and staff at the Child and Adolescent Protection Center (CAP) at the University of Alberta Hospital as well as continued to work closely with the Zebra Child Protection Centre.

 

For numerous years, Dr. MacKay would see clients referred to her from both the CAP Centre as well as the Zebra Child Protection Centre and continues to receive referrals.

 

Additionally, in the past Dr. MacKay has had the opportunity to travel abroad and volunteer at the Department of Health, Women & Children Protection Center at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines. Dr. MacKay has made numerous trips to this center. She worked with traumatized children and their families through use of a translator. Also, she consulted with the other psychologists regarding the needs of the center. Additionally, she participated in the first Conference in Cebu on Children and Trauma where she was the Key note speaker. In February of 2008, she returned to Cebu City, Philippines, where she worked with a team of experts in training front line workers in understanding and processing trauma with their clients. This was a three year training commitment.

 

Throughout her career, Dr. MacKay has continued to present in the areas of trauma and attachment to various audiences including Prosecutors, Child & Family Service Workers, Foster parents, and First Responders, as well as numerous other organizations.

 

She has supervised numerous counselling students at both the Masters and PhD levels at the University of Alberta. As well, she has taught classes at the University of Prince Edward Island in the Psychology Department. Also, she has co-taught practicum classes (Master’s level) at City University and has guest lectured in the Educational Psychology Department at the University of Alberta.

 

Dr. MacKay has a keen interest and expertise in the area of trauma & attachment, thus has been qualified as an expert witness in both family and criminal court on numerous occasions. As well, she is a registered psychologist in both Alberta and the North West Territories.

 

As well as seeing clients in her office, Dr. MacKay provides Telehealth sessions via video conference and telephone sessions as needed due to the risks that the Coronavirus has put on many clients.