Eating Disorder Clinic – Our Team

Our team

Our team

A Word from the Founder and General Director

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the BACA Clinic. On this day, I could not be more proud to open its doors to you. BACA is the culmination of more than eighteen years of passion and dedication to the cause of eating disorders.

My vision of recovery was first shaped by my own personal experience with bulimia. It then solidified throughout my academic studies as well as through my contacts and training with mentors, luminaries who have since become internationally recognized experts in the field.

To recover from an eating disorder, one must be surrounded by a team of competent and specialized professionals. These professionals must care.  They must believe in us and support us throughout the entire process. For its part, the team must be strong, understanding and willing to integrate traditional as well as more creative approaches in order to find the most appropriate form of intervention for each individual. I have made this vision my main mission since the BACA clinic opened its doors in 2001. Every effort has been invested in creating an environment where our clients can feel safe and supported to undergo the process of recovery. The moment you walk through our doors, know that your condition becomes our own. Our team is committed to accompanying you, with you and for you on the road to recovery. May your journey be as smooth and kind as it possibly can be.  Looking forward to meeting with you, Tania Lemoine

The BACA Clinic team is composed of professionals who believe in the full recovery of eating disorders.

Clinical Team

Tania Clinique Baca

Tania K. Lemoine, PsyD, MSSW, LCSW, CEDS

Founder and General Director

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Read her complete bio: click here.

Lianne Dybenko, B.Sc., RDN

Co-Clinical Director, Dietician-Nutritionist

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Hello, my name is Lianne Dybenko. I am a nutritionist and a member of the Ordre des diététistes du Québec, specializing in the treatment of eating disorders for the past 14 years. Eating disorders have interested me enormously since my youth, which is what directed me to the BACA team which I joined at the beginning of my career, in 2001. I had the privilege to participate in the development of the multiple facets of BACA: the clinical aspect through the outpatient, intensive and residential programs; the educational aspect, through the training programs that I run, the supervision that I provide and the training of interns that we welcome; as well as the management of our nutritional guidelines and the proper functioning of our team.

Driven by my professionalism as well as a deep desire to learn and to specialize, I have participated in many training courses, symposiums and conferences on mental health and eating disorders across Canada and the United States. Passionate about psychology, I continue to educate myself by means of certificates in mental health and by multiple hours of supervision primarily targeting comorbidity complexes often related to eating disorders (personality disorders, anxiety disorders, mood disorders and substance abuse). As I believe in ongoing training, I am also a member of organizations such as ANEB and the Academy for Eating Disorders.

During my years at the BACA Clinic, I developed my expertise by working in residential and day programs, by hosting several groups and by overseeing many individual and family nutritional follow-ups. I have also run several professional training courses on the nutritional approach for people who suffer from eating disorders. Currently, my duties include the clinical supervision of nutrition, overseeing group meals, as well as outpatient nutritional follow-ups in all their forms.

I find the work I do with my clients to be very rewarding and stimulating. My experience coupled with my empathetic, warm, gentle and reassuring approach encourages confidence and facilitates the journey of my clients toward a better relationship with their body and with food. For me, it is a privilege to work with the BACA team and especially with my clients.

A. J. Rubineau, MD MPH

Doctor, Medical Director

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Before joining the team at BACA in 2017, I served for seven years as the Medical Lead for the Cornell Healthy Eating Program (CHEP) at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. I am an American Family Medicine physician, holding active medical licenses from the Collège des Médecins du Québec since 2015, and from the state of New York since 2007.  I am Board Certified by the American Board of Family Medicine since 2003. I earned my Medical Doctorate in Family Medicine from the Yale School of Medicine, and completed my Family Medicine Residency at Brown University. 

My medical practice has consistently focused on providing compassionate, patient-centered care to at-risk populations.   Over the years, I have sought training and developed additional expertise within Family Medicine on topics including healthy eating /eating disorders, sexual health, adolescent health, as well as vulnerable populations, including sexual minorities, incarcerated people, and individuals with substance use disorders.

In addition to my MD, I earned a BS in Psychology from MIT, a Masters in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I am a trained doula, and I received certification in Medical Acupuncture from Harvard Medical School.  Each of these pursuits has informed my practice, and has enabled me to approach every patient as a whole person above all.  

Eating disorders are bio-psycho-social illnesses that can strike at the very core of who we are.  Recovery is Possible, and my patients have taught me over the years that Recovery is Beautiful, and it’s worth striving for. At BACA, my goal is to support each person on their individual recovery journey toward healing, and wholeness.  

Elsa BACA Team

Elsa Perez, MA, MSc(A), TCF

Director of the family department,
Couple and family therapist

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I’m thrilled to be joining the BACA team as a Family Therapist, Psychotherapist and Creative Arts Therapist. I hold a MA Creative Arts Therapies (Drama Therapy) from Concordia University, Montreal and a MSc(A) in Couple and Family Therapy from McGill University. I am licenced as a psychotherapist by the Ordre des Psychologues du Québec and as a Couple and Family Therapist from the Ordre des des travailleurs sociaux et familiaux du Québec.

Psychotherapy is a collaborative process that aims to increase psychological well-being and reduce distress. This process is grounded in a relationship: the one between you -the individual, couple, or family – and me – the psychotherapist. I strive to make the therapeutic space as safe, warm, non-judgmental, and compassionate as possible. Genuinely connecting with my clients, I work to really understand what is going on inside you. Taking a non-pathlogizing stance, I look beyond the symptom at see individual problems such as eating disorders as being deeply connected to relationships: not just the one we have with food but also the ones we have with ourselves and our loved ones.

My approach is attachment-based, emotion-focused, trauma-informed and developmental. I ask myself: what does this person bring with them into the room, into the therapy, and into their relationships? What stressors and ruptures from the past might be resonating in the here and now? What are their innate strengths? Thanks to my background in both talk therapy and Creative arts therapies, I have many tools at my disposal to tackle your issues: verbal and non-verbal. Together, let’s work on relieving your distress, increasing your wellbeing, finding balance and making your relationships more satisfying and supportive. I look forward to meeting you.

Mary Clinique Baca

Marie Grassia, M.S. Psychology

Director of the intensive day program, Psychotherapist

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I obtained my Master of Science in Psychology from Binghamton University, State University of New York and completed all doctoral coursework. Throughout graduate school, I received a solid background in research, in assessments using semi-structured diagnostic interviews, and in the delivery of cognitive-behavioral treatments, particularly cognitive therapy for depression. During my time there, I treated adult patients with moderate to severe unipolar depression in the Binghamton Mood Disorders Institute using cognitive therapy, I worked with a heterogeneous client population for four years in the Binghamton University Psychological Clinic, and I had practicum experiences on the inpatient units at the Greater Binghamton Health Center where I was able to assess and treat severely mentally ill children and adults in both individual and group settings.

I returned to Montreal to complete my clinical internship at the Douglas Hospital Eating Disorders Program where I received extensive training in the treatment of eating disorders. I was also fortunate enough to begin my career there as I gained many valuable experiences over the next 4 years working in the Intensive Adolescent Program and the Eating Disorders Program (adult).

Given my research background, I believe in using evidence-based treatments focused on making concrete changes in thoughts and behaviours. By exploring their individual goals and motivations, and meeting my clients at their level of change, I use a collaborative approach to developing their treatment plan in order to be able to best guide them through the recovery process.

Sample publications:
Grassia, M., & Gibb, B.E. (2009). Rumination and lifetime history of suicide attempts. International Journal of Cognitive Therapy, 2, 400-406.

Grassia, M., Gibb, B.E. (2008) Rumination and prospective changes in depressive symptoms. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 27, 931-948.

Vero Clinique Baca

Véronique Petit, DPs

Psychologist

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I have a PhD in professional psychology. My initial specialization was in organizational psychology; a field for which I have developed an expertise in diversity management. Thanks to this specialization I am able to take into account the influence of culture on our modes of interaction, our styles of communication, our representations of the world and our concept of disease. It is therefore a priority for me to respect cultural differences and to take them into account in my interventions.

In addition to being passionate about my consulting work with companies and my work in clinical psychology, I have added to my professional knowledge an expertise in the treatment of eating disorders, a problem that has interested me for many years. These two fields of practice fulfill the psychologist in me.

When treating eating disorders, one of my priorities is to adapt my approach and the tools to be used to the person with whom I am working. I believe that despite the similarities encountered in eating disorder symptoms, each person is unique and deserves to be recognized and understood in the context of their own personal history. I see the therapeutic process as a team effort. We are able to find effective solutions through the exchange of our respective knowledge. I believe in speaking frankly, while making a point to respect the pace of each individual.

I am passionate about my work and keeping my knowledge up to date is a priority for me (reading, training, etc.).

Erika Rossi, PhD

Psychologist

Catherine Clinique Baca

Catherine Moquin, M.Sc., RDN

Dietician-Nutritionist

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Je m’appelle Catherine Moquin et je suis nutritionniste, diplômée de l’Université de Montréal depuis 2010. C’est mon intérêt pour les troubles alimentaires et les relations complexes à la nourriture qui m’a amenée à compléter ma formation professionnelle. Je me suis d’ailleurs spécialisée dans ce domaine en réalisant une maîtrise qui a permis de valider une intervention de groupe auprès de femmes souffrant de trouble alimentaire.  

Je suis membre de l’Ordre professionnel des diététistes du Québec et je pratique en clinique privée depuis le début de ma carrière en mettant à profit mon expertise pour le traitement des troubles alimentaires de toutes sortes, des problèmes reliés au poids et de la préoccupation excessive à l’égard de l’alimentation et du corps. Passionnée et rigoureuse, je suis toujours à l’affût de formations de perfectionnement afin d’approfondir mes connaissances.  Que ce soit sur la nutrition qui est en constante évolution, sur les troubles alimentaires et les enjeux reliés, sur l’alimentation en pleine conscience ou tout ce qui y est relié de près ou de loin, j’assiste à diverses conférences et colloques afin que mes interventions soient toujours les plus adaptées. 

Parallèlement à ma pratique clinique, mon vif intérêt et ma conviction pour la prévention des problèmes reliés au poids et à l’image corporelle m’ont amenée à travailler pour l’organisme ÉquiLibre. J’ai la chance d’offrir des formations destinées aux professionnels de la santé afin qu’ils puissent intégrer une approche axée sur les habitudes de vie et favoriser le développement d’une relation saine à la nourriture et au corps auprès de leur clientèle. 

Mon parcours professionnel m’a aussi amenée à travailler en psychiatrie à l’Hôpital Charles-LeMoyne. Depuis 2015, c’est à l’équipe de l’Institut universitaire en santé mentale Douglas que je me suis jointe comme nutritionniste clinicienne. Une fois de plus, j’ai la chance d’aider les gens qui ont des enjeux psychologiques affectant leur alimentation de différentes façons. Je prends toujours le temps de discuter avec les patients afin de bien saisir leurs enjeux et trouver la meilleure voie pour optimiser leurs comportements alimentaires. Par ailleurs, j’ai agit à titre de nutritionniste en pédopsychiatrie, à l’Unité des troubles alimentaires pour adolescents, ce qui a vraiment permis de bonifier mes interventions auprès des jeunes souffrant de troubles alimentaires et leur famille.

Je suis reconnue pour ma sensibilité et mon empathie ainsi que par mon humour bien dosé qui permet d’alléger certains moments difficiles du rétablissement. Je sais adapter mes interventions autant auprès des adolescents et de leurs parents, qu’auprès des adultes. Selon moi, le travail en interdisciplinarité est la clé du succès pour le rétablissement et je suis reconnaissante de faire partie d’une équipe aussi complète, compétente et chaleureuse que celle de la clinique BACA. 

Au plaisir de vous rencontrer et de vous aider! 

Gilda Clinique Baca

Gilda C. Delauney, RDN

Dietician-Nutritionist

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Hello, my name is Gilda Corpadean Delaunay. I am a dietitian-nutritionist, member of the Ordre professionnel des diététistes du Québec, with over 15 years of professional experience. My professional journey led me to develop solid competencies in several areas of practice, such as hospital inpatient nutrition services, individual and group nutrition counselling and workshops in outpatient settings, for chronic disease management and prevention, healthy lifestyle education, and general nutrition services. In recent years, I shifted my focus toward nutritional therapy for weight and body image issues and eating disorders.

My strong interest in the treatment of eating disorders was certainly fuelled by my passion for exploring the many facets of our relationship with food, seeing it as an important part of ourselves and a key constituent in attaining overall good health and wellbeing. It was enhanced by my interest in understanding the psychological, cultural and social aspects of food-related behaviours. I developed an integrative approach to nutrition counselling, as I encourage my clients to explore their concerns related to food, in body, in mind, and their interactions with the world.

It is essential for me to develop a helping relationship with my clients based on empathy, authenticity, and trust. Understanding and addressing my clients’ possible distress and most pressing concerns allows me to gently yet decisively guide them to implement positive changes, to move toward recovery with higher motivation and confidence. I put emphasis on identifying together strategies to overcome even the hardest challenges, finding solutions that are tailored to specific individual needs.

I find my profession rewarding through its ongoing learning process, the many opportunities for training and for consolidating my expertise. I participate regularly in training programs, courses and conferences, which I consider a vital and stimulating part of my work. I am a professional member of the organization Équilibre, accredited to offer their weight management program, and a Certified Intuitive Eating Counsellor.

At the BACA clinic, it is a pleasure and a true privilege for me to work with the wonderfully competent and dedicated professionals in our team. Certainly, the most rewarding part is my privileged work with clients, a rich human experience that nourishes my passion and commitment to my work every day.

I look forward to meeting you!

Lucie Brossard, RDN

Dietician-Nutritionist

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I am a dietician-nutritionist, member of the Ordre Professionnel des diététistes du Québec (OPDQ). I have over 10 years of experience. A graduate of McGill University in 2004, I completed a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition, with a major in Dietetics. During my studies, I had the opportunity to do volunteer work within ANEB Québec, a non-profit organization that helps people suffering from eating disorders (ED). My last university internship, within the Eating Disorder Program at the Douglas Institute, a university mental health institute, allowed me to confirm my interest and my deep desire to help people affected by these diseases.

In 2007, I joined the BACA Clinic, specializing in the treatment of eating disorders. Working with this highly qualified multidisciplinary team, I developed a solid expertise and a deep knowledge of the challenges that must be overcome in order to recover.

Having personally witnessed the battle of a girlfriend athlete with an ED and the suffering caused by this disease, I have been sensitive to the problems of EDs for a long time. Affected by the suffering of my clients and moved by their testimony, I listen attentively and with empathy to their concerns, the obstacles they face and the challenges they must overcome. The privileged relationship that I develop with them allows me to give them my support and facilitate their approach. It also helps them to find the motivation they need to change and the right strategies to succeed. In return, the courage and resilience that they demonstrate and the life lessons that I have learned from these exchanges make me a better human being and a better nutritionist!

Since I always loved sports, I developed very early a strong interest in nutrition due to my sporting activities. A true cycling enthusiast since my teenage years, I competed at the elite level. I won a number of races and climbed on many a podium in Quebec. I was Quebec Road Champion in 1983. I was also part of the back-up team for races in the United States and I participated in the Tour of Texas with the Canadian team as an invited member in 1984. In 1997, I won third place in the Quebec Road Championship. Today, I still regularly participate in sporting challenges. My passion for my work leads me to explore all opportunities for increasing my knowledge in nutrition and other topics related to eating disorders. I am a member of the following organizations: QPDC, ANCQ, DC (including SNN and DOC networks), DC-PEN, AED, Équilibre, FMCQ, and Diabète Québec. I am an accredited professional member of Équilibre. Since 2008, I have hosted a program called Choisir de maigrir? and, every year, I complete different training courses in psychology, EDs and nutrition.

Caitlin Clinique Baca

Caitlin O’Hara, PhD, OCCOQ

Supervised psychologist

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My name is Caitlin O’Hara and I have had the pleasure of working at BACA since August 2020 as a therapist. More specifically, I am a supervised psychologist, awaiting my license by equivalence to the OPQ.

I hold an Honours Bachelor’s degree in psychology from McGill University and completed my Ph.D. in psychology at King’s College London (U.K.). For my Ph.D., I gained both clinical and research experience in the understanding and treatment of eating disorders. My doctoral research thesis focused on whether altered motivation and reward function contribute to the development and maintenance of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. More recently, I completed a Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology at McGill University. During this time, I completed a one-year practicum at the Psychoeducational and Counselling Clinic at McGill and a one-year internship in the Eating Disorders Continuum (adult program) at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute in Montreal.

I have a longstanding passion for research and working with people who suffer from eating disorders that, in part, stemmed from an early interest in better understanding the role of neurobiology and reward in the development and maintenance of symptoms. As someone who works in this field, I understand and cannot ignore that the interactions between mind, body, behavior, and interpersonal factors are complex, but this is what draws me to the work – I feel challenged and rewarded by this each day. As such, eating disorder treatment is integrated, holistic, and multidisciplinary, and this is what the BACA clinic embodies so well. I feel privileged to be able to learn from my colleagues who bring different perspectives and expertise to our care. When we work from this team-based approach, we are able to better help our clients find the strength within to return to their best level of mind-body functioning. I truly enjoy helping our clients develop the courage to face their fears, cultivate self-compassion, and accept a natural body weight, in part, by committing to wholesome mind-body strategies that will support full recovery.

I work primarily on a one-on-one basis with my clients. People with eating disorders can often feel conflicted towards treatment. I therefore feel passionate about creating a space that feels warm, non-judgmental, and collaborative, and that communicates respect, empathy, and trust. Given that our clients can often arrive into treatment feeling alienated, distressed, and isolated in their illness, group therapeutic work is another passion of mine. Although sometimes daunting at first, working in a group setting can provide our clients with the crucial opportunity to be heard and seen by others who share similar experiences, helping them to understand that they are not alone.

The bravery I witness in my clients on a day-to-day basis is indescribable. Know that it is never too late to seek help, that you are not alone, and that you did NOT choose to have an eating disorder. Your eating disorder has offered an effective coping strategy in a time where one was needed, and that is not something to feel ashamed of. Dispelling the shame, blame, and secrecy of eating disorders by opening yourself to vulnerability, empathy, and support can be critical for the recovery process.

Julie Landreville

Julie Landreville, M.S. Psychology

Psychologist

Mili Morin, M.Sc., Ps.éd.

Supervised psychotherapy intern

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Titulaire d’un baccalauréat et d’une maîtrise en Psychoéducation à l’Université du Québec en Outaouais, je me suis intéressée aux troubles du comportement alimentaire et aux difficultés liées à l’image corporelle lors de mon parcours universitaire. Ma curiosité m’a amené à compléter un stage au sein d’Anorexie et Boulimie Québec et à y travailler pendant 2 ans. Lors de ma maîtrise, je me suis davantage penchée sur l’impact de la problématique sur les activités de vie quotidienne, ce qui m’a amené à entreprendre un stage chez BACA où j’ai pu entamer des suivis d’accompagnement à domicile et développer un recueil de lectures offert dans le cadre des programmes intensifs. Depuis l’été 2019, j’y travaille à titre de Psychoéducatrice. 

Selon moi, l’équilibre de nos vies balance entre un amalgame de richesses et de fragilités. C’est sur ce balancier, unique à chaque individu, que j’appose mes savoirs et que j’accompagne dans le développement d’un sentiment de stabilité intérieur. Pour moi, le suivi psychoéducatif consiste en un cheminement et un accompagnement dans cette quête d’un équilibre physique, psychologique, psychique et émotionnel. Dans un échange de confiance, de vulnérabilité, d’effort, de difficultés et d’accomplissement, la psychoéducation permet de mettre un phare sur les capacités adaptatives. 

D’un regard bienveillant, authentique et absent de jugement, on me reconnaît pour mon authenticité, mon calme, ma douceur et mon organisation. À travers une approche psychoéducative, motivationnelle et empreinte d’empathie, l’individu et l’alliance thérapeutique sont au centre de ma démarche. Il m’importe d’adopter une vision d’ensemble dite biopsychosociale, et de cheminer en respectant la cadence et la liberté de mon client. Selon moi, le moteur de tout changement se trouve au cœur de chacun. L’utilisation de l’ici et maintenant ainsi que de l’environnement de vie sont, à mon sens, d’une importance hors pair pour amadouer le déséquilibre et intégrer un changement durable. 

Je crois sincèrement au rétablissement d’un trouble alimentaire. Par un accompagnement centré sur le développement et l’activation des ressources ainsi que sur l’organisation du milieu, le suivi psychoéducatif se permet d’être le pont de transition vers une destination souhaitée. 

Au plaisir d’être passagère dans les moments importants de votre vie. 

Sarah Clinique Baca

Sarah Racine, MA, TS

Social worker, Sexolgist and Supervised psychotherapy intern

 

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My name is Sarah Racine and I am a licensed Sexologist with l’Ordre professionnel des sexologues du Québec. I completed a Certificate in Psychology from l’Université de Montréal and am currently completing my Master’s degree in Social Work at l’Université du Québec à Montréal. 

Before joining the BACA team, I interned and worked at the Eating Disorders Clinic for the Douglas Mental Health Institute. This experience in a research based environment focused on best-practices contributed to the development of my intervention skills and my interest for eating disorders and body-image related issues. I truly believe in the complete recovery of an eating disorder by acquiring better coping skills, but also by learning to cultivate a more positive image of oneself. I am trained in cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational and systemic approaches. Since 2014, I have been working with victims of sexual violence at the Montreal Sexual Assault Centre. I worked as a counsellor at the designated center for recent victims of sexual assault at the CLSC Metro and the Montreal General Hospital. I also had the opportunity to do an internship at the CALACS Trêve pour Elles, a feminist organization for victims of sexual violence in Montreal. These experiences helped me acquire a better understanding of gender-based violence and have contributed to my ability to work within a feminist and trauma focused framework.

As part of the requirements for my Master’s degree in Social Work, I will be creating a support group in collaboration with ANEB for individuals who are currently struggling with an eating disorder and have also been victims of sexual violence. My interest for trauma and its consequences in conjunction with eating disorders have contributed to my desire to take part in more specialized research and services. 

My different professional experiences have led me to prioritize the establishment of a therapeutic alliance with the client. In my opinion, the client is the expert, therefore their understanding of their own personal experience need to be recognized and validated. I hope to offer welcoming, empathetic and non-judgemental support as well as a safe space where you will be able to address your struggles and explore your grey areas. I recognize the complexity of the different problems one can face in life but most importantly, the possibility of working through them.

I look forward to working with you!

Megan Knoll, PhD

Psychologist

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My name is Megan Knoll. I am a registered psychologist with the Ordre des Psychologues du Québec. In 2020, I completed my PhD in Counselling Psychology at McGill University. At McGill, I studied how to improve the movement of research into practice. In my research and practice, I am dedicated to improving the art and science of therapy. 

Clinically, I specialize in eating disorders, personality disorders, and emotion regulation. I have trained at the McGill University Counselling Center, the Eating Disorders Program at the Douglas Institute, as well as the Personality Disorders Program, the Anxiety Disorders Program, and Complex Care at the Allan Memorial Institute. 

I take an integrative, collaborative, and evidence-based approach to therapy. I have training in a variety of clinical orientations including Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Emotion Focused Therapy, Compassion Focussed Therapy and psychodynamics. I draw from these different orientations to help my clients work on goals that are important to them.

Charlotte Steuter-Martin, MA, CCC

Dramatherapist and Counsellor

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It gives me great pleasure to be joining the BACA team as a Creative Arts Therapist. I hold a MA in Creative Arts Therapies (Drama Therapy) from Concordia University and I am a member of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association. I have experience in working with eating disorders at an outpatient, inpatient, and residential level.

Before joining the BACA family, I spent two years training and working with the treatment of trauma and PTSD in New Haven, Connecticut. There, I was able to specialize in using embodied techniques to treat trauma as well as eating disorders. During this time, I also completed my training at the New York Institute for Developmental Transformations in New York City, where I continued to hone my skills at using embodied and play-based techniques to address the symptoms and underlying issues of eating disorders.

Most recently, I was a primary therapist for Monte Nido and Affiliates in Westchester, New York. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but not me! I take a strong trauma-informed approach and I’m curious about how particular events or relationships may have really affected a person. I also work within a social justice frame and I am deeply dedicated to safe-space building. I genuinely want to know about the things that have happened to you and what the ripple effects have been in your life.

I am really interested in the protective function of the eating disorder and how sometimes the eating disorder emerges as a way for us to manage our anxiety during or after a difficult time in our life. I believe strongly that a full recovery from an eating disorder is absolutely possible and a large part of the work can be exploring the protective function of the ED and replacing it with a variety of other, more adaptive coping strategies.

I also believe in reducing the baseline of anxiety in general, in addition to using coping mechanisms, by re-focussing on the importance of expression. I take an emotion-based, humanistic approach where I tend to focus on fear and shame dynamics and how the avoidance of these feelings can hinder us rather than help us.

As a drama therapist, I’m always wondering about the ways our stories live in our bodies and how we can better express the stuff that still needs to come out. I take the sharing of stories very seriously and I would be honoured if you would share yours with me!  

Marilou Clinique Baca

Marilou Chamberland, PhD.

Psychologist

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*Services offerts en français seulement. *

Je suis Marilou Chamberland, psychologue membre de l’Ordre des psychologues du Québec et titulaire d’un Doctorat en psychologie profil intervention/recherche (Ph.D.).
Mes intérêts cliniques et de recherche se concentrent principalement sur les troubles du comportement alimentaire (TCA) et la psychologie de la santé. Ma thèse doctorale concernait d’ailleurs l’interrelation entre les comportements alimentaires problématiques et les troubles digestifs, et m’a permis de développer un outil psychométrique permettant d’identifier les schémas d’adaptation à la maladie et leurs impacts sur les comportements alimentaires.
Sur le plan clinique, j’ai complété mon internat au Programme des troubles de l’alimentation de l’Institut universitaire de santé mentale Douglas, endroit où j’ai ensuite entamé ma carrière comme psychologue supervisée. En plus de me former aux meilleures pratiques basées sur les données probantes, j’ai eu l’opportunité d’y intervenir auprès d’une variété de problématiques de santé physique et mentale qui surviennent fréquemment en concomitance aux TCA, tels que les troubles de la personnalité, les troubles anxieux, les troubles de l’humeur et les troubles de l’abus de substances. En parallèle, j’ai également travaillé comme psychologue supervisée à la Clinique d’Anxiété de Montréal entre 2018 et 2020, auprès d’une population adulte et adolescente présentant diverses problématiques de santé mentale.
Bien que d’approche cognitive et comportementale (TCC), j’ai une conceptualisation psychodynamique des difficultés, qui m’amène à explorer et à réfléchir aux enjeux sous-jacents de la pathologie. Plus précisément, je conçois le trouble alimentaire comme un mécanisme de défense qui s’est développé en réaction aux adversités vécues par l’individu, et je considère primordial d’aider mes clients à mieux comprendre la fonction de leur trouble afin d’adresser les réels enjeux qui y sont sous-jacents. Afin d’intervenir en cohérence avec les besoins, ressources et objectifs de chacun, je préconise une approche intégrative qui inclut des composantes de la thérapie dialectique comportementale (DBT), la thérapie d’Acceptation et d’engagement (ACT), et la thérapie Centrée sur les émotions (EFT). Par ailleurs, j’ai été formée et supervisée au modèle alternatif pour les troubles de la personnalité afin d‘adresser spécifiquement les enjeux liés à la personnalité.
Ma priorité est de créer un espace sécurisant empreint de respect, d’empathie et de bienveillance afin que mes clients se sentent en confiance d’explorer à leur rythme leurs vulnérabilités. Sur la base d’une compréhension commune de leur fonctionnement et des facteurs qui maintiennent leurs difficultés, mon rôle est de les outiller dans leur processus de changement afin de relever les défis et développer de nouvelles stratégies leur permettant d’atteindre un épanouissement réel. Je crois fermement en la possibilité d’un rétablissement complet du trouble alimentaire ainsi qu’en l’atteinte d’une vie satisfaisante en cohérence avec les valeurs de chacun.
Au plaisir de vous rencontrer!

Angie Clinique Baca

Angie Ross, M.A.

Dramatherapist, Counsellor

Anne-Gaelle Clinique Baca

Anne-Gaëlle Leloup , MA, TS

Social worker and Psychotherapist

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*Services offerts en français seulement.*

Je m’appelle Anne-Gaëlle et je suis travailleuse sociale, membre de l’Ordre des travailleurs sociaux et des thérapeutes conjugaux et familiaux du Québec depuis 2018. Je suis également supervisée en tant que candidate au permis de psychothérapie.

C’est mon intérêt pour la clientèle, le travail d’équipe et une plus grande liberté dans ma pratique qui m’a amenée à me joindre à l’équipe de BACA en mai 2021

J’ai acquis mon expérience clinique en milieu communautaire et hospitalier de 2014 à 2021. Depuis 2018, je travaille auprès de personnes ayant des enjeux sur le plan alimentaire, de l’image corporelle et du perfectionnisme. J’ai été formée aux meilleures pratiques dans le traitement des troubles de l’alimentation et j’ai contribué à la rédaction d’articles sur le sujet à la clinique des troubles de l’alimentation de l’Institut Douglas en santé mentale de 2018 à 2021. Mon intérêt pour les personnes souffrant d’un trouble alimentaire n’a cessé de grandir depuis.
Explorer les liens entre les relations sociales, la personnalité et l’environnement de la personne dans le développement de ses difficultés afin de l’aider à prendre un pas de recul est ce qui me passionne le plus dans mon rôle. Je me sens privilégiée d’avoir accès aux différents parcours de vie et de pouvoir contribuer aux changements que la personne souhaite apporter.

À toutes les personnes souffrantes, cessez de vous demander si vous êtes “assez malade” pour obtenir de l’aide; si vous vous posez la question c’est que vous en avez besoin.

Sara Creighton-Wiebe

Sara Creighton-Wiebe, RDN

Dietician-Nutritionist

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My name is Sara.   I was given the tremendous opportunity to join the BACA team in December, 2020. I have been a dietitian-nutritionist for 23 years and regulated to practice in the provinces of Quebec (l’Ordre professionnel des diététistes du Québec) and Ontario (College of Dietitian of Ontario).

My interest lies in working with clients struggling with binge eating disorder, dismantling diet culture and offering clients a new perspective on their relationship with food and their bodies that is empowering and enduring.

My exploration of the eating relationship was first peaked when I attended a conference called “Raising a healthy eater in a diet crazy world” given by Ellyn Satter, an American dietitian and psychotherapist. 

Satter used concepts like “eating competence”, “Trust model” and “Division of Responsibility”.  She explained that the role of the parent is to provide structure, support and opportunities for eating and the role of the child is to decide how much and whether to eat what the parent provides.  She spoke about the importance of learning to trust yourself and your children with food & eating while getting enough enjoyable and nourishing food.  I knew I had touched on something that met with my core values and beliefs – that is, that eating and food is much more complex and multifaceted than what we are led to believe.  Individuals and families can learn to trust themselves with their eating.  I felt impelled to instill this model and approach both in my professional and personal life.   

Over the years, I continued to participate in trainings and joined organizations that shared a similar philosophy and approach. I participated in 2 seminars with Équilibre (a positive body image organization) that dealt with how to integrate the biological, sensory, cultural and psychosocial aspects of eating and to take a collaborative approach that empowers our clients.

I became interested in Intuitive Eating and in 2019 trained to become a Certified Intuitive Eating Counsellor.  During the pandemic, I took advantage of online opportunities to further develop my counseling skills and to obtain trainings on eating disorders. This included enrolling in a 1-year eating disorders course and two trainings on ARFID (Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder).  

I draw on several counseling and therapy modalities including Motivational Interviewing, CBT, DBT, DBT-RO and EFFT.  I am a non-diet weight-inclusive HAES® aligned dietitian-nutritionist and believe in empowering individuals to achieve health and wellness on their own terms.  And I also recognize that individuals with eating disorders may need a more directive & structured nutrition care plan that better supports them in their recovery process.

It is important for me to continue developing my skills as an eating disorder specialist.  I have invested myself in this process and am committed to better help my clients suffering from these complex and multifactorial disorders.

I can understand that seeing the nutritionist for an eating disorder might cause some anxiety, fear or shame. I see my role as offering a compassionate and non-judgmental space to help you understand where things may have gone wrong with your eating, your relationship with food and your body, and how to slowly heal and repair that relationship.

Some of the things we do in session include learning about what it means to eat “normally”.  It’s understandable that hunger & fullness signals have gone awry, so I help you learn to identify and trust those signals.

We look at identifying and challenging any false beliefs you might have around food and eating and how to incorporate those “forbidden” foods.  We also explore psychological and social dimensions around food – like using food as a way to manage difficult emotions or delving into any challenges around eating with others or alone, etc. 

You will notice that the role of the nutritionist and the therapist often overlap – this is normal since eating disorders are both “About the Food” and also “Not about the Food”. This is why the nutritionist and the therapist communicate regularly to ensure the best support for your recovery.

My goal for you is to find peace with food, eating, your body and with yourself. The long-term goal is to become an intuitive eater.

I am so excited to be part of such an amazing group of health professionals at BACA who are committed and passionate about working with and for their clients.  I can’t wait to meet and work with you on your journey in eating disorder recovery.

Marine Burello, M. A.

Psychologist

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*Services offerts en français seulement. *

J’ai le plaisir de me joindre à l’équipe BACA en qualité de psychologue, membre de l’Ordre des Psychologues du Québec. J’ai complété la majeure partie de ma formation en France, j’ai ensuite effectué un processus d’équivalence afin de pouvoir pratiquer ici. Je suis détentrice d’une maîtrise en psychologie clinique et de la recherche.

J’ai le privilège d’accompagner les personnes en individuel et en famille dans ce qu’ils vivent à travers la maladie du trouble alimentaire. J’ai à cœur que la thérapie soit et reste un espace de collaboration : vous êtes la personne qui vous connaissez le mieux et je suis convaincue que vous êtes le meilleur guide pour nous aider à comprendre ce qui vous arrive.

Passionnée par mon travail, j’ai à cœur de continuer ma formation pour trouver de nouvelles manières de vous accompagner. Mon approche intégrative se base sur la théorie de l’attachement, l’approche centrée sur les émotions et l’approche existentialiste-humaniste.

Je suis également formée en trauma et à la thérapie EMDR, une thérapie qui a pour objectif de vous aider à “digérer” les évènements de votre vie non résolus, les expériences douloureuses “bloquées”. J’ai envie de chercher avec vous en rencontre l’approche et les outils qui vous feront le plus de sens, à la lumière du travail sur la relation thérapeutique, dans l’ici et maintenant.

Le travail thérapeutique est un processus de changement de sa manière de se percevoir, de réguler ses émotions et d’être en relation avec les autres. C’est une démarche courageuse et engageante, je ferai de mon mieux pour créer un espace particulier sécuritaire, dénué de tout jugement et rempli de compassion pour vous aider à vous déposer.

Je crois sincèrement au rétablissement du trouble alimentaire, et j’ai envie de vous accompagner à vous découvrir, mieux vous comprendre, réduire votre détresse et vous aider à trouver un équilibre.

Au plaisir de vous rencontrer et de vous entendre,

Stéphanie Desmecht, PsyD

Psychologist

Mélina Kanaan, M.C.

Psychotherapist

Audrey Savoie-Dansereau, RDN

Dietician-Nutritionist

Administration

Laurianne Groulx

Human Resources manager

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I first joined the BACA Team in December 2018 as a receptionist. It was my interest in a work experience with a humanitarian side that led me to apply for the position. I was warmly welcomed by the team and the customers who constitute the BACA family.

My varied work experiences in administration and customer service as well as my studies in social science and organizational communication have well equipped me to assume my position which eventually evolved into the office manager position that I have occupied since September 2019.

I love to connect with people; it is a real pleasure to get to know you all during your time at our clinic. Feel free to stop by my office and knock on my door any time you wish. I will always be happy to greet and welcome you into our premises and as part of the BACA Family.

Steph Clinique Baca

Stéphanie Joyal

Executive assistant to the director

Colleen Clinique Baca

Colleen Abraham

Receptionist

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Hi,

My Name is Colleen and I joined the BACA Clinic’s team in April 2022. I have known Tania, the founder, for several years and I have always been amazed to see the incredible things she does to help people. As I was looking for a change, a way to give back more than what I already do, I was offered to join the clinic’s team . I am a God feared, entrepreneurial, happy person who loves to laugh and bring sunshine into people’s lives. I saw this opportunity as a way to contribute, in my own way, to BACA’s mission.

The journey of the clinic’s clients reminds me of the metamorphosis of a butterfly. When our clients arrive at the clinic they are like caterpillars – blindly wandering in the unknown. We then cocoon them with support, specialized treatments and teach them skills to cope. They take all this information and start to look inwards, applying all these tools to their lives. A transformation starts to happen right before our eyes. I love to see when the smile returns to the clients faces. To me, this is an indication that they are on the road to recovery. Then, when they are ready, a beautiful butterfly emerges and spreads its wings. They are stronger than when they started and better equipped to face life with the reassurance that they got this.

When you enter the clinic you will see my smiling face and receive a warm welcoming greeting.

Elisabeth Sirois

Élisabeth Sirois

Admission Coordinator

BACA External Consultants

Monique Bessette, PhD.

Psychologist, Director of Institut Victoria

Julie Dufour, DPsy

Psychologist

Lee Farkas, PhD.

Psychologist

Isabelle Guimond, MPs

Psychologist

Medical Collaborators

John Sader, MD, FASAM

Emmanuel Cauchois, MD

Valérie Fedorowicz, MD

The BACA clinic is very proud to work in close collaboration with organizations as well as with numerous external consultants specializing in the field of eating disorders and in the mental health issues.

Discover our list of specialized resources and referrals in the field of eating disorders.

BACA
Eating Disorders Clinic

Come and meet us

2121 Crescent street, suite 200
Montreal (Quebec)  H3G 2C1
Canada!

Contact us

Phone: (514) 544-2323 | 1-833-544-2323
Fax: (514) 759-3084
Email: info@cliniquebaca.com