2022 Professional Development Award Winners

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Caitlin Courchesne is a PhD student studying Clinical Psychology (Neuropsychology) at Simon Fraser University. Using a patient oriented research approach, her dissertation work is centred on the co-development and implementation of an affordable, accessible, and scalable mental health intervention for adults with persistent post-concussion symptoms (PPCS). The Council of Canadian Departments of Psychology Professional Development Award has enabled her to present her research progress at the Canadian Traumatic Brain Injury Research Consortium (CTRC), a biannual meeting of clinician-scientists and patient partners who share the aim of improving PPCS care through interdisciplinary collaboration and trainee development. Presenting at this conference has enabled Caitlin to expand awareness of the mental health needs of those facing psychosocial adversity after concussion, enhance her communication skills, and collaborate with leading experts in the field of traumatic brain injury.

Rachel Domno recently graduated from St. Thomas University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with Honours. Although her Honour’s thesis was on the psychological correlates of conspiracy theory beliefs, Rachel’s intended career path is the field of speech-language pathology. She is interested in working with school-aged children with speech disorders because of her experience as a summer camp counsellor and having received treatment for a lisp as a child. The Council of Canadian Departments of Psychology Professional Development Award enabled Rachel to become certified in Mental Health First Aid: Supporting Youth. The skillset acquired from this course will allow Rachel to support both the communicative wellbeing and mental wellbeing of her youth clients during the Western University speech-language pathology program, which she will begin this fall.