Staff

Gillian, is a Speech Language Pathologist and co-founder of Aphasia Centre of Ottawa. She is a graduate of the University of Toronto ( M.H.Sc Speech Language Pathology1983) and is registered with the College of Audiologists and Speech Language Pathologists of Ontario. Gillian has been the Executive Director of ACO since its inception in 1990 and has devoted her career to ensuring families in the Ottawa region have access to the support of an Aphasia Centre. She has led the development of a wide range of services facilitating recovery of full potential and long term support for individuals and families living with chronic aphasia.

Kathy is the co-founder of the Aphasia Centre of Ottawa and Director of Family Support. She has a Masters of Social Work from McGill University(1980) and is registered with the Ontario College of Certified Social Workers. Kathy is a clinical member of the Ontario Association of Marriage and Family Therapists and a certified therapist and supervisor in Emotionally Focused Therapy. She has provided leadership in making individual, couple and family counselling accessible to people living with aphasia.

Joanne is the Director of Communication Programs. She has a Master of Health Science in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Toronto (1991), is a certified member of the Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists and a member of the College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario. Joanne is a bilingual therapist with expertise in techniques for supporting the communication of people with aphasia and group therapy.

Hélène is a bilingual Social Worker with a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Ottawa (2008). She is a registered member of the Ontario College of Social Workers and the Ontario Association of Social Workers. Hélène brings to the Aphasia Centre a special interest in providing programs and support for Francophone families living with aphasia. Hélène also has experience in the field of Palliative Care and volunteer coordination, and holds a Degree in Classical Piano from Cégep de Sainte-Foy.

Emilia is a Communicative Disorders Assistant registered with the Communicative Disorders Assistants’ Association of Canada. She holds a degree from the University of Ottawa with Honours in Linguistics and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Communicative Disorders from Georgian College (2009). She is qualified to support both Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology caseloads. Emilia works with our clients in individual therapy, in groups, and brings a creative touch to adapting materials and training volunteers for our programs.