OUR TEAM

Emily Pollak

Emily Pollak,(She/ Her) Clinical Director/ Owner

Registered Social Worker (MSW, BSSW, RSW)

Emily founded Maternal Health Niagara with the vision of building a circle of support for individuals and families during the reproductive period and beyond. Emily's clinical focus is infertility, pregnancy loss, pregnancy, birth trauma, postpartum anxiety, and postpartum depression. She coaches people through “guilt” and managing the mental load of parenting.

Emily's passion for Maternal Mental Health was sparked during her own journey. Emily had hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) which took a toll on her physical and emotional wellness. During that time, Emily recognized the gap in services and was determined to build a circle of support for others. The combination of lived experience and extensive professional development allows Emily to bring a unique clinical lens of empathy and validation to her clients. She is down-to-earth and intuitive with a practical and accepting therapeutic style.

Emily has her Master's in Social Work from The Ohio State University (2007) and she is a Registered Social Worker in Ontario. Emily’s professional affiliations include Postpartum Support International (PSI) and the Ontario Association of Social Workers (OSAW). Emily is trained in EMDR levels 1 & 2, completed Advance Perinatal Training and FLASH.

Building community capacity and awareness are essential in helping individuals and families build their circle of support. Emily has facilitated perinatal mental health training for health care professionals. She provides clinical consultation and mentorship to other therapists in the field of maternal mental health.

When she is off work, Emily enjoys spending time with her family. She would describe herself as HSP and loves to have some quiet time to reset. Her favourite thing to do is go for walks and send handwritten cards.

AVAILABILITY: DAYS & EVENINGS

Marie-Eve Nackers

Marie-Eve Nackers, PT (She/Her)

Marie-Eve Nackers has been a Registered Physiotherapist in Ontario since 2012, focusing on pelvic health and chronic pain.

Her approach is connecting the mind and body as a critical component of her assessment and treatment. Marie-Eve provides trauma-informed care to create a space where her patients feel supported. Her natural and down-to-earth approach makes her patients feel at ease. She utilizes breath work to build core stability and stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system. Marie-Eve is passionate about providing her patients with education to understand their bodies and functioning. She is a member of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association. Marie-Eve is a francophone and can offer services in English and French.

AVAILABILITY: DAYS & EVENINGS

Learn more about services

Taylor

Taylor, (She/Her)

Registered Social Worker (MSW, BSW, RSW)

Taylor’s passion for perinatal wellness evolved through her role as a trained and certified labour and birth doula. She uses her frontline doula experience to shape components of her Social Work practice. Taylor supports people through their perinatal journey, including fertility, pregnancy, birth trauma and postpartum. She has bereavement training through Home Hospice Association and has helped families through infant and pregnancy loss. In addition, Taylor has completed Level 1 and Level 2 EMDR training and Advance Perinatal EMDR and FLASH.

She displays strong compassion for the development and support of families from all walks of life. Her other care areas include grief and loss, disordered eating, self-esteem and sexuality and gender identity. Taylor is part of the LGBTQ2S+ community.

Taylor completed her Master of Social Work from the University of Toronto and Bachelors of Social work from Wilfred Laurier University. She is a Registered Social Worker and member of the Ontario Association of Social Workers and Postpartum Support International.

In addition to her work at Maternal Health Niagara, she supports children at her full-time job and volunteers at Heartland Forest.

AVAILABILITY: EVENINGS ONLY

Amanda

Amanda, (She/Her)

Registered Social Worker (MSW, RSW)

Dedicated to ensuring families have compassionate support as they navigate the ups and downs of the perinatal period, Amanda is an experienced practitioner who believes in a holistic approach to well-being. She specializes in supporting those who are survivors of abuse and trauma and works to empower her clients with the skills to generate internal strength, calm, confidence and reduce stress, anxiety, fear and depression.

Amanda holds a Master of Social Work Degree from the University of Toronto as well as a Bachelor of Social Work and Bachelor of Sociology Degrees from McMaster University. Amanda achieved a Post Graduate Diploma in Advanced Social Work Practice Education from Goldsmiths University in London, England. She is a Registered Social Worker and member of the Ontario Association of Social Workers. She has undertaken her MBSR teacher qualification through the University of California, San Diego and qualified as a Nurturing Parent: Mindfulness and Well-Being Facilitator. She is currently completing Level 1 & 2 EMDR training.

In addition to her practice at Maternal Health Niagara, Amanda Teaches Yoga, Mindfulness

AVAILABILITY: MONDAY pm, TUESDAY am, WEDNESDAY afternoon,

Jessica

Jessica, (she/her)

Registered Social Worker (MSW, RSW)

Jessica has an undergraduate degree in Psychology with a minor in Family Studies from the University of Guelph, a Bachelor of Education from the University of Toronto and a Master’s degree in Social Work from Wilfred Laurier. Jessica has received additional training in trauma-specific interventions and has spent most of her career supporting parents.

She practices anti-oppressive and trauma-informed care. She uses an integrated, evidence-based approach and focused on nurturing self-compassion, and healing.

Jessica is passionate about working with families and individuals during the prenatal and postpartum periods. There can be a range of emotions that come up during this time and having a person you can trust and lean on can make a world of difference. She supports families with infertility, perinatal mental health, infant loss, birth trauma, attachment, and parenting issues, as well as providing relationship and co-parenting support. In addition to her perinatal work, Jessica has experience in addictions and supporting the LGBTQ community.

Some modalities that Jessica practices are cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectical behavioural therapy, somatic body experiencing, mindfulness-based stress reduction, cognitive restructuring, and narrative therapy. She is currently completing Level 1 & 2 EMDR.

When not working Jessica enjoys spending time with her partner, her little one and her pets. She loves playing soccer, going for walks, eating donuts, and tending to her plants.

Whitney

Whitney (She/Her)

Registered Psychotherapist (see below about billing).

Whitney is a Registered Psychotherapist who has a passion for working with children, adolescents, and families. She thrives on creating a warm, caring, and supportive environment when focusing on various mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, ASD, and ADHD.

In addition to working with children and youth, Whitney supports parents who want to learn ways to best support their children. She helps parents be more in tune with their child’s emotional needs and provides strategies that help facilitate a secure attachment.

Whitney uses a holistic and strength-based approach to counselling and understands that everyone’s needs are different, considering this when creating treatment goals. She uses therapeutic interventions, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), dialectic behaviour therapy (DBT), emotion coaching, and solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT).

Whitney is a graduate of Brock University in the Honours Bachelor Child and Youth Studies program and is currently completing her Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology with Yorkville University. She is registered with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario.

Whitney is thrilled to be completing her practicum at Maternal Health Niagara and would be pleased to accompany you on your therapeutic journey.

** Services by Whitney will be billed under Social Worker Services as Emily Pollak, MSW, RSW, supervises her

Aleta

Aleta, (she/her)

Registered Social Worker (BSW, RSW)

Serving her community as a birth doula, Aleta recognized the lack of mental health support for women/people and families through the various stages of conception, pregnancy, birth and parenthood. To better support her community, she decided to become a social worker focusing on maternal mental health and perinatal mood disorders.

Aleta has a deep understanding of the impact these periods of change and transformation can have on an individual's mental health, sense of self and relationships.

She is passionate about helping her clients understand their mental health struggles and develop tools, strategies and supports to help them feel more in control of their lives and cope with the challenges that come with these stages of life.

She draws from her experiences and knowledge as a doula and training in perinatal mood disorders to provide judgement-free, client-centred, trauma-informed, inclusive, perinatal counselling services that help clients feel heard, supported, empowered, informed and connected to community resources.

Aleta is a Registered Social Worker (BSW, RSW) from Lakehead University, has completed Advanced Perinatal Mental Health Psychotherapy training through Postpartum Support International and is a member of the Ontario Association of Social work and Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers.

Clinical consultations with Emily Pollak, MSW, RSW

(Emily & Aleta's names on receipt)

AVAILABILITY: MONDAY pm, THURSDAY am.

Melissa

Melissa, (she/her)

Occupational Therapist, Psychotherapist M Sc. OT. OT Reg (Ont.),

***REGISTERED WITH THE COLLEGE OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS OF ONTARIO FOR BILLING***

Melissa has devoted her career to working with parents, infants and young children. Melissa supports families with perinatal mental health concerns, parenting challenges, attachment concerns and navigating the ups and downs of the parenting journey. This includes those whose own experience of being parented impacts their parenting and parents who struggle to know how to respond to their children's big emotions.

Melissa has extensive experience addressing various presenting concerns in infants, toddlers, and young children, including behavioural problems, emotion regulation challenges, and anxiety.

Melissa holds a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from the University of British Columbia and a Master's in Occupational Therapy from McMaster University. She then obtained additional training in various Play Therapy approaches and attachment-based interventions (including Circle of Security, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, and Infant-Parent Psychotherapy) as well as training in perinatal mental health and perinatal loss and grief. Melissa is a registered Occupational Therapist, Psychotherapist and a member of the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario.

As an Occupational Therapist and Psychotherapist Melissa utilizes a unique and comprehensive lens to address the 'occupation' of parenting, looking at the various factors within the person, the environment, and the tasks of parenting themselves that can impact the parenting experience.

AVAILABILITY: Tuesday afternoon and evenings.

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