Board of Directors

MAHSHAD ARYAFAR

RP
President
Chair: Connect Committee
Chair, OSRP-CRPO Committee
Chair, PRPA Sub-committee

I am an integrative psychotherapist and integral professional coach™, in private practice since 2011. I draw from a variety of modalities such as psychodynamic, trauma-informed, developmental theories, complex systems, and cultural identity theories to name a few. Most of all, I am inherently curious about life, exploring this thing called being human and the universal qualities we share. I bring an intentional focus on what connects us, rather than on what creates division. My own immigration experience has brought special attention to what it means to cultivate a cohesive cultural identity and sense of self when the host culture and original culture are at odds. In my practice I support individuals and groups to locate their sense of cohesion and inner compass, honouring the multiplicity that makes them who they are with the unique gifts they bring to the world.

In my personal time I nourish myself by cycling, spending time in nature, drawing, dancing, traveling, reading, and spending quality time with loved ones. I am creative and playful by nature and bring those qualities to everything I engage in, including my work.

My wish is that by joining the OSRP board I can be of service in supporting our members feel part of a larger whole, a place where their beautiful complexity is welcomed and celebrated.

Click here to read Mahshad's full profile.

Contact Mahshad: president@psychotherapyontario.org

Contact Mahshad: connect@psychotherapyontario.org

Contact Mahshad: ethics@psychotherapyontario.org

NATASHA TULETTA-BOWMAN

RP (Qualifying)
PhDs, SMIM, MBA, BA, NYLC, CCPS
Certified Solution Focused Brief Therapist

Past President
Chair, Advocacy Committee
Chair, EDI Committee
Chair, Wellness Committee

I joined the board because I noticed that it is made up of members who are passionate about the call of duty. Also, I discovered that, from the inception of the organization, there have been positive changes. That said, there is still much to do, which requires the help of everyone, especially psychotherapists. I know that I am motivated and possess diverse skills and global knowledge that can be of great use to this wonderful organization. I greatly admire that the organization is made up of leaders that have the best interest of all psychotherapists in Canada at heart. Additionally, I believe that I can best serve the organization as an active member of the board of directors.

I bring with me over 20 years of professional experience within diverse fields, and I have held senior active leadership positions. I have had the privilege to sit on local and global boards. With that said, I am zealous about the advancement of mental health locally and internationally. I am committed to continuing to work towards eradicating the stigma associated with obtaining professional mental health services. Also, I comprehend the urgency for more to be done globally, especially in Canada, to safeguard the field of psychotherapy. Such urgency also brings greater attention to the fact that psychotherapy, like its counterpart, psychology, has its own unique platform and is not second best to any approach.

Click here to read Natasha's full profile.

Contact Natasha: advocacy@psychotherapyontario.org

Contact Natasha: edi@psychotherapyontario.org

KIMBERLY CATO

RP
Vice-President

Kimberly Cato is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of True Roots Counselling Services where she provides trauma responsive and asset-based services through an anti-racism, anti-oppression, social justice, and somatic abolitionism lens. As an empathic and intuitive Black woman who navigates the world from a wheelchair, Ms. Cato, with intersectional insight, offers therapy, community building, and corporate consultation for those within her sphere of influence.

Ms. Cato is intentionally engaged in dismantling racism by decolonizing therapy through Afrocentric modalities and culturally adapted therapeutic practices that build multi-racial communities that thrive. She is committed to eradicating racism by facilitating healing circles designed to identify and address racial trauma, thereby empowering people to fully manifest their Ancestral Excellence.

Kimberly Cato is excited about her position as OSRP’s Board of Directors Chair and the process of embedding EDI principles in every aspect of the Society. In June of 2023, the EDI Committee launched the Race-Based Data Collection Initiative to establish a baseline understanding of who makes up the membership and who is missing from decision making tables within the Association. The resulting data aids in creating a space in which race and other forms of marginalization are not barriers to entry into the field of psychotherapy, resulting in an OSRP that can accurately represent the diversity of the community seeking therapy in Ontario.

Click here to read Kimberly's full profile.

Contact Kimberly: vice-chair@psychotherapyontario.org

CINDY ELKERTON

RP
Secretary
Co-Chair, Wellness Committee

Cindy Elkerton has her own private practice in Toronto, Papillon Psychotherapy Services, where she has worked with individuals, couples, and families since 1999 and has been teaching/supervising since 2011. She is an integrative psychotherapist, drawing on a variety of modalities, such as relational psychodynamics, family systems, cognitive and behavioural therapy, personality type, and attachment theories.

Cindy has worked in various settings, including hospitals, rehab, long-term care, and hospice. She is a Registered Psychotherapist (CRPO) and holds a Master of Arts from Acadia University. She is also a Certified MBTI Practitioner, a licensed Humanist Celebrant, and has a Trauma Certificate from Wilfred Laurier University.

Cindy and her partner are raising three boys in the Bluffs; she has a 16-year-old and 14-year-old twins.  Cindy serves on the Parent Council at her son’s school and she and her partner are active with their kids’ scouting program.  As a family, they enjoy camping across Canada and the US.  Her personal interests include reading autobiographies and memoirs, writing short stories, supporting local theatre and drinking tea! 

Cindy Elkerton has served on several committees, commissions, and Boards outside of the OSRP, including those related to professional practice standards, bereavement, and women’s groups. She is excited about serving the OSRP membership on the Board of Directors.

Click here to read Cindy's full profile.

Contact Cindy: secretary@psychotherapyontario.org

RP
Treasurer
Co-Chair, Advocacy Committee 

I am a Palestinian Canadian whose life was greatly impacted by the experience of childhood immigration and political developments in the Middle East. In my spare time, I fight injustice and inequality as a human rights activist and community organizer. I have also worked with immigrants and refugees, providing settlement services and group counselling sessions. My passion for psychotherapy stems from my conviction that a better world is possible.

As hard as change was for me in my own life transitions, it would be change that would drive me forward; the desire to understand myself and improve, to do the work that would be necessary to become the person I am today.

I hope to bring my passion for change to the OSRP as we continue to grow and inspire.

Click here to read Hammam's full profile.

Contact Hammam: treasurer@psychotherapyontario.org

Contact Hammam: advocacy@psychotherapyontario.org

OSRP BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ALICE BLACKWELL

RP
Member-at-Large

Click here to read Alice's full profile.

ALETHIA CADORE

RP
Co-Chair, EDI Committee
Chair, Protect Subcommittee

Click here to read Alethia's full profile.

CARL DALEY

RP
Co-Chair, Wellness Committee

Click here to read Carl's full profile.

MICHAEL DIOTTE

RP, Clinical Counsellor / Certified Trauma Counsellor
Member-at-Large

Michael Diotte is a registered psychotherapist and certified trauma counsellor with offices both in Don Mills (Toronto) and Whitby, Ontario.

His counselling experience spans over 25 years with special attention given to individual, family and relationships in general along with a focus on emotional, mental and personal issues.

Michael's motto is “Refreshing through Reconciliation.” Michael's calm, engaging and personable approach seeks to create a safe, welcoming, understanding and positive counselling environment.

He offers client-centered therapy incorporating a variety of therapeutic approaches, which he has come to term "Fusion-Therapy." This focus highlights the client's strengths and abilities while guiding them towards their desired outcome.

When one is reconciled to their dreams and goals, a refreshing comes to their being. This renewed purpose brings significant benefits to their life and relationships.

Michael also provides coaching and mentoring for work, career and school related issues such as: Career Transition & Development; Work-Life Balance; Workplace Bullying, and Leadership-Coaching.

Michael now works with First Responders as well as WSIB and MVA (Motor Vehicle Accident) clients.

As a registered psychotherapist with the CRPO, Michael is also a certified member of the Ontario Association of Mental Health Practitioners (OAMHP) and a member in good standing of OSRP, ONSAP and ICISF.

Also, married / 3 adult children / foster parent 23 years to over 60 children to date / plays guitar (mostly); piano and trumpet / sings – produced 2 albums, one a Christmas Album / has done background acting for movies / two oldest children full time film industry / is a Métis Citizen.

Sat on an Interfaith Board through Rogers TV for 22 years / chairman for 4 years / sat on the Durham Oshawa Métis board as a counsel-member.

Business background – family business / business management out in Alberta & BC / graduated with Business Admin Certificate from Sault College – major Accounting.

Worked 3 + years with the Northern Ontario Indigenous peoples through SLFNHA & Dalton Associates as Clinical Coordinator and Community Counsellor.

Finished second PhD in counselling May 2021 and is a Certified Life Coach with Canada Coach Academy.

Click here to read Michael's full profile.

NERISSA HUTCHINSON

Member-at-Large

Click here to read Nerissa's full profile.

RP
Member-at-Large

I offer an approach to therapy that centres anti-oppressive ways of healing. As a queer Trini-Canadian psychotherapist, I combine my training in psychology with my political values and lived experience when supporting my clients. I specialise in working with LGBTQ+ and BIPOC (racialized) clients as well as intersectional identities.

Much of my clinical experience has been focused around providing anti-oppressive therapy for folks who are LGBTQ, BIPOC (racialized), neurdo-divergent, or have multiple intersecting identities. My lived experiences, openness, and warm personality help to create an affirming environment for those who have been historically excluded from mental wellness services.

Click here to read Yasmin's full profile.

CLARICE KUHLING

RP
Member-at-Large

BES, MACP, RP
Member-at-Large

The Board of the OSRP is the heart of this organization, of which I am honoured to now be part. It plays a crucial role in advocating for psychotherapists, with the potential to positively impact mental health across Ontario. As a Board member, I’m committed to supporting the mission of the OSRP and advancing the best interests of both our members and the public.

I came to this profession as a second career, graduating with an MACP in 2022. My practice focuses on clients who feel overwhelmed, burned out, or anxious — often parents and often dealing with physical pain. I work with individuals who identify as Highly Sensitive People, as described by Elaine Aron, helping them make sense of their experiences and struggle to contextualize their lived experience within the world they encounter. My approach to treating chronic pain and discomfort is grounded in neuroplasticity and evidence-based pain research, including my training in Pain Reprocessing Therapy. I aim to help clients find the delicate and teeteringly unsatisfying balance between caring for self and navigating a world that doesn’t always accommodate differences.

Where did I learn this? My personal journey has shaped my perspective. Leaving and later reflecting on a religious belief system, along with my undergraduate studies led me to value ethics and integrity in my work. I’m particularly grateful for courses on informal argumentation, ethics, and epistemology that help me understand complex issues. As a mother of four who homeschooled for many years, and through years of volunteer work (including sitting on a local ratepayers’ executive board), I’ve also gained firsthand insight into how idealistic and academic ideas translate into the messy realness of everyday life (spoiler: it’s often as hard as it seems).

Click here to read Shira's full profile.