OUR TEAM

Dr. Paulo Pires, Ph.D., C.Psych.

Dr. Pires is a Co-Director of Halton Psychologists. He received his Ph.D. in School and Clinical Child Psychology from OISE/University of Toronto and is registered as a Clinical Child and School Psychologist with the College of Psychologists of Ontario. He is currently the Clinical Director of the Child and Youth Mental Health Program at McMaster Children's Hospital. He is an Assistant Professor (Part-time) in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University, and current supervisor and former Training Director for the Clinical Child Psychology Residency at McMaster Children's Hospital. He previously worked for the Toronto Catholic District School Board.

Dr. Pires is a founding partner of Halton Psychologists. He completes psychological assessments of children and adolescents and uses a Cognitive Behavioural, Interpersonal and Family Systems approach to the treatment of children, adolescents and families. Dr. Pires teaches and supervises trainees in psychology and psychiatry at McMaster Children's Hospital. He is also involved in disseminating knowledge through workshops and publications.

Melanie Fenwick, M.Sc., C.Psych.
(currently on leave)

Melanie Fenwick is a Psychologist with the College of Psychologists of Ontario. After completing her Masters in Early Childhood Studies at Ryerson University, Melanie received her Masters in School and Applied Child Psychology at the University of Calgary. Melanie has over twelve years of assessment and intervention experience working with children, adolescents and families across a variety of settings, some of which include McMaster Children’s Hospital, Surrey Place, The Hospital for Sick Children, and the Calgary Catholic School District. In addition to her time at Halton Psychologists, Melanie currently works at the Halton Catholic District School Board.

At Halton Psychologists, Melanie is committed to providing comprehensive and evidence-based psychological assessments to children and adolescents with developmental, academic, attention, behaviour, social-emotional and mental health difficulties. She also has extensive experience working with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Melanie adopts a holistic, strengths-based, and empathetic approach to effectively meet the unique needs of every child and family she works with.

Office Manager

Mae is the voice that you will hear when you call Halton Psychologists.  She has over 16 years of experience working and supporting client needs in the health care field.  At Halton Psychologists, Mae is responsible for administrative services, as well as telephone interviews with incoming clients.  She is familiar with the work of each practitioner and can direct callers to the clinician that can best help with their concerns. Her warm and empathetic manner coupled with her strong listening skills ensures our clients are at ease when inquiring about assessment services and/or therapy. She is also the go-to person for information on psychological assessments. Mae can let you know what is involved in an assessment and how long the wait time will be.

Mae’s conversations with new referrals are always kept in the strictest of confidence.

Dr. Shonna John, Ph.D., C.Psych.

Dr. John is a registered Clinical Child/Adolescent Psychologist and School Psychologist.  She is the Co-Founder and Co-Director of Halton Psychologists.  She obtained her doctorate degree from the University of Toronto in 2005 and received dual registration from the College of Psychologists of Ontario in 2006.   Dr. John is also a graduate of the Trichotillomania Learning Center (TLC) Professional Training Institute.  She has worked extensively in private, hospital, community and school settings throughout the years including Trillium Health Partners, Hospital for Sick Children, McMaster Children's Hospital, Integra Foundation, Surrey Place Centre, and Toronto Catholic and Peel District School Boards.

At Halton Psychologists, Dr. John focuses her work on children and adolescents who experience distress due to anxiety disorders (including OCD and Selective Mutism), mood disorders, learning difficulties, ADHD, Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviours (e.g., hair pulling, skin picking and nail biting) and various behavioural concerns.  She primarily assumes a Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (which includes Exposure Therapy) and Family Systems approach to helping children and families develop lifelong skills to manage their difficulties.  Dr. John has authored various publications and articles, which have focused on children's mental health.  In addition, she continues to train and supervise other mental health professionals and to engage in disseminating knowledge at various workshops.

Dr. Rebecca Shine, Ph.D., C.Psych.

Dr. Shine is registered as a Clinical Psychologist. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical-Developmental Psychology from York University. Dr. Shine currently works as a Clinical Psychologist in the McMaster Children’s Hospital Autism Program. Over the past 9 years she has worked in a variety of clinical settings including private practice, community mental health, and school board, providing assessment, therapy, and consultation services with children, adolescents, and their parents.

At Halton Psychologists, Dr. Shine focuses on providing psychological assessments and treatment to children and adolescents, who experience emotion dysregulation, behavioural difficulties, mood, and anxiety issues. She also provides parenting support as needed to complement their child’s treatment. Dr. Shine has extensive experience and passion for working with children who have ASD or developmental disabilities and mental health concerns. Dr. Shine utilizes Cognitive Behavioural, Interpersonal, and Play-Based approaches for therapy.

Dr. Katherine Stover, Ph.D., C.Psych.

Dr. Stover is a Clinical Psychologist in Supervised Practice who completed her Ph.D. in School and Clinical Psychology at OISE/University of Toronto. Recently, she completed a year-long doctoral residency at London Health Sciences Centre. She is currently a staff psychologist at McMaster Children’s Hospital in the Developmental Pediatrics and Rehabilitation Program.

Katherine has previously trained at a range of public and private mental health settings, including Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, the OISE Psychology Clinic, Surrey Place, McMaster Children’s Hospital, and the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board.

At Halton Psychologists, Katherine provides psychological assessments and therapy to children and adolescents with mood/anxiety disorders, neurodevelopmental concerns, and behavioural problems, incorporating Cognitive Behavioural, Interpersonal and Family Systems approaches.

Dr. Michelle Rodrigues, Ph.D., C. Psych.

Dr. Rodrigues is a Clinical Child/Adolescent Psychologist. She obtained her doctorate degree from the School and Clinical Child Psychology Program at OISE/University of Toronto. She completed a year-long doctoral residency at IWK Health in the Community Mental Health and Addictions Outpatient Program and in the Adolescent Intensive Services Program. Dr. Rodrigues has conducted assessments, evidence-based interventions, and consultations with diverse populations in school (Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board), community mental health (Surrey Place Centre), private practice, and hospital settings (CAMH). She also has authored and co-authored numerous research articles examining the impact of parent-child relationships on children’s mental health and cognitive development.

At Halton Psychologists, Dr. Rodrigues provides evidence-based treatment to children and adolescents who experience emotion dysregulation, behavioural difficulties, and challenges with mood and anxiety (including Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). She also collaborates with parents to support parenting practices at home to augment their child’s treatment. Dr. Rodrigues uses a strengths-based, family-centered approach to mental health care. She utilizes Cognitive Behavioural, Dialectical Behavioural, and Emotion Focused approaches to meet the unique needs of the families she works with. Dr. Rodrigues also delivers parent workshops in school settings that provide parents with practical strategies for supporting children’s anxiety.

Dr. Seamus O’Byrne,
D.Clin.Psych., C.Psych.

Dr. Seamus O’Byrne is a registered Clinical Psychologist with the College of Psychologists of Ontario. Dr. O’Byrne completed his doctoral training in Clinical Psychology at the University of Essex in England. During his training, Dr. O’Byrne worked within England’s National Health Service (NHS) and had the opportunity to provide assessment, treatment, and consultation to a number of different client populations that included: child and adolescents, adults, older adults, and individuals with an intellectual disability. Currently, Dr. O’Byrne was a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the Offord Centre for Child Studies at McMaster University, working with the Advancing Youth Mental Health team on projects related to mental health in schools. Dr. O’Byrne also worked in a Postdoctoral Clinical Fellowship at the Anxiety Treatment Research Centre (ATRC) at St. Joseph’s Healthcare in Hamilton. In addition to his part-time work at Halton Psychologists, Dr. O’Byrne is a staff psychologist in the Child and Youth Mental Health Program at McMaster Children’s Hospital.

Jeffrey Esteves, M.A., Ph.D. Candidate
(currently on leave)

Jeffrey is a psychometrist at Halton Psychologists under the supervision of Dr. Paulo Pires. He is currently completing his Ph.D. in Clinical Developmental Psychology at York University, where he has conducted research on Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnostics and treatment, as well as around the prevalence and predictors of problem behaviour in ASD. Over the past six years, Jeffrey has worked extensively with children, adolescents and their families in a variety of settings including Hamilton Health Sciences, Surrey Place Centre, the Toronto District School Board, and the York University Psychology Clinic. Prior to starting his Ph.D. in Clinical Developmental Psychology, Jeffrey completed a Master’s degree in Applied Disability Studies (concentration in Applied Behaviour Analysis) from Brock University, and is working toward his Board Certified Behaviour Analyst Credential. He has experience working in both private, and publicly funded regional autism programs.

Jeffrey is currently on leave completing his pre-doctoral residency in child clinical psychology at Hamilton Health Sciences.

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