Christina Chaisson
Community Outreach Coordinator
Christina has held many roles at the University of Regina including Project Coordinator, Director of Community Programs at URPride, Residence Life Coordinator, Tutor/Mentor and Office Administrator. She holds a BA (Honours) in Arts with a minor in French and Francophone Intercultural Studies and has a personal interest in psychology and wellbeing. Christina is supporting PSPNET through her role as a Community Outreach Coordinator.
Ali Van leperen
Administrative Assistant
Ali Van leperen is the Administrative Assistant at PSPNET. In her role, she supports the day-to-day administrative operations of the team, helping ensure tasks are organized, efficient, and completed with care.
As a new member, Ali brings enthusiasm, adaptability, and a strong willingness to learn. She values collaboration and communication, and she is committed to developing her skills while contributing to the success of the institute’s important work.
Colleagues appreciate Alicia’s reliability, professionalism, and positive approach to new challenges. She is excited to grow within her role and to support the meaningful initiatives that PSPNET leads in the field of public safety and mental health.
Marie-Christine Rivest, MEd
Research Partner
Marie-Christine worked as a Knowledge Translator at the Canadian Institute for Pandemic Health Education and Response (CIPHER). In this role, she helped in bridging the gap between complex research findings and their practical applications. She facilitated knowledge exchange among researchers, professionals, healthcare workers, public safety personnel, and the general public.
Currently, Marie-Christine has transitioned to a role as a Research Associate at PSPNET, where she focuses on the French-language material. In addition to her professional work, she is pursuing a Ph.D., concentrating her research on the organizational factors that impact work-related wellbeing among educational leaders.
Maude Hélie is a clinical psychologist and a member of the Ordre des psychologues du Québec since 2011. She completed her doctorate in psychology at the Université du Québec, in Trois-Rivières. Maude is a clinical research associate at the Canadian Institute for public safety research and treatment (CIPSRT) at the University of Regina, and is involved with the internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy program offered to public safety personnel.
Before joining the CIPSRT team, Maude provided psychotherapy services in a private practice as well as in the public sector. She has worked with a centre for treatment of anxiety disorders, as well as a clinic specialized on insomnia. She has also provided psychological services for the Department of National Defence and within local community service centres for people facing mental health challenges. As part of her practice, she served different clients, including militaries, veterans and crime victims. She specializes, among others, in the treatment of anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and insomnia.
She is sensitive, attentive and cares about others, and it is important for her to help people to improve their psychological wellbeing and enjoy a happier and meaningful life.
Tayah Willick
Research Assistant
Tayah is a fifth-year psychology student at the University of Regina. She is currently a student research assistant at PSPNET, focusing on knowledge translation and assisting with research projects. Tayah’s main research interests include mental health disorders and women’s mental health, and she hopes to become a counsellor post-graduation.
Alexa Danyluk, MSc
PhD Student, Clinical Psychology
Alexa is a PhD student in the Clinical Psychology Program at the University of Regina. Her master’s thesis, conducted at the University of Regina, explored the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and coping flexibility. Her research interests lie at the intersection of the social world, behaviour, and wellbeing. Specifically, she is interested in promoting social and behavioural protective mechanisms to offset psychological vulnerabilities, with a focus on directly modifying protective factors through psychological interventions. She looks forward to applying these interests to support the needs of public safety personnel (PSP) as a doctoral student under Dr. Heather Hadjistavropoulos and Dr. Jill Price at PSPNET.
Dannielle Lapierre
Honours Student
Dannielle Lapierre is a fourth-year Psychology student at the University of Regina passionate about improving mental health access through community-driven, digital interventions. Inspired by PSPNET’s impacts, she is committed to curating evidence-based online supports that reduce stigma and remove barriers to care. Following graduation, she plans to continue exploring how digital platforms can better serve those underserved by traditional systems.
Augusté Nomeikaité, MSc
Research Partner
Auguste Nomeikaite is a PhD candidate and junior researcher at the Center for Psychotraumatology at Vilnius University. She completed her M.A. in Clinical Psychology with Magna Cum Laude distinction at Vilnius University. Her master’s thesis explored the association between adjustment problems experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic and suicidal ideation. Her doctoral research focuses on Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (ICBT) for stress management among healthcare workers in Lithuania. Her main research interests include ICBT for stress- and trauma-related disorders, as well as investigating factors that contribute to the efficacy of ICBT.
Erika Diaz, Mps
Clinical Research Associate
Erika is a clinical psychologist and member of the Ordre des psychologues du Québec since 2013. She has a master in clinical psychology from the Psychotherapy Humanist Institute Gestalt, in Mexico. Erika is a research associate with the Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment (CIPSRT) at the University of Regina, where she works with the online program offered to public safety personnel. Erika was involved in the development of psychosocial projects in the country within the coordination positions as well as in interventions during natural disasters and interventions on oil rigs. Her background in intervention includes working with people struggling with addiction, survivors of sexual assault, immigrants and refugees, and crime victims. Her clinical practice was always centred on people who experienced trauma (children, youth and adults). She worked within public institutes such as the mental health program for adults in the health and social services centre (CSSS) and Social Services Centres. She has also collaborated with renowned private clinics, such as the Centre d’Expertise Marie-Vincent, the Centre Résilia, the Celia Lillo Psychological Clinic. Teamwork is at the heart of her interventions, and the full insight she has into the human being allows her to adapt her knowledge to the person she is helping, who is looking for a better life.
Chams Cherid, MSc
Research Associate
Chams is a bilingual research professional with broad experience across multiple research areas and holds four degrees from McGill and Concordia Universities. He currently serves as a Research Associate (Bilingual) with the CIPSRT at the University of Regina, under the leadership of Dr. Heather Hadjistavropoulos & Dr. Jill Price.
In this role, Chams contributes to the PSPNET program funded by Public Safety Canada. His responsibilities include French-language data collection, analysis, and synthesis; supporting the design, evaluation, and improvement of PSPNET programming; and developing research outputs such as reports, presentations, publications, and knowledge translation materials.
Through this work, he helps advance PSPNET’s mission to improve the mental health and well-being of Canada’s public safety personnel.