Rebecca Burdayron

Malka Hershon

Malka is a doctoral candidate in Counselling Psychology at McGill University. Her research interests include the associations between sleep-related parental practices and infant and parental sleep. Malka is the recipient of a doctoral scholarship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). Following her doctoral degree, Malka plans to become a licensed psychologist while maintaining collaborations in research projects. Outside of schoolwork, Malka enjoys reading, cooking, and baking.

Ève Jacques

Ève is a first-year doctoral student in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D) at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR), supervised by Dr. Karine Dubois-Comtois and co-supervised by Dr. Marie-Hélène Pennestri. Her research focuses on the links between marital conflict and children’s sleep problems, with a particular interest in the protective role of secure attachment. Through her work, she aims to better understand how family relationships and secure attachment may be associated with children’s sleep and contribute to their overall well-being. Outside of her studies, Ève enjoys traveling, exploring fashion, and discovering new recipes and culinary experiences. 

Anita is a doctoral student in the Counselling Psychology at McGill University where she also obtained a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in Human Development. Anita aspires to pursue a clinical and academic career working as a clinician-scientist. Her research interests include the interplay between family dynamics and configurations (e.g., single-mother families, families experiencing parental separation and divorce), sleep health factors, and child and maternal well-being. Anita is the recipient of a doctoral scholarship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). In her free time, Anita enjoys exploring new recipes, cooking, baking, and learning new languages.

Michelle Ly

Michelle is a PhD student in Counselling Psychology at McGill University. Her master research focused on maternal appraisal of infants’ sleeping through the night, and the intra-variability in infant sleep patterns. Currently, she is investigating the relationship between infants’ sleep and parent-child attachments for her PhD project. In addition to her love of sleep science, her passion is supporting neurodivergent children.

Alicia Martineau

Alicia is a second-year Master of Arts student in the Counselling Psychology program at McGill. She is interested in how neurodevelopmental disabilities, such as autism, are associated with sleep in children. Alicia plans to pursue a doctorate and become a licensed psychologist. In her free time, she enjoys baking vegan treats, spending time with her sister and friends, reading, and going on long walks.

Rachel Pétrin

Rachel is a Ph.D. candidate in Psychology at the Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO) co-supervised by Dr. Geneviève Forest and Dr. Marie-Hélène Pennestri. Passionate about young children’s sleep, she is interested in how napping evolves during the preschool years and in the role that parental beliefs, family practices, and educational settings play in this transition. Her research aims to better understand how to support the development of healthy sleep habits in children and promote family well-being. Outside of her studies, Rachel enjoys staying active, traveling, and spending quality time with her loved ones.

Charlène Thauvin

Charlène is a PhD student in the Counselling Psychology program at McGill University. Her research interests include napping practices in educational settings, cultural influences on sleep behaviour, and the parent-child bond in early childhood. Charlène plans to pursue a doctorate and become a licensed psychologist. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends, journaling, reading, and backpacking.

Enora Touloute

Enora is a first-year student in the Master’s in Counselling Psychology program at McGill University. She completed her Honours Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at the University of Ottawa as a student-athlete. Her Honours thesis was on the role of mindfulness exercises in improving student mental health. In her free time, she enjoys staying active, spending time with her family/friends, and trying new things.

Karissa Vallera

Karissa is a second-year Master of Arts student in the School/Applied Child Psychology program at McGill University. Her research interests include investigating the complex associations between sleep disorders and neurodevelopmental disabilities. Following her Master’s, Karissa plans to pursue a doctorate and aspires to become a child psychologist. During her free time, she likes to dance, do pilates/yoga, read, and spend time with her friends and family. 

Adrienne Vandenberg

Adrienne is a PhD student in Counselling Psychology at McGill University. She previously completed an undergraduate thesis under the supervision of Dr. Pennestri examining the association between infant sleep variability and parental depressive symptoms, and a master’s project focused on the quality and content of public health resources for Canadian parents about bedsharing. Her research interests include infant sleep, parental mental health, bedsharing, and public health communication. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with friends, reading, and exploring Montreal.

Kaia Watkins-Martin

Kaia is a third-year doctoral student in Counselling Psychology at McGill University. Her research examines the immediate and short-term impact of nature walks on the mental health of severely depressed clinical populations as well as young adult university students. Kaia holds a doctoral scholarship through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). After completing her degree, she plans to work as a clinician and continue to contribute to research. She also hopes to eventually work with clinicians-in-training. Kaia enjoys reading, nature walks, and spending time with her family.

Bryan completed his Doctor of Philosophy in Counselling Psychology from McGill University and his predoctoral clinical residency at the McGill University Health Centre. His research focused on the relationship between the sleep-wake cycle in infancy and its association with future cognitive development and sleep health. Bryan currently works as a clinician.

Gabrielle has completed her Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) in research and intervention in Adult Clinical Psychology at the University of Montreal, under the supervision of Dr. Pennestri and Dr. Marie-Julie Béliveau. Gabrielle is interested in infant and child sleep as well as child and parental mental health. She currently works in psychological services at the birthing center at the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM). Professionally, Gabrielle is interested in the perinatal period. In her free time, Gabrielle enjoys cooking, nature, and travelling..

Christopher completed his Doctor of Philosophy in Counselling Psychology from McGill University in 2022. His dissertation focused on investigating sleep patterns and intra-individual variability in both mothers and fathers at 6 months postpartum. Christopher’s research also examined associations between parents’ sleep and family factors and postpartum depressive symptoms. He provides psychotherapy services relying on knowledge acquired through various research, practica, and internship experiences to guide my clinical work.

Samantha Kenny

Christine Laganière

Christine completed her Doctor of Philosophy in Counselling Psychology from McGill University, her predoctoral clinical residency at the CHUM in oncology, and clinical practica in private practice. Her thesis explored the psychological difficulties and sleep characteristics associated with sleep disorders in childhood. She now pursues her research training as a postdoctoral fellow at Université Laval. 

Yara is a second-year undergraduate student in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Montreal. Her fields of interest include child development, cognitive functions, and psychopathology. She aspires to pursue her doctorate degree in neuropsychology in order to become a licensed neuropsychologist. During her free time, she loves traveling, swimming, and watching comedy movies.

Bianca Lamarre

Bianca is a fourth-year undergraduate student at McGill University, majoring in Psychology with minors in Behavioural Science and Italian Studies. Her research interests include psychopathology, child development, and sleep psychology. Her undergraduate thesis examined whether objectively measured sleep differed between postpartum mothers who were stay-at-home and those who were employed. She hopes to pursue a doctorate in Clinical Psychology and ultimately practice as a licensed psychologist. Outside of her academic pursuits, Bianca enjoys immersing herself in fictional worlds through literature and film.

Delphine Pham

Delphine is a third-year undergraduate student in Psychology at the University of Montreal. She is particularly interested in child development, coparenting, cognitive functions and women health. Under Dre Pennestri’s supervision, Delphine has completed a research project about the association between mothers’ perception of preschoolers’ sleep quality and of coparenting quality. She plans to pursue her graduate studies in neuropsychology in order to become a neuropsychologist. Outside of her studies, she enjoys reading, watching Chinese dramas or spend quality time with her family and her dog.