Dr. Elizabeth Wachala

Liz provides individual therapy to children and youth ages 6 years and up, as well as consultations with parents and other family members of young clients. Her practice is grounded in a client-centred approach and informed heavily by theories of attachment and developmental systems. Depending on client needs, she commonly integrates tools from behavioural and cognitive-behavioural treatments, as well as motivational, mindfulness, interpersonal, solution-focused, and play therapy approaches. Liz has enjoyed working with clients presenting with a wide range of challenges, including anxiety, depression, ADHD, disordered eating, self-harm, school refusal, phobias, trauma, grief, and parent-child relationship dynamics. She has provided individual and group psychological services in a variety of settings, including schools (elementary, secondary, postsecondary), medical clinics, and community mental health centres.

Liz also conducts comprehensive psychoeducational assessments of children and youth to identify their cognitive and academic strengths and weaknesses, and to establish whether their learning is impacted by such diagnoses as learning disabilities/disorders, intellectual disability, intellectual giftedness, and/or ADHD. She has extensive experience working with teachers and school staff to implement academic accommodations that best support a student’s learning.

Liz completed her doctoral degree through the Clinical-Developmental Psychology program at York University in Toronto, Ontario. Her doctoral research explored long-term outcomes for mothers and children who received integrated intervention for maternal substance use. Liz moved to the island to complete her doctoral residency in the Greater Victoria Area with Child and Youth Mental Health (MCFD). As she progresses toward registration with the BC College of Psychologists, she is practicing at VIPS under the supervision of a registered psychologist.

In addition to clinical practice, Liz has enjoyed teaching undergraduate psychology courses at the University of Victoria.

Ready to take the next step?

Contact Us