Dr. Joanne Park is a clinical psychologist and assistant professor at Mount Royal University (MRU). She is also a proud second-generation Korean-Canadian. She joined MRU's Department of Psychology in December, 2023. She completed her MA and PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of British Columbia, her predoctoral residency at IWK Health in Halifax, NS, and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Calgary. The goal of her research is to identify determinants of parenting and targets for parenting interventions, and to ultimately improve parent-child relationships, child mental health, and developmental functioning. Her research has been funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), and the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR).

Clinically, Dr. Park works primarily with children, adolescents and their families and provides Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Behavioural Therapy to address anxiety, OCD, selective mutism, depression, and emotion dysregulation, as well as parent-focused behavioural treatments for children with ADHD and behavioural issues. She also provides psycho-educational assessments for children and adolescents and has received specialized training in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy for both adolescents and adults.

Dr. Park's CV

Email: jlpark@mtroyal.ca

Faye Arellano is the Research Coordinator at the Parenting Resilience Kids (PaRK) Lab at Mount Royal University. She completed her BSc Honours degree in Psychology at the University of Calgary, where she used animal behavioural experiments to study how patterns in brain activity relate to decision-making. At the PaRK Lab, she is coordinating a meta-analysis to examine how social support influences parental sensitivity and child mental health outcomes, as well as the factors that may shape these relationships. She is passionate about research that aims to better understand and support children’s mental health, particularly in finding effective ways to help those facing psychological challenges. Faye hopes to pursue graduate studies in psychology, where they can continue working to improve mental health outcomes for children and youth.

Xena Al-Hejji (she/her) earned her BA Honours degree in Psychology from Mount Royal University in April 2025, where she completed a thesis that used an animal model to examine the role of serotonin in anxiety-like behaviour. Xena has previous experience as a Research Assistant across various departments at MRU including the Department of Psychology, the Department of Mathematics and Computing, and the Bissett School of Business. She recently joined the PaRK Lab as a Research Coordinator and is currently co-coordinating a meta-analysis investigating the impact of social support on parenting sensitivity and child mental health. Xena is deeply committed to improving mental health outcomes for youth and aspires to pursue a career where she can contribute to mental health research and its application in clinical settings.

Jessica Sadler (she/her) completed her Honours Psychology degree under the supervision of Dr. Joanne Park at Mount Royal University in April 2025, where she investigated the relationship between ADHD self-diagnosis and social media use in adolescents. Jessica is passionate about breaking down societal beliefs and misconceptions about mental health and identity, especially beliefs formed by social media content, and will continue research in this area at the PaRK Lab. She hopes to pursue graduate studies in clinical or experimental psychology to further explore how social media shapes beliefs about non-normative or neurodivergent identities.

Alyssa completed a BA with honours at Mount Royal University in April of 2025. Her honours thesis, supervised by Dr. Malinda Desjarlais, analyzed 100 TikTok videos about ADHD for clinical accuracy against the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. Alyssa is currently working with Dr. Joanne Park, Dr. Malinda Desjarlais, and fellow honours student Jessica Sadler on a survey study that aims to assess the prevalence of patients presenting in clinical settings with self-diagnoses of mental health disorders based on information seen on social media. Alyssa is passionate about mental health care and hopes to pursue graduate studies in psychology.

Skye Smith completed her Honours psychology degree with a minor in Women and Gender Studies at Mount Royal University in April 2025. Skye completed her honours thesis under the supervision of Joanne Park, and investigated maternal executive functioning as a moderator for the relationship between stress and child mental health. She is also interested in identifying factors of parental intervention that can influence parent-child interactions and child mental health. Skye would like to pursue a masters degree and PhD in clinical or counselling psychology with an emphasis on finding ways to support children with specialized needs so no child gets left behind. Skye continues research as an assistant in the PaRK Lab, as a way of continuing to work within an area that is dedicated to supporting child mental health. 

Alessia Eremita is a third-year Bachelor of Arts in Psychology student at Mount Royal University. She has a strong interest in both forensic and developmental psychology, particularly in how these fields intersect. Alessia is especially curious about the factors in childhood that may contribute to criminal behavior later in life. After completing her undergraduate degree, she plans to pursue a master’s and PhD in forensic psychology, with a specific focus on youth.

Ava Hampshire is in her final year at MRU completing her BA with a major in psychology. Ava is passionate about improving child mental health outcomes, with a special interest in how physical literacy translates to mental health. Ava is interested in pursuing a Masters of Social Work with hopes of creating meaningful connections with individuals across communities and facilitating access to mental health services.

Chris is entering her third year in the psychology program at Mount Royal University, where she is currently working towards applying to the Honours program. She is a Denesuline member of the Fort McKay First Nation, and plans to achieve her master's degree in counselling psychology to support Indigenous and LGBTQ+ populations in the future. 

Téa Schlegel (she/they) is going into her fifth year of Psychology in Honours with a Women and Gender Studies minor at Mount Royal University. Téa is excited to join the research team and learn more about parenting and its influences on child outcomes. They are passionate about venturing into social media research for their Honours thesis and beyond, exploring social networking sites and gendered interactions online and offline. Téa has worked with multiple professors at MRU and hopes to continue down the research path, blending a future career as a researcher and psychologist who utilizes intersectional feminist theory. 

Aleaha Florence is an undergraduate research assistant and Psychology major at Mount Royal University. She has assisted on projects examining the effects of social media on wellbeing in adolescents and undergrad students in the Digital Media and Human Behaviour Lab with Dr. Malinda Desjarlais and is currently contributing to a meta-analysis in the PArk Lab. Passionate about research that drives real-world impact, Aleaha plans to pursue a Master’s in Public Health to support evidence-based strategies that improve health outcomes. She is fluent in French, plays guitar, and has a soft spot for cats.