Christina Rinaldi -Director

Welcome to my research lab website. I am a professor in the College of Social Sciences & Humanities in the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta and the Scientific Director for the Canadian Center for Mentoring Research. My educational background is in school/applied child psychology. In collaboration with colleagues and graduate students, I conduct developmental research on the social and emotional functioning of children (preschool to adolescence). For over two decades my main research has focused on (1) the assessment of social and emotional functioning of children, and (2) the examination of how parenting behaviours and parent-child relationships support or hinder optimal social and emotional development. Currently, I am examining parent-adolescent relationship data from the COVID-19 pandemic timeframe, and learning about the challenges both parents and their adolescents faced navigating this key period of development. Also, in partnering with MENTOR Canada and the Alberta Mentoring Partnership, we are studying how mentoring relationship quality is central to fostering strong mentoring relationships and wellbeing outcomes for children and youth. In summary, my research interests include studying how critical relationships (family, mentors) support children’s and adolescents’ social and emotional learning, development, and overall wellbeing.

Visit my Faculty Profile for more information.

Temi Akinola

I am a second-year M.Ed. student in the School and Clinical Child Psychology program at the University of Alberta. I obtained my Bachelor of Arts from the University of Saskatchewan. I am interested in researching parent-child interactions in at-risk families. Mainly, I would like to understand better how best to support immigrant and refugee families and which cultural gaps need to be bridged to help them adjust to the Canadian environment. I am excited to be joining the LEAP lab this year and growing as a researcher.

Clarissa Cheong

I am currently in my fourth year of my PhD in the School and Clinical Child Psychology (SCCP) program. I have been part of the SED lab since 2014. I am interested in researching vulnerable youth, and trying to understand how their social and emotional functioning has been impacted by adverse situations. I am also interested in exploring how these youth can grow into resilience.

Nicole Murray

I am a first year PhD student in the School and Clinical Child Psychology program at the University of Alberta, and I am very excited to be continuing my work in the LEAP lab! My master's research was in programming for parents and teachers of children with ADHD, supervised by Dr. Christina Rinaldi and Dr. Yuanyuan Jiang. My research interests include neurodiversity, parenting, and the experiences of the LGBTQ+ community. I hope to become an affirming clinician for youth who feel different from their peers, and the families trying to understand and support them.

Cassandra Pirraglia

I am currently a third year PhD student in the School and Clinical Child Psychology program at the University of Alberta. My research interests centre on early parent-child relationships and parenting stress in families impacted by neurodevelopmental disorders. My master's thesis project examined the relationships between parenting stress, parent-child conflict, and preschool-aged children's internalizing behaviour problems. For my doctoral research, I am eager to further examine the impacts of family stress on parent management training. Following the completion of my PhD, I plan to support students and families by providing psychological services within a school setting.

Paolo Pador

I am currently a second-year M.Ed. Student in the School and Clinical Child Psychology Program at the University of Alberta. I previously completed my BSc (Honours) in Psychology at the University of Calgary where my research was focused on atypical maternal caregiving behaviours and disorganized attachment. My research interests also include how early caregiver adversity can impact the parent-child relationship and children's socioemotional development.

Erica Partridge

I am a doctoral student in the School and Clinical Child Psychology program at the University of Alberta, working on her dissertation. Prior to this degree, I obtained my Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts from Western University in Ontario. I am currently back in Ontario completing my doctoral internship at a school board near Toronto. For my dissertation, I am researching how parents have been approaching and monitoring their teen's social media use during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Alyssa Shukalek

I am a first-year PhD student in the School and Clinical Child Psychology program at the University of Alberta. My masters research focused on perceptions of parenting and how diverging and converging perceptions of parenting behaviors related to adolescent adjustment. I am excited to continue my learning here in the LEAP lab, with a particular interest in the bidirectional nature of the parent-child relationship and how those unique relationships interact within the greater family system.

Rachel Zukiwsky

I am a first-year Ph.D. student in the School and Clinical Child Psychology (SCCP) program at the University of Alberta. After completing my masters in June 2024 with Christina as my supervisor, I am very excited to continue my academic and professional journey with Christina by my side! From the beginning, I knew the LEAP lab was the perfect place for me to explore my research interests of childhood social and emotional development, and how family dynamics, including sibling and parent-child interactions, influence positive development. Other than my academic life, my hobbies include hiking, camping, and being a Ukrainian dancer in the Volya Ukrainian Dance Ensemble.

Recent Graduates

Dr. Kirsty Choquette

Dr. Lauren Alston

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