Meet our team
Melissa Lavallee
Melissa is the founder of Ascent Clinical Services and a Registered Behaviour Analyst. She has been working with children and youth with autism and/or developmental disabilities since 1999 and received her BCBA in 2006. She is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno with a Master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis and received her Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Linguistics from the University of Toronto.
Melissa has worked in both private practice and in the regional autism program where she provided clinical oversight and accountability to multiple teams of supervisors and therapists working across agencies. She has created and presented trainings for ABA teams, conducted external and internal quality assurance reviews, and worked diligently over the years to support changes to the AIP/OAP so that best practices and client outcomes were always at the forefront of decision making.
Melissa is passionate about teaching therapists to be successful at using a behaviour analytic approach throughout their sessions so that every learning opportunity is maximized for their client. She taught ABA courses in the Autism and Behavioural Science program at George Brown College and Seneca College and is currently a part-time professor at George Brown College in the Behavioural Sciences degree program. Melissa has provided mentorship and supervision to many therapists and BCBAs over the past two decades and continually seeks opportunities for new learning and collaboration with colleagues.
Lisa Giewercer
Lisa began her career in Edmonton, Alberta in 2001. She graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Science degree with a specialization in Psychology and went on to complete a Masters of Arts in Applied Disability Studies from Brock University. She was the recipient of the Dean of Graduate Studies Excellence Scholarship, the Ontario Graduate Scholarship and the Distinguished Graduate Student Award. Lisa is a Registered Behaviour Analyst and received her BCBA in 2012.
Working in the regional autism program, Lisa provided clinical oversight to multiple teams across agencies. She supervised a Section 23 classroom consisting of a team of therapists working in partnership with a teacher and educational assistants. It is here where she first began to recognize the importance of well-planned school transitions and skill generalization. Lisa is very knowledgeable at connecting families to resources and translating behavioural treatment goals to skills that will work in the classroom.
Understanding that there is no one-size-fits-all intervention, she works with her clients and their families to find what will work for them, as ultimately that is where best outcomes occur.
Over the last several years, Lisa became actively involved in virtual service delivery and supervision. She saw benefit and gains that she had not expected. As such, she continues to believe in the value of both virtual service delivery and/or virtual supervision, where appropriate to the client and their family.
Laura Endicott
Laura has been supporting families and providing ABA services since 2000. With over two decades of experience, she brings deep expertise, compassion, and a genuine commitment to helping her clients reach their full potential.
As a Senior ABA Clinician, Laura believes that collaboration is the foundation of meaningful progress. She works closely with families and professionals to ensure a cohesive approach, always striving to maximize generalization and real-world success for every client.
For Laura, this work is more than a career—it’s a calling. She is dedicated to empowering each individual to become the best version of themselves, celebrating every achievement along the way.
Urvashi Sirur
Urvashi has been providing ABA services to individuals with autism and developmental disabilities for over twenty years through a client- and family-centred lens that is reflected in her every interaction. She has worked in home, the community, and centre-based models of service delivery in both private and public service.
She works directly with children, youth, and their families to develop program goals and implement positive interventions in service of her clients. She has a long history of providing training and clinical supervision to ABA therapists and champions an interprofessional approach to service delivery.
Jordanna Guida
Jordanna is a Registered Social Worker who is dedicated to helping individuals enhance their mental health and well-being. She obtained her Masters of Social Work from the University of Windsor. As a practitioner, Jordanna takes a client-centred, trauma-informed and strength-based approach to therapy with the goal of creating a safe and supportive environment.
Jordanna practices using a variety of evidence-based interventions to address each client's unique needs and challenges. These evidence-based interventions include Cognitive Behavioural therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment therapy, Emotion-Focused skills training, and Dialectical-Behavioural Therapy.
She has experience working with individuals, couples, families and groups facing a wide range of challenges including but not limited to anxiety, depression, relationship concerns, family dynamics and family functioning. Jordanna’s passion for helping others and her deep understanding of the complexities of mental health concerns make her a valuable resource for clients seeking support.
Jordanna provides counselling/psychotherapy services through teletherapy.
Juliana Hifawi
Juliana is a registered Speech-Language Pathologist with the College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario (CASLPO). She completed her Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Cognitive Science of Language at McMaster University. She went on to complete her Master of Science in Speech and Language Therapy at the University of Essex in the UK, graduating with distinction and receiving an academic excellence scholarship upon entry into the program.
Juliana is trained in the Fluency Plus Program: Comprehensive Treatment for School-Aged Children Who Stutter. She has also completed certification in Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy. She is passionate about working with clients of all ages with a range of communication and orofacial myofunctional disorders (OMDs). Her particular areas of interest include early language development, speech sound disorders, fluency, and literacy.
She is committed to providing therapy that is strength-based, play-based, and evidence-informed. She brings a holistic and person-centered lens to her practice.
Juliana provides speech-language therapy services in clinic and virtually.
We work together with a number of talented ABA therapists and are always looking to partner with more.
If you are interested in working with our team, please reach out to us here.