Leanne Tattrie Psychological Services Ltd

10/21/2025

Many children struggle fine motor skills. Developing a strong pencil grasp with good control is important. Here are some great ideas from The OT Toolbox presented in a nice visual for reference.

We love to work on fine motor skills using everyday objects in play. Here are some additional ideas: https://www.theottoolbox.com/tripod-grasp-fine-motor-skills-everyday-items/

10/19/2025

Free sessions

Join us for Free Virtual Autism Education Sessions

Hosted by the Provincial Preschool Autism Service (PPAS) – a partnership between IWK Health, Nova Scotia Health, Hearing and Speech Nova Scotia, and Autism Nova Scotia.

Learn practical, evidence-based strategies from health professionals to support your child’s development and everyday routines. Open to all families and caregivers.

Each session is free to attend, but space is limited, registration is capped at 50 participants per session.

https://iwkhealth.ca/provincial-preschool-autism-service/autism-education-series

10/19/2025

Some perspective when it comes to our ADHD children's "big emotions". By the time they get home, they likely do not have a whole lot of mental or emotional energy left in the "tank" and little prompts or requests can result in big reactions. Remember to try and look beyond the behavior in order to respond rather than react.

10/15/2025

Free sessions being offered through NSHealth!!

10/15/2025

Oct 12-18 is OCD Awareness week, and landmarks around Nova Scotia (and the world) are being lit up teal in recognition, including Province House in Halifax and the Big Fiddle in Sidney. So what do we want you to think about when you see them? That the only way to defeat OCD is together.

The first step is recognizing that OCD is a real problem. It’s not fun, like obsessing over Taylor Swift’s new album or your favorite sports team. Having OCD is miserable: you are consumed by thoughts you don’t want to have and behaviours you don’t want to do. Many of the families we work with describe it like a form of mental torture they go through every day. It takes over the person’s life and seeps into the lives of everyone who cares about them. That’s the bad news.

The good news? We know what to do to help! There are evidence-based treatments available throughout Nova Scotia. CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) with ERP (exposure and response prevention) is the gold-standard treatment, and you can find someone who is trained in it throughout our free public health services. For some, medication is needed as well - so talk to a family doctor or nurse practitioner.

Most importantly…gather your people. The road to recovery is challenging and having family and friends who will join you in your fight against OCD is so important. Get them on your team.

Together, we can defeat OCD.



A message from Dr. Ann Marie Joyce, Psychologist, IWK OCD Specific Care Clinic

09/18/2025

09/08/2025

Is your child displaying school avoidance or school refusal? Or perhaps their level of stress going to school is escalating and you are looking for some information or strategies?

Send a message to learn more

08/29/2025

New openings available!

Private psychology practice in Sydney, Nova Scotia, providing comprehensive assessments and intervention for children, adolescents, and young adults.

07/04/2025

The Community Health Teams in partnership with the IWK are offering FREE online wellness sessions delivered over Zoom for Healthcare. These sessions are available to residents of Nova Scotia age 18 and older with a valid NS health card.

07/04/2025

We'd like to officially welcome Heather Rudderham to the team at Birchwood! Heather is a registered psychologist with over 8 years of clinical experience. She works with clients aged 16+, providing mental health assessments (excluding ADHD, Autism, and Personality Disorders), assessments for Veterans Affairs Canada, as well as therapy focusing on areas such as relationship issues, trauma, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), gender and sexual identity exploration, Depression and Anxiety, life transitions, grief and loss, and anger management. She has openings as early as this summer so please reach out to Bailey at 902-304-5527 if interested in booking!

05/25/2025

Does your child need speech/language services? Danielle is accept new clients!

Since we've had so much change here at Birchwood, we thought it was a good time to re-introduce our clinicians! Starting with Danielle Criss, our speech language pathologist.

Danielle provides expert speech and language therapy tailored to your child’s unique needs. Through play-based, engaging, and evidence-based approaches, she helps children build confidence in their communication skills. She also helps parents/ guardians build confidence in their ability to foster their child’s speech and language development. Working with toddlers to school-agers, Danielle provides a wide range of assessment and therapy services.

She also has immediate openings so feel free to reach out to Bailey at the office to book your appointment now!

04/14/2025

Now offering (much needed) speech language pathology services!