Dr. Alyssa MacDonald, Psy. D
Clinical Psychologist (supervised practice)
Pronouns: She/Her
Services & Rates:
Individual Therapy ($275 per 50-minute session)
Assessments
Dr. Mélodie Lemay-Gaulin is available Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in the daytime. She only accepts in-person therapy clients at this time.
About Me
I bring both professional expertise and personal understanding to my work as a psychologist. As a late-identified, multiply neurodivergent professional, I know what it’s like to feel othered, misunderstood, or to try to become someone else in order to get by. In creating Accord Psychology, I wanted to create the kind of space I spent a long time searching for: one where you can feel safe to truly be yourself. My practice is grounded in a deep interest in the intricacies of the human mind, emphasizing core values of authenticity, inclusivity, and connection.
I work especially well with curious, sensitive minds who think deeply and feel intensely. Many of my clients are exceptionally bright, creative, and professionally successful, yet quietly struggle with feelings of anxiety, stuckness, overwhelm or disconnect. Some of my areas of special interest include neurodiverse sexuality, mixed-neurotype relationships, twice-exceptionality, and the intersection of trauma and neurodivergence.
I am care deeply about neuro-affirming, trauma-informed, culturally safe, LGBTQIA+ affirming and sex-positive values. I continually and actively engage in introspective work to help me identify any personal perspective and assumptions that may show up in our sessions.
I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from McGill University, a certificate in Human Sexuality and Intervention, and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the Université de Montréal. During my residency, I received specialized training in sex and couples therapy at the MUHC in Montreal. Aside from my work at Accord Psychology, I work at Remedy offering psychedelic-assisted therapy, which is a long-standing interest of mine.
My style is informal, collaborative and exploratory. I show up as my authentic self, bringing warmth, curiosity, a love of metaphors, and a touch of playfulness to our sessions. My goal is to create a safe, supportive space away from life's usual demands where you can explore freely and face the parts of you that you usually avoid. I focus on helping you find the right words to make sense of your experience in all of its complexity and nuance. At the same time, I challenge you to expand your understanding of events to include other perspectives and consider new ways of being. In so doing, I hope to help you move toward greater authenticity, awareness, acceptance, and self-compassion.
I also pay close attention to what unfolds between us in the therapy room. By gently and honestly examining our interactions in the moment, we can identify unspoken patterns, assumptions, and relational dynamics that may be holding you back. In accordance with trauma-informed practices, I believe in working with transparency and respect for your autonomy, ensuring you always have a say in how we move forward together. Because of my own aphantasia, I tend to stay away from techniques that rely heavily on imagination or visualization.
In therapy jargon, my approach is fundamentally humanistic-existential, integrating interpersonal psychodynamic theory and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). We will likely be a good fit if you are ready to step away from one-size-fits-all approaches or prescriptive formulas and are open to deeper, medium- to long-term work. Together, we can work toward understanding the roots of what brings you to therapy and finding your own path to lasting growth.