Carrie MacKinnon MSW, RSW is a Registered Social Worker with a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Windsor.  She also holds an Honours Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Trent University.

Prior to joining The Social Work Consulting Group in 2017, Carrie’s career had focused on working within the public sector with adults who have sustained traumatic brain injuries and their families.  With 18 years in the field, Carrie has gained extensive experience working in the community providing supportive counselling, goal-oriented service planning, community integration and education to promote independence, community engagement and improved quality of life to those living with a traumatic brain injury.

Carrie is committed to providing client focused counselling drawing upon her experience using a number of social work modalities including cognitive behaviour therapy, mindfulness, trauma-informed approaches, solution focused therapy and strength-based approaches.  In practice she focuses on supporting clients through their post-injury adjustment by providing the tools needed to maximize their recovery through counselling, education, community integration and social connection.  She is committed to promoting a collaborative approach with clients to ensure a positive working relationship to assist them through their post-injury rehabilitation.

“After completing my undergraduate degree, I had the opportunity to work with adults with acquired brain injuries.   Through this experience, I discovered a passion for helping others and was inspired to continue my education in Social Work so that I could play a greater role in creating positive change in someone’s life in the hopes of helping them overcome challenges, improving their situation, relationships and overall well-being.  Social work can play a meaningful role for those in need and provides me with a sense of purpose and personal fulfillment.”

Christine Moppett MSW, RSW is a registered therapist with a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Toronto. She also holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Peace and Conflict Studies, Psychology and Sociology from the University of Toronto. Christine has achieved a level two certification in Trauma counselling obtained through the Hinks Dellcrest Centre and has completed the EFT externship with The Ottawa Couple and Family Institute.

Prior to joining The Social Work Consulting Group in 2012, Christine focused her clinical work in supporting individuals, couples and families following trauma, brain injury, orthopaedic injury and stroke at The Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and in The Stroke and Cognition Clinic at Baycrest. In addition to her experience in rehabilitation she also has a range of clinical experience working in The Emergency department, Outpatient Women’s Health, Geriatrics, Obstetrics, and Complex care giving her a broad perspective on the challenges and crises people face throughout their lives.

Christine is dedicated to providing client-centered counselling, working together to form a collaborative working relationship and assisting clients to become strong self-advocates. Christine draws upon her experience using a combination of treatment modalities including psychodynamic psychotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, emotion focused therapy, mindfulness based stress reduction and strength based approaches. In practice she focuses on supporting clients through post-injury adjustment by providing education, community integration and counselling to maximize recovery in rehabilitation. She is committed to helping individuals understand and navigate our complex systems and guiding them to find choices that are right for them and their families.

Claire Montgomery BSW, MSW, RSW is a registered social worker with a Bachelor of Social Work from Ryerson University and a Master of Social Work from the University of Toronto. She has extensive training related to the experience and impact of trauma.

Prior to joining The Social Work Consulting Group in 2009, Claire worked at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute’s Lyndhurst Centre providing counselling to individuals who sustained spinal cord injuries.

Claire has focused her career upon working with individuals and families who are living with the aftermath of trauma. She worked at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute’s Lyndhurst Centre providing counselling to individuals who sustained spinal cord injuries. While at Lyndhurst, Claire was active in the Patient Education and Community Integration Programs. Claire has also worked in the Chronic Pain and Functional Restoration Programs at Toronto Western Hospital. Other areas of specialization Claire has focused and devoted her practice to include working with survivors of childhood abuse and women and their children who have experienced domestic violence. Through her passion for and work in the field of trauma, Claire has developed an expertise in working with people experiencing symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression and anxiety. Her focus is to be a support, resource and an advocate for people who are in the process of rebuilding their lives.

“I am passionate about helping people discover their strength, resilience and capacity to heal after loss.  I believe in working collaboratively and empathically with people facing challenges around life-changing injury, trauma, loss, and grief. I have extensive experience supporting those who have experienced a sudden and unexpected loss of a significant person in their lives to help them face the often complex and overwhelming responses that can follow. Drawing from narrative therapy, mindfulness and trauma-informed practices, cognitive behavioral therapy and attachment theory, I aim to serve as a resource and support for those facing life-altering events.”

Jackie Smoskowitz MSW, RSW is a Registered Social Worker with a Master of Social Work degree from Yeshiva University Wurzweiler School of Social Work in New York City. She also received a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Pathology from Western University.

Jackie has experience in the filed of medical social work where she played an integral role on an inpatient medicine unit. Jackie was responsible for creating and facilitating patient-focused hospital discharges into the community for her patients. Jackie also has experience working on an outpatient psychiatry unit where she used a recovery-oriented approach to provide services such as recovery plan development, risk assessment and safety planning and symptom management and supportive counselling.

Jackie has also been providing clinical counselling in a private practice setting to adolescents and adults who experience mood and anxiety disorders, trauma, relationship issues and life transitions. Jackie practices and integrates a range of therapeutic modalities in order to attend to each client individually, including Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Solution Focused Therapy, strengths based approach and mindfulness.

Jackie enjoys spending time with her dog, playing tennis and trying new restaurants around the city.

“As a social worker I am privileged to have the opportunity to be welcomed into the lives of others. I value building connections and relationships with my clients, and I am dedicated to meet each individual with an open and non-judgmental approach.”

Kara Carder MSW, RSW is a Registered Social Worker with a Master of Social Work from the University of Toronto Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. She also received a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Sociology and Child and Family Studies from the University of Guelph.

Kara has extensive clinical experience working with children, teens, young adults, and families impacted by mental health challenges, crisis situations, and traumatic life experiences, both in hospital settings and in the community. Kara works from a client-centered, strengths-based, and trauma-informed approach, and is experienced in the assessment and treatment of CPTSD/PTSD; ADHD; suicidality and self-harm; depression, anxiety/OCD/GAD; BPD; 2SLGBTQ+ issues, grief and family conflict. Kara utilizes an eclectic approach in her treatment and draws upon a variety of therapeutic modalities in which she has been clinically trained (e.g. Non-Violent Crisis Intervention, Advanced Clinical Complex Trauma; Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT); Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT); Narrative Therapy; Solution Focused Therapy, Motivational Interviewing (MI), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Her area of expertise is the assessment and treatment of psychosocial and emotional sequelae for individuals and their families coping with immediate and complex trauma.

“Therapy is about being heard, being seen, and learning how to make new choices – and knowing that you don’t have to do this on your own. I believe that everyone is the expert of their own experience and that through supportive relationships, we foster growth and understanding about ourselves that allows us the insight and ability to change. Together we’ll identify and tackle the obstacles keeping you from enjoying the life you envision for yourself and work towards building a life worth living.”

Kevin completed a Bachelor of Science with a specialization in Psychology from the University of Toronto and a Master of Social Work Degree from Wilfrid Laurier University in 2004. Prior to joining The Social Work Consulting Group early in 2021, Kevin worked in the Mental Health and Addictions program at the Humber River Hospital in Toronto for many years and later at CAMH in the new, publicly funded: Ontario Psychotherapy program.

Kevin has been passionate about the provision psychotherapy for almost his whole career providing this important intervention, mainly in a mental health context. He has trained extensively in the Cognitive Behavioural approach, along with being well versed and trained in the work of Dr. Barry L. Duncan; understanding the importance of drawing out client strengths, resources and resiliencies and other “client factors,” in addition to critical importance of the therapeutic alliance, that contribute to positive outcomes for clients through psychotherapy.

“Growing up with parents who worked in the healthcare sector, helping other human beings has always been a priority and personal goal for me, which has led me naturally into the field of social work. My religious beliefs also contribute strongly to this mandate and provide me with the passion and impetus to do the work that I do as a social worker. I have also long been interested in mental health and the treatment of mental illness via psychotherapy. I am grateful to be with The Social Work Consulting Group and the opportunity to work with people who have experienced the trauma of a motor vehicle collision, to help them find their will and inner strength to deal with their difficult experiences and attempt to move towards recovery.”