Dr. Mary Elizabeth (M.E.) Picher, MA, MED, PHD, is the Founding Program Director of The Giving Tree Centre and has designed the assessment and treatment program to reflect the latest developments in evidence-based therapies in tandem with child and family needs in today’s dynamic environment.

 

M.E. is a registered psychotherapist and developmental psychologist who has worked in the fields of Infant and Children’s Mental Health for 2O years.

 

M.E. earned her Master’s Degree from the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at Naropa University in the US and her Masters of Education and PHD degrees in Developmental Psychology and Education from The University of Toronto.

 

M.E. is trained in a variety of evidence-based treatment approaches including cognitive-behaviour therapy, parent-infant psychotherapy, play therapy, mindfulness-based self-compassion therapy, multisystemic therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy and trauma-focused cognitive behaviour therapy. M.E. has a wealth of experience treating a variety of mental health issues in children and youth of all ages, but has a special interest in working with parents and young children, ages 0 - 6 years-old.

 

Before serving as Program Director at The Giving Tree Centre, M.E. worked as a child, family and adult clinician, play therapist and group facilitator in inpatient and outpatient children’s mental health centres throughout Canada and the U.S, and founded an early childhood development and parenting program which has helped thousands of parents to better understand and support the developmental needs and issues that are fundamental to raising young children.

 

Perhaps, most importantly, M.E. is a mom to two bright and beautiful neurodiverse children.