Accendus Group
unlock your true potential and elevate your life
THE ASSOCIATES
decades of experience



exemplary service
Please explore our team's bios to help you find the right practitioner. As a collective of professionals, some of our team members maintain their own websites or emails accounts, identified, by an underlined name, click on their name to explore their services further. Though we charge a fee for services, services may be covered by insurance and employee health benefits.
Mary-Jo is an alternate Dispute Resolution Specialist
Mediator, Parenting Coordinator and Member of the Reintegration Team
She has a Law Degree and an MBA from the University of Alberta. She completed her Mediation Training with Dr. Barbara Landau and her Parenting Coordinator Training with Dr. Barbara Fidler. She continues to attend training courses, conferences, and seminars in order to inform and align her practice with current information, research and best practices. She is an active member of the AFCC and FDRIO.
Her primary goal, in providing these services to families, who are transitioning through separation and divorce, is to keep families out of Court. This reduces the acrimony, the duration of the negotiations, the financial burden and serves to focus the separating parents’ attention on their children. The goal is to reduce or eliminate the risks and damage to the children and to return the family to a new normal as soon as possible.
ANNE STEEVES
RSW, MEd(counselling), R.P., PhD( counselling)
Phone 905-278-0647
As a registered Social Worker and Registered Psychotherapist Anne's principle areas of psychotherapy highlight:
Individual therapy
Couple therapy -including same- sex couple therapy
Anxiety disorders
Counselling specific to survivors of childhood sexual abuse
Focusing- oriented psychotherapy
Feminist counselling
Personal enhancement counselling
Counselling for individuals pursuing mediation and family integration
ANNA NOSKO
MSW RSW
Anna is Clinical Social Worker, Psychotherapist, & Registered Marriage and Family Therapist, practicing for over 35 years.
Anna "s principal areas of Expertise includes:
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Individual psychotherapy
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Couple & Family Therapy
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De-traumatizing Therapy
Her Practice Focus includes:
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Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Detraumatizing work including interventions such as EMDR (eye movement, desensitization and reprocessing), Brainspotting, EFT (emotional freedom techniques).
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Anxiety and Anxiety Disorders
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Depression
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Dealing with Grief
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Dealing with Self-esteem issues
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Anger management
JOHN FRANCHI
MA, (Psych Counselling).
John takes a pragmatic approach. He treats this enterprise as a vocation. He engages compassionately and authentically in a practical fashion with individuals, couples and families. He has an affinity for cases involving transitional difficulties - failing at university, losing a job, or traversing other crises. He employs analytical skills to find the path from the dilemma to its resolution by defining the problems and concerns, then assisting with the choices and decisions that will deliver success, satisfaction and meaningful quality of life. This allows him to assist in the crafting of relevant and fulfilling solutions for life's difficulties.
His extensive work with anxiety relief and obsessive compulsive disorder have led to the development of two effective programs. The first is to stem anxiety and the other, to quiet obsessions and compulsions. These programs promote understanding of the dilemmas, teach lessons and strategies that aid relief, introduce mindfulness for management of onsets, and cultivate approaches that limit negative impacts and expand abilities to address concerns.
GREGORY KOVAL
MSW, RSW
Gregory has been a practicing registered social worker practicing psychotherapy and psychiatric social worker for the past 47 years. He has extensive clinical experience in individual, couple/marital and family therapy. He has consulted extensively with patients and clients in hospitals, medical centers, social work agencies, Family Court and private practice. He has provided far-reaching services as a consultant therapist, lecturer, mental health teacher and management consultant in a variety of health-related settings and educational institutions. His practice focus has always been in psychotherapy and he has spent the past four decades honing his skills and expertise in that regard.
Greg’s principal areas of expertise include:
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Individual Psychotherapy
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Couple Therapy
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Family Therapy
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Crisis Intervention / Trauma Therapy
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Parental Coordination
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Short Term Disability Insurance Issues
Greg’s practice focus includes:
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Individual, Couple and Family Issues
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Mediation of Parenting Issues
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Mediation of Separation and Divorce Issues
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Reintegration Assessment and Therapy
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Child Custody and Custody Assessments
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Major Affective Disorders
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Chronic Pain and Fatigue Disorders
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Stress Disorders
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Anxiety Disorders
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Palliative Care / Grief Counselling
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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders
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Teaching, Lecturing, Practice Consultation
Hina Mirza
MACP, RP
Hina aims to create a warm and supportive space in her practice, where clients are enabled to seek positive change through building self compassion and resilience.
Her work is rooted in the fundamental principles of adaptability and growth, which encourages clients to use tools to navigate their unique challenges while framing treatment planning with cultural sensitivity, religious values and an awareness of their needs.
Her role is to help clients overcome emotional distress, behavioral issues and navigate conflict, using strategic talk therapy to understand their problems, assess their condition, and create a treatment plan through personal strengths, and reinforcing positive feelings and behaviors.
She works with individuals, couples and families overcoming mental health concerns by using psychotherapy concepts which can include a faith-based lens and multi cultural awareness to create a respectful space in counselling.
David Johnston
OCT, RPQ, CRPO
David is an individual, couples/relationship, and family therapist. He believes in creating a safe space where people of all backgrounds are welcome, and where clients feel seen, heard, valued, and supported. He works together with clients to empower inherent strengths and skills in those that he sees. Here, clients can discover greater feelings of connection, understanding, curiosity and mindfulness in their lives.
As an Elementary School Teacher since 2001, David has worked with children and youth in the learning environment, and supported students with a broad range of issues, including depression, anxiety, trauma, and relationship challenges.
As a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), David has focused on a mindfulness-based framework that fosters self-discovery, as well as identifying and resisting shame. Specific treatment approaches include, but not limited to, evidence-based therapeutic modalities, including: Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, and Family Systems Therapy. He works from a trauma and attachment informed, harm reduction model of practice.
David also has a strong focus on providing psychotherapy services for LGBTQ individuals and couples.
David offers psychotherapy and counselling to individuals/couples, as well who are experiencing:
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Mood (major depression, bipolar I & II depression, persistent depressive disorder)
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Anxiety (social anxiety, panic attacks, generalized anxiety disorder)
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Addiction (substances)
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Process Addictions (gambling, hypersexuality, compulsive spending, internet and gaming, eating/food)
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Trauma (childhood and adult)
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Interpersonal Relationships, Intimacy and Attachment
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Conflict regarding Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
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Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
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Developing parenting partnerships in families in crisis