Graduate Students & Postdoctoral Researchers

Carley Marshall

Carley Marshall successfully defended her dissertation titled “Intergenerational continuity of child sexual abuse: A mixed methods study of risk and protective factors” on August 9, 2023, as part of the PhD program in School/Applied Child Psychology at McGill University. Her dissertation aimed to identify psychosocial risk and protective factors associated with child sexual abuse continuity, as well as to better understand mothers’ experiences of continuity through qualitative interviews. This research points to the roles of single parenthood, exposure to intimate partner violence during childhood, as well as mothers’ difficulties with parenting, mental health, and attachment; all of which represent important clinical targets to reduce the risk of intergenerational maltreatment.  


Sereena Pigeon

Sereena Pigeon is a Doctoral candidate in Counselling Psychology at McGill University.  For her PhD project, she is conducting a mixed-methods dissertation seeking to better understand the role played by attachment-related factors (i.e., relationship quality) on emerging adult’s developing romantic attachment in the context of the intergenerational continuity of CM in mother-emerging adult dyads.


Audrey Kern

Audrey is a Ph.D. candidate in Counselling Psychology at McGill University. She also completed her master’s degree in Counselling Psychology with Dr. Langevin. Audrey’s research examines intergenerational patterns of child maltreatment within Montreal families involved with Child Protective Services. She also researches the intergenerational impacts of child maltreatment on child mental health. She is interested in transforming her research into accessible modalities for the public and clinical use to inform prevention initiatives. 


Marie-Emma Gagné

Marie-Emma is a PhD candidate in Counselling Psychology at McGill University. Her research documents the adaptation and implementation of a trauma-informed framework in a community organization offering medical and psycho-social services to young mothers and their infants. Marie-Emma previously completed her master’s degree in Counselling Psychology at McGill University (clinical program). 


Alesha Frederickson

Alesha Frederickson is a PhD student in Counselling Psychology at McGill University. She is interested in investigating how childhood sexual abuse impacts individuals during pregnancy, labour, and future parent-child attachment. She also completed her Master’s degree with Dr. Langevin, where she did an integrative review of the literature on which aspects during the perinatal period (re)traumatize child sexual abuse survivors. Previously, she completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology at the University of Winnipeg, where her thesis explored women’s feelings of threat and belonging in gym environments.


Teresa Pirro

Teresa Pirro is a Master of Arts student in Counselling Psychology at McGill University. Currently, her research interests are to examine how dissociation mediates the associations between mothers’ traumatic life events and maltreatment, and mother-infant bonding during the perinatal period. She has completed a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, with a double minor in Behavioural Science and Education at McGill University, and a Master of Arts in Child Studies (Thesis Option) at Concordia University. Her previous Master’s thesis investigated interpersonal disagreements in conversations between mothers and their children with a focus on distinctions between disagreements about facts and values.


Dr. Dany Laure Wadji

Dr. Dany Laure Wadji is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology at McGill University. She obtained her PhD at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland with support from the Excellence Scholarship of the Swiss Confederation. Her postdoctoral fellowship is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). She is interested in the effects of early life adversity, including child maltreatment and exposure to intimate partner violence, with a focus on psychobiological impacts and intergenerational transmission.


Olivia Mazzarello

Olivia Mazzarello is a MA student in the Counselling Psychology program at McGill University. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Honors Psychology from McGill University. Currently, her research focuses on the associations between parental experiences of childhood maltreatment and the placement outcomes of children involved with Child Protective Services.


Sophie Beaudette

Sophie Beaudette is a MA Student in the Counselling Psychology program at McGill University. Her research focuses on how attachment and childhood emotional maltreatment influence emerging adult romantic relationships. Prior to joining the lab, Sophie worked at the Canadian Mental Health Association as a Bounceback Coach,  and completed an undergraduate degree in Psychology at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick.

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