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Our Team

Multidisciplinary Team

Samantha Leibovitch

Pediatric Occupational Therapist

Samantha Leibovitch

Give a Warm Welcome to Samantha Leibovitch, our Pediatric Occupational Therapist 

Samantha Leibovitch, M.SC.A.O.T, is a pediatric occupational therapist, having graduated from McGill University with a master’s degree in Occupational Therapy in 2013. Upon graduation, Samantha started her career at Summit School, where she worked with students with intellectual disabilities alongside a big team of professionals. Since then, Samantha has worked in private practice, clinical settings, daycares, and schools. 

Samantha is a mom of two kids and loves working with children in both their natural environments and clinical settings. Her strengths lie in assessing needs and developing appropriate therapeutic plans tailored to each child. By assessing children’s abilities and skills in daily activities, fine motor and gross motor domains, and sensory processing, she can help maximize their participation in everyday activities.

Melanie
Rich

Mhsc. Orthophoniste / Speech-Language Pathologist

Melanie Rich

Melanie is Rich in Care, Concern and Impact 

Melanie Rich, Mhsc. Orthophoniste/Speech-Language Pathologist, is a fully certified Speech-Language Pathologist who cares deeply about the children she works with. Melanie has worked in various pediatric and adult settings in Montreal and Ottawa, assessing and treating children and adults with speech, language, and cognitive communication disorders. Previously, Melanie worked as an ABA therapist, working with children on the spectrum and with behavioural difficulties.

Melanie has a Master of Health Science degree in speech-language pathology and graduated from the University of Ottawa in 2022. She is a licensed member of the Ordres des Orthophonistes et Audiologists du Quebec (OOAQ). Melanie is also certified in LSVT Loud to assist those with motor speech disorders. 

Melanie
Bercovici

Senior Therapist / Registered Behavior Technician

Melanie Bercovici

Meet Melanie, Senior Therapist and Certified Registered Behavior Technician (RBT)

Melanie Bercovici is a senior therapist at ABC Solutions. She has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Concordia University and a Master of Applied Disability Studies from Brock University. She is a certified Registered Behavior Technician (RBT). 

Melanie has been working with ABC Solutions since 2015, helping individuals with various challenges, including autism, ADHD, developmental disabilities, and anxiety. She works with children and their families, designing and implementing intervention plans and behaviour management strategies, as well as teaching social, communication, and self-regulation skills. 

During her free time, Melanie enjoys walking her dog, reading and playing sports.

Toni
Sassi

Office Administrator

Toni Sassi

Toni is Always There to Greet You With a Smile

Toni Sassi is the invaluable Office Coordinator at ABC Solutions.  She has 25 years of experience working in Accounting and Business Administration in the healthcare field, and also has a Bachelor of Arts, Accounting and a certificate in Public Relations.

Toni is always there to greet you with a smile and be a compassionate listener.  She enjoys working alongside our therapists, the families, and especially the children. They always put a smile on her face and she is continually amazed at the progress they are making.

In her free time, Toni enjoys food, writing, gardening, and walking in the sunshine with her little dog, Pichu.

Kelly
Pallikaris

Behavioural Therapist

Kelly Pallikaris

Kelly is dedicated to helping children and their families, too

Kelly Pallikaris has been passionate about mental health since a young age. She earned a Bachelor of Arts at McGill University, with a major in Psychology and a double minor in both Behavioural Sciences and Anthropology. She then returned to McGill for her graduate studies and obtained an M.Ed. in Educational Psychology. 

Throughout her years as a student, Kelly gained significant experience working with both the Kids Help Phone and the Douglas Mental Health University Institute. 

She has experience working with children, adolescents, adults, and their parents. 

Kelly specialises in helping individuals with behavioural and mental health struggles including but not limited to: anxiety, depression, emotional regulation, stress, anger management, motivation, and more. She also provides parental coaching to help parents better understand and support their children.

ABA/Integration Services

Yasmina
Abdallah

Yasmina Abdallah

Yasmina has completed her BA in Psychology and a minor in Fine Arts at the Lebanese American University. She is currently working as an Integration Specialist, and she is dedicated to help children flourish academically, socially, and emotionally in social and school settings.

With her background in Psychology and training in Applied Behavioral Analysis, Yasmina helps and supports students with intervention plans, as well as children with social struggles, learning difficulties, or children that require specific support, through a variety of therapeutic techniques.

Yasmina’s love for teaching, combined with her expertise and care for children, creates a motivational and positive learning environment individualized for every kid so they can each develop in their own way.

In her free time, Yasmina enjoys playing the piano, and painting.

Janneke van
Berge Henegouwen

Janneke van Berge Henegouwen

Meet Janneke, a Passionate Educator, Mother, and Traveller

Janneke van Berge Henegouwen has been a passionate educator since 2006. She was born and raised in the Netherlands and earned her Bachelor of Education degree from The Hague University. She worked at the elementary school level before moving to Canada where she began working with preschool aged children. 

Janneke completed her training as a registered behavioural technician (RBT) and has since focused her work on children with Autism spectrum disorders and ADHD.

A happily married and proud mother of three, she enjoys field hockey, outdoor activities, and travel.

Miriam
Cheety

Miriam Cheety

Meet Miriam, Focused on Helping Young Children Prosper

Miriam Cheety holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from McGill University, and works as an Integrative Aide and ABA Behaviour Technician here at ABC Solutions. She has more than five years of enriched experience working with young children in elementary schools and day cares, and is very passionate about about helping children prosper.

Miriam is highly devoted to each of her clients, enjoys watching them make progress and is very proud of all of their accomplishments. In her spare time, she enjoys being active, spending time with her family, and crafting.

Ariana
Di Nardo

Ariana Di Nardo

Ariana is a Familiar Face for Families at ABC Solutions 

If you’ve come into our clinic in the past few years, chances are Ariana is a familiar face! Ariana Di Nardo has been working at ABC Solutions for the past three years. She is currently finishing her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology at McGill University, with a double minor in Behavioural Science and Sociology.

Ariana enjoys witnessing the improvements each client makes throughout their ABA journey at ABC Solutions.

Melissa
Figureido

Melissa Figureido

Melissa Figureido Helps Children Shine and be Their Brightest Selves

Melissa graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Psychology and minoring in Behavioural Science and Anthropology. She loves children and is very passionate about helping them shine to be their brightest selves.

She has been working in child-based settings for over 5 years. She is often described as someone who is very positive and empathetic.

During her free time, she likes to read and play with her dog, Leo.

Jill
Glazer

Jill Glazer

Jill has a background in Psychology at McGill University and Child Studies at Dawson College. She has always been passionate about working with children. Her caring, patient and dedicated personality allows her to be effective and helpful to her clients, their families and fellow teammates.

Pireetha
Gnani

Pireetha Gnani

Pireetha Gnani is on a Mission to Understand the Mind-Behaviour Connection

Pireetha is an ABA Therapist and Integration aide, with a BA in psychology. Her focus at ABC Solutions is on improving functional skills and behaviours with clients and their families, including skills like communication, socialization, and mastery of everyday tasks. 

Pireetha has successfully administered therapy in a variety of settings, including schools, daycares, and at clients' homes. She also has experience tutoring elementary school students, and co-ordinated a mentorship program for students entering high school. 

Pireetha is of south Asian descent and was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec. Her curiosity to understand the mind and behaviours, coupled with her drive to help others is what motivates her, and she is eager to pursue higher education in Developmental Psychology. Her hobbies include reading, drawing and spending time with family, friends and her dog.

Mirna
Hanna

Mirna Hanna

Mirna Enjoys Helping Children Express Themselves and Reach Their Potential

Mirna Hanna is a graduate of the Université de Montréal with a BA in Psychology and Sociology.

She enjoys working with children and bringing out their potential, as well as helping them discover the right tools to express themselves. She has experience working with children on the Autism Spectrum in Elementary schools as an integration aide, guiding them with their social interaction and their academic needs.

In her free time Mirna enjoys reading, is an avid traveller, a stylist, and a ballroom dancer.

Leya
La Monaca

Leya La Monaca

Leya is an Integration Specialist who holds a degree in Child Studies from Concordia University, dedicated to helping her clients succeed in the classroom, at home, or in social settings. With her education and expertise in child development, she curates and implements lessons for the social skills program at the clinic, helping children develop their social skills and confidence. Her additional services include personalized tutoring sessions, both online and in person. Leya is passionate about providing individualized, strengths-based support by working with each child and family based on their unique needs, strengths and goals. In her free time, Leya enjoys spending time with her family and exploring new destinations through travel.

Sydney
Nelson

Sydney Nelson

Holistic Mental Health and Behavioural Science are Sydney’s Passions

Sydney Nelson is currently earning her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at McGill University, and already has her eyes set on furthering her education via graduate studies focusing on Mindfulness and Emotion-Focus Therapy.

She has been working with us at ABC Solutions since March 2022, helping children with Autism Spectrum Disorder develop and learn the social and emotional regulation skills needed to seamlessly integrate into their environment.

Sydney is passionate about holistic mental health and behavioural science. She is a bilingual volunteer Crisis Responder at Kids Help Phone, and calls herself an avid problem-solver with a kind heart. Her active work with and for youth goes beyond her on-the-field experience, as she also assists in research for the Youth Suicide Prevention Laboratory at McGill University. 

In her free time, Sydney enjoys reading, doing yoga and spending time with her two cats. 

Julia
Pisaturo

Julia Pisaturo

Julia Pisaturo is Passionate about Helping Children Prosper

Julia graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Psychology with a double minor in Behavioural Science and Environment.

She grew up with a daycare in her home and has been passionate about helping children prosper and become the best versions of themselves ever since.

She started working with children when she was in tenth grade, coaching gymnastics, which has been a passion of hers since she was a little girl. She now works as an integration aide in the Lester B Pearson School Board. Over the years, she has accumulated experience working with children ranging from 2 years old to 18 years old. In her spare time, she enjoys listening to country music, being active, baking, and cooking.

Lesia
Prytupa

Lesia Prytupa

For over 25 years, Lesia has worked with children of all ages as well as young adults in both community and academic settings. Lesia's background is in the arts.  After having raised her own four children into adulthood, she recently returned to school and is currently pursuing her studies in Psychology at Université du Québec.

She has been a member of our team since 2021. Fully fluent in French and English she looks to offer the most favourable support to students by collaborating with the pedagogical school staff.  Seeing learning as a lifelong journey, Lesia's hope is to help everyone succeed to the best of their abilities.

Nicole
Rosenberg

Nicole Rosenberg

Nicole is Driven By Her Love of Children

Nicole Rosenberg is in her third year at McGill University, earning her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She has experience working with children in many different environments, including through babysitting, summer camps and at a tutoring centre. She is friendly, outgoing, and enjoys trying new things.

Nicole has her sights set on obtaining her PhD and becoming a proud member of the OPQ. 

Our resident traveller, Nicole is currently studying abroad in Italy for a semester, and looks forward to her return to ABC Solutions, and even more so to meeting and working with new clients.

Claudia
Ruiz Morante

Claudia Ruiz Morante

Meet Claudia, a Bilingual Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) Consultant

Claudia Ruiz Morante is a bilingual Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) Consultant, and Integration expert, experienced in teaching parents how to guide their children to restore typical pathway development. 

As an integration expert, Claudia guides daycare educators and school teachers on how to set limits with special needs children and children with difficult behaviours.

Before becoming an RDI Consultant, Claudia achieved a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and a Master of Science degree in Industrial Engineering with a minor in Human Resources. Before moving to Canada, she held roles in logistics, human resources, and management for one of the biggest telecommunications companies in South America. 

Claudia is bilingual in English and Spanish and is passionate about working with parents to strengthen the building blocks of social connections for their children.

Rebecca
Salpeter

Rebecca Salpeter

Rebecca uses a Mindful Approach When Working with Children and Youth

Rebecca Salpeter is a certified Registered Behaviour Technician, crisis responder, and has a certification in Psychological First Aid. She graduated from McGill University with a BA in Psychology and a double minor in Behavioural Science and Social Entrepreneurship. 

Rebecca also has vast clinical and research experience. She has worked with children and youth for 10 years, giving her valuable insights and helping her cultivate empathetic relationships with clients and families. She took a special interest in Mindfulness, which allows her to approach children and youth with sensitivity and gain valuable knowledge of their unique cases. Rebecca has experience integrating students with behavioural difficulties into the classroom, as well as integrating the tools learned in therapy into their homes and everyday lives.

Raymond
Turcotte

Raymond Turcotte

Raymond Turcotte Thrives on Helping Others

For as long as he can remember, Raymond has always loved helping others become the best versions of themselves while bringing joy into people's lives in an authentic way.

After studying Special Care Counseling at Vanier College he has been working with at-risk youth and individuals with developmental disabilities. He has been loving every moment of working in the field.

He’s super excited to be a part of the team at ABC Solutions to continue helping and making connections in the world!

Rebecca
Vigeant

Mirna Hanna

Rebecca Vigeant has Helped ABC Solutions Help Families Since 2018

Rebecca has more than 10 years of experience working in early childhood education, half of which has been focused around children with special needs.

She has been with ABC Solutions since 2018. During that time, she has worked as an Art Therapist, an ABA Interventionist, an Integration Aide, and a Tutor. She also facilitates the Early
Learners Group.

Rebecca is passionate about art, gardening, cooking, hiking, and taking the time to connect with others.