Mary Elizabeth Picher

Bio

Mary Elizabeth (M.E.) Picher, PhD, is a Registered Psychotherapist and Developmental Psychologist with over 20 years of experience working in the fields of adult, child, youth, and family mental health. Grounded in a unique integration of Eastern and Western traditions, M.E. holds an MA in Buddhist Psychology and Mental Health Counselling from Naropa University alongside an MEd and PhD in Developmental Psychology and Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto.

M.E. is a highly skilled and experienced psychotherapist, family therapist, play therapist and parent coach. She combines a multi-disciplinary approach to help individuals and families decrease conflict, improve communication, and more effectively cope with behavioural and mental health challenges.

A primary pillar of M.E.’s practice is supporting families impacted by high-conflict separation and divorce. She specializes in helping co-parents minimize the impact of familial conflict on their children. Deeply trauma-informed, M.E. works closely with parents to uncover and resolve their own historical trauma, breaking generational cycles to ensure a healthier path forward for the family unit.

Dedicated to academia and clinical training, M.E. is currently a lecturer at the University of Guelph-Humber, where she teaches advanced coursework on trauma and mental health in early childhood. Her doctoral work focused heavily on early childhood psychology, making her exceptionally well-versed in navigating early childhood behavioural issues and parent-child attachment dynamics.

Additionally, M.E. has a wealth of experience supporting both neurotypical and neurodiverse school-aged children, teens, and young adults dealing with trauma, anxiety, depression, self-harm, low self-esteem, emotional regulation issues, identity issues, OCD, ADHD, and ASD.

Beyond her extensive academic credentials, M.E. brings invaluable lived experience to her clinical work. As a mother of two neurodiverse children, she understands firsthand the home and school complexities of raising children with learning exceptionalities. She serves as a passionate, real-world advocate for families, helping them successfully navigate the school system and collaborate with educators to ensure children’s holistic needs are met both inside and outside the classroom.