Investigates the immediate and short-term effects of nature walks on symptoms of depression
Kaia is a PhD student in Counselling Psychology at McGill University under the supervision of Dr. Geoffroy and Dr. Marie-Hélène Pennestri. She holds a BA in Canadian Studies (minor: Politics, Law, and Society) from McGill University; a BA in Honours Psychology (with distinction) from Concordia University; and an MA in Counselling Psychology from McGill University.
Kaia gained extensive research skills and experience through her undergraduate and graduate studies and her work as a salaried research coordinator on various projects. Her undergraduate Honours thesis (“Improving Parent-Child Interaction Quality in the Offspring of Parents with Bipolar Disorder”) was drawn from a larger intervention project led by Dr. Mark Ellenbogen aimed at improving the family life of parents with bipolar disorder. Her Masters project, completed under the supervision of Dr. Martin Drapeau and funded by SSHRC (2018-2019 SSHRC CGS-M), investigated differences between psychologists and psychotherapists in the perceived value and implementation of evidence-based practice. Her doctoral research examines the immediate and short-term impact of nature walks on mental health symptoms of a severely depressed clinical population. Kaia currently holds a Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Doctoral Scholarship (SSHRC CGS-D; 2021-2024) and Graduate Excellence Fellowship from McGill University (2021-2022).
