I am a Registered Psychologist in good standing with the College of Alberta Psychologists, a Canadian Certified Counsellor in good standing with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association and a Certified EMDR Therapist. I hold a Doctor of Psychology from California Southern University, a Master’s of Counselling from City University in Canada, a Master’s of Science in Social Policy from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.  I am also Associate Faculty at City University in Canada and was an Assistant Professor at Providence University College.   

I am a compassionate therapist skilled in the area of child, family, and individual therapy, with a focus on attachment, trauma and treating PTSD in children and adults. I have specialized EMDR training to work with children, adolescents and adults.  I also use the EMDR Integrative Attachment Trauma Protocol (IATP) to strengthen attachment and resolve trauma within families. I am trained in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Parts/Ego State Therapy, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) for fostered and adopted children (with Dr. Daniel Hughes), and Theraplay and the Marschak Interaction Method (MIM). I am also trained in the gold standard assessment tools for identifying and diagnosing Autism (ADOS 2 and the ADI-R). 

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When I am not at Solasta, I enjoy hanging out with my family and friends, yoga, going on walks in nature, and playing Tetris!

Publications:

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• McKirdy, G. C. (2022). The Lived Experiences of Adoptive Parents Experiencing Blocked Care. California Southern University.  

• McKirdy, G. C., Roughley, R. A., & McKirdy, S. A. (2019). From Proving Perfection to Seeking Support: The Lived Experiences of Adoptive Parents in Alberta. Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy, 53(3), 276-295. 

• McKirdy, G. C., & Roughley, R. (2018, October). The Experience of Adoptive Parents Accessing Support Services in Alberta: Implications for Counselling. Poster session presented at the Canadian Counselling Psychology Conference, Calgary, Alberta.