About Dr. Makela

Originally from Northwestern Ontario, I completed my undergraduate Honours degree in Psychology at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario. During my undergraduate studies, I worked as a therapist with a young boy with autism spectrum disorder. I look back on my time with this boy and his family as the beginning of my path to becoming a psychologist who always looks for the unique talents and abilities in my clients.

I moved to Edmonton to complete my Master’s and PhD in School and Clinical Child Psychology at the University of Alberta. I knew from early on in my training that I would specialize in psychological assessment and I have conducted assessments in schools, hospitals, community mental health clinics, private practices, and counselling centres. Over the years, I have developed a rewarding practice of using assessment findings to help families answer questions, advocate for support, and understand how to navigate complex learning and mental health challenges in unique ways.

During my graduate degrees, I devoted my research studies to working with students with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and I continue to work on projects with the Canada Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Research Network. Some of my projects include how we can help students with FASD use thinking and learning strategies to support their memory, attention, and impulse control; how we can provide interventions to groups of students with FASD in school; and how we can support individuals with FASD in gaining and maintaining successful employment. I also worked as a psychometrist at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital with the FASD diagnostic clinic and I now work on multidisciplinary teams to assess and diagnose FASD in rural Alberta. I have a special interest in working with families of children or young adults with FASD to assist then in the post-diagnosis process and I offer a unique service called therapeutic consultation for these families.

I am a Registered Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists (#4680).