Dr. Melanie McConnell

Director, Registered Psychologist

Dr. McConnell earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of Vermont. She has a special interest in assessment and treatment of tics, Tourette’s Disorder, and body-focused repetitive behaviours (e.g., skin-picking, hair-pulling) among children, teens, and adults. Her practice also focuses on treatment of childhood/adolescent anxiety, including worry, perfectionism, separation concerns, social anxiety, specific fears, panic, and illness anxiety. In addition, she works with families on sleep-related concerns and toileting issues (e.g., delayed toilet training, enuresis, encopresis). She enjoys mentoring early-career clinicians and offers supervision in the practice of psychology.

Dr. McConnell offers science-based interventions that draw primarily from behavioural and cognitive-behavioural therapies. She puts families at ease with her warm, down-to-earth style. She is passionate about helping clients set achievable goals and learn practical strategies to lead healthier, happier lives.

Dr. McConnell is a staff psychologist and head of the Neuropsychiatry Clinic at BC Children’s Hospital (currently on leave) and a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia. In these roles, she is involved in assessment, treatment, consultation, and teaching centred around children and youth with neurodevelopmental conditions and mental health concerns. She also helped to develop the “Tic Busters” group program for treatment of childhood tics. She is a member of several professional organizations, including the BC Psychological Association and the Canadian Association of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies (CACBT). She is registered with the College of Psychologists of British Columbia (Registrant #01762), and is certified in cognitive-behavioural therapy through CACBT.