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Hi, I’m Dr. Tamara Soles. I’m a mom of twins- a boy and a girl, as well as a child psychologist and parenting coach in Montreal. I feel very privileged to work with families who have found themselves at a difficult time in their parenting journey. To allow someone into your family and be open and vulnerable takes a lot of courage. I feel honored to hold that vulnerability and to meet families with openness and acceptance as we find a path forward together that brings a new level of harmony and connectedness to the family.
Our children often know us better than anyone else. They see our authentic selves without any masking. They see our strengths and our vulnerabilities and inevitably see us at our best and our most difficult moments. Who better to ask to describe me than my children. I asked them to share what they would want people to know about me and my work.
Here’s what they said:
She’s great. She’s kind and gentle. She’s cool. She’s a psychologist. She has a special place in her heart for kids. And her website is kids . com” (it’s not ;))
By the time parents reach out to me, they are often at the point where they feel desperate, out of tools, or are struggling to feel a peaceful connection with their child. Interactions are fraught with power struggles, threats, and frustration.
Whether you find yourself saying, “yes that’s us!!” when you read that or whether you are looking for ideas for how to best support your child’s development or get through a difficult developmental stage, we will carve out that gentle path that brings you back together in harmony. I work from the perspective of attachment and interpersonal neurobiology, meaning that we recognize that the relationship is the foundation and context for development and discipline focuses on skill building and teaching not punishment and consequences. Instead, we focus on scientifically supported strategies to help children thrive.
Here are some highlights of my credentials: I am a psychologist and member of the Ordre des Psychologues du Quebec. I completed my doctoral degree in Applied Child and School Psychology at McGill University. I am the founder and director of The Secure Child Center for Families and Children. In addition, I have served as lecturer at McGill University and have supervised doctoral students in the Psychoeducational and Counselling Clinic. I also served as research coordinator at the Couple and Family Therapy Clinic at the Institute for Community and Family Psychiatry at the Jewish General Hospital. Previously I spent 6 years in Los Angeles, CA where I completed a clinical internship and two-year post-doctoral fellowship in Early Childhood Mental Health at the USC UCEDD Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. I then served as supervising psychologist in the Early Childhood Mental Health Clinic at CHLA and was the Clinical Director of Project ABC- an infant and early childhood mental health system of care funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services (SAMHSA). I am also a certified educator of infant massage.