Autonomous Psychologist
Clinical and Health Psychologist
FOUNDER & DIRECTOR
Dr. Stella Dentakos
PhD, C.Psych
Finding the right support for your child should feel like a fit, not a search. Dr. Stella brings warmth, clinical depth, and a genuine belief that a child's mental and physical health belong in the same conversation. For families navigating anxiety, a medical diagnosis, or something that is simply hard to name, she offers a steady and thoughtful place to start.
I have never walked out of a bookstore empty-handed. I have tried. It has never worked.
You don't have to have it figured out.
How Dr. Stella works
Children come to Dr. Stella navigating a wide range of challenges: anxiety and worry, low mood, ADHD and attention difficulties, learning differences, emotion dysregulation, trauma, disruptive behaviours, and general adjustment difficulties. She works with children and adolescents from early childhood through the teenage years, meeting each family where they are.
As a health psychologist, Dr. Stella works at the intersection of physical and mental health. She supports children and youth managing chronic pain, physical symptoms that affect daily functioning, and the emotional weight of navigating medical diagnoses, procedures, and acute or chronic illness. Families do not need to separate what is physical from what is emotional. She holds both.
A pillar of Dr. Stella's practice is the people around the child. She actively collaborates with parents, educators, and other professionals in a child's life to build a coordinated network of support. In her experience, the best outcomes happen when everyone involved is working from the same understanding.
Dr. Stella is also active in clinical research and provides training, workshops, and presentations to interdisciplinary and professional audiences. For speaking, professional, or media inquiries, reach out at info@wholekidshealth.ca.
In a first session, I take time to understand what brings your family in, what has already been tried, and what your child needs most right now. There is no pressure to have it figured out. This is a space to think out loud together.
Grounded in the evidence. Guided by the child.
Clinical approach
Dr. Stella approaches treatment from an evidence-based and strengths-focused framework, drawing on biopsychosocial formulations to understand each child as a whole person. She tailors her approach to what the child and family need, rather than applying a fixed protocol.
She is trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and behavioural and attachment-based approaches. For parents and caregivers, she is a certified Circle of Security Parenting™ facilitator, trained in Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT), and provides SPACE treatment for families supporting a child navigating anxiety, OCD, and related concerns.
Dr. Stella is known for a warm, accepting, and collaborative style in which children feel genuinely supported and parents feel equally part of the process. She brings an empathic, trauma-informed lens to every session and creates an open, non-judgmental space for families to work from.
Most families find us at a really hard moment. Sometimes it takes a breakdown to make room for a breakthrough, and reaching out is often the first brave step. What I want them to leave with is something simpler than answers: the feeling that someone understands, that a path forward exists, and that they are not carrying this alone.
Areas of focus
What Dr. Stella works with.
Languages: English · French
The people who show up every day for children, whether at home or in a classroom, are doing some of the most important work there is. Dr. Stella believes they deserve more than inspiration. They deserve something they can actually use.
Her talks are known for being honest, practical, and grounded in real family and classroom life. She does not believe in one-size-fits-all advice or overwhelming people with a list of things they should be doing. Instead she offers options, meets people where they are, and makes complex psychological concepts feel genuinely within reach.
Psychology that travels.
Schools and educator teams
Medical and healthcare teams
Organizations and professional associations
Camps and youth programs
Parent associations and advisory groups
Understanding the child behind the behaviour
Supporting children's anxiety and emotional wellbeing
Raising digitally healthy kids
Building resilience without burning out
Learn from Dr. Stella.
Background and credentials.
Education and training
PhD, Clinical Developmental Psychology
York University
MA, Clinical Developmental Psychology
York University
BA (Hons), Psychology
Concordia University
Professional AssociationsCollege of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario (CPBAO)
Ontario Psychological Association (OPA)
Canadian Psychological Association (CPA)
Postdoctoral Fellowship
Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto
Health Psychology
Predoctoral Residency
Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto
Additional Placements
CAMH · York University Psychology Clinic · Private Practice
CertificationsCircle of Security Parenting™ (CoSP) Facilitator
Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT)
Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE)
Children's Grief and Bereavement Certificate
ADOS-2 Training
get started