Dr. Ellen Gutowski
Dr. Gutowski (She/her) is an Assistant Professor at University of Toronto. Her broad interests include promoting the well-being of underserved populations, understanding the role of psychosocial factors (stress, trauma, relationships) in mental health and functioning, and engaging in social justice/anti-oppression work within teaching and clinical practice. Her specific interests are intimate partner violence and developing trauma-informed systems of care. She is particularly committed to understanding how systems-level responses to those who are affected by intimate partner violence may either promote well-being or cause harm.
She is a scientist-practitioner and received her PhD from Boston College, served as a clinical fellow for two years at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School and completed her clinical residency at Emory School of Medicine.
Dan Gheorghiu
Dan is currently pursuing his first year of a PhD in the School and Clinical Child Psychology (SCCP) program at the University of Toronto/OISE. Before embarking on his PhD journey, Dan completed a Master of Arts in SCCP and earned a Master of Science in Biology at York University, where he also obtained a Neuroscience Graduate Diploma. During his MA, Dan gained valuable experience working with the Toronto District School Board, where he provided assessments for children from junior kindergarten through grade 12.
Dan's research focuses on disruptive behaviors and ADHD, specifically investigating physiological markers that may shed light on the relationship between these conditions. He has extensive experience conducting assessments with both children and adults, and has also worked therapeutically with adolescents. With a keen interest in trauma research, Dan is joining the TIR research group as a Graduate Assistant, where he will contribute to ongoing projects on intimate partner violence, enhancing his clinical research experience.
Aida Retta
Aïda (eye-ee-da, She/Her) is a first-year student in the Master of Education in Counselling Psychology program. She has been working with survivors of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) since 2017. Her work has included volunteering on rape crisis lines and working in shelters for families fleeing domestic violence. She is currently employed as a support worker and advocate at a transitional housing society for survivors of domestic abuse.
Aïda's experiences doing anti-violence work have increased her awareness of the multiple systemic barriers to safety that IPV survivors face in the process of leaving an abusive partner, or immediately following separation. She is particularly interested in producing research that elucidates such barriers and aims to reduce them.
Currently, Aïda is involved in a project examining the relation between IPV, legal abuse, and legal outcomes for court-involved mothers.
Olivia Arbess
Liv recently graduated from Queen’s University in spring 2025 and is currently a volunteer in the Trauma-Informed Responses Lab. Her research interests lie at the intersection of women’s health, trauma-informed care, and the lived experiences of survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). She is interested in exploring factors that contribute to effective interventions designed to support survivors. She hopes to contribute to research that centers survivors’ perspectives and explores how trauma-informed care practices can better support them. Her passion for women’s mental health deepened through her undergraduate research on women’s experiences of sexuality, particularly among those with low sexual desire. In her career, she hopes to build on this work, aiming to develop models linking sexual health and trauma recovery as interconnected areas of care. These experiences have inspired her to pursue research that deepens understanding of how sexuality and trauma intersect in the lives of women affected by IPV, with the goal of improving care practices and support systems for survivors. She is drawn to this work because it is where gendered power, trauma, and health inequity most urgently manifest.
Taylor Zaidel
Taylor Zaidel (she/her) is a second-year MEd candidate in Counselling Psychology & Psychotherapy at OISE. Taylor holds an Honours BA in Psychology from UBC and is currently completing a supervised psychotherapy practicum at the OISE Psychology Clinic. Her frontline work supporting survivors of intimate partner and sexual violence informs a practice grounded in safety, trust, and cultural responsiveness. Taylor’s interests span trauma-informed and anti-oppressive care, clinician development, and improving access to quality mental health services. In the Trauma-Informed Responses Lab, she is contributing to a project that clarifies and assesses clinician competence for IPV-responsive mental health care. Across roles, she values empathy, clarity, and practical solutions that reduce barriers to care while making high-quality, survivor-centered care more accessible.
Mikayla Lisi
Mikayla (she/her) is a first year M.Ed. student in the Developmental Psychology and Education program at OISE, and a recent HBSc graduate from The University of Toronto. Her primary research interests include understanding the effects of stress and trauma on development, cognition, behaviour, and both mental and physical health. She is passionate about promoting well-being through implementation of biopsychosocial interventions, and trauma-informed care practices. She aspires to pursue Clinical Psychology and focus on advancing research in these critical areas.
Alia AlQazzaz
Alia AlQazzaz is currently a first-year student in the Master of Education in Counselling Psychology program at OISE. With an Honors Bachelor’s degree in Social Psychology and over five years of experience working in Violence Against Women (VAW) shelters and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) agencies, Alia is dedicated to supporting survivors and advancing systemic change.
Alia combines academic insight with practical expertise to address the complexities of trauma and recovery. Grounded in a trauma-informed approach, Alia is committed to fostering empowerment, amplifying survivor voices, and advocating for equitable and compassionate practices across systems. She believes in the transformative power of empathy, education, and systemic reform to create a world that is safe and free from violence.
She is currently involved in research that examines the experiences of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) survivors in court.