Clinical and Health Psychologist

Dr. Stella Dentakos is the Founder and Director of Whole Kids Health. She is registered with the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario (CPBAO) and is a member of the Ontario Psychological Association (OPA) and the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA).

Experience

Dr. Stella is a highly skilled clinician dedicated to providing care for children and youth facing an array of mental health challenges. With a broad range of experience, she offers invaluable support in helping young individuals navigate stress, anxiety, low mood, attention difficulties, learning hurdles, emotion regulation, trauma-related issues, disruptive behaviours, and general adjustment difficulties.

As a health psychologist, Dr. Stella also focuses on the intersection of physical and mental health, and provides psychological supports for chronic pain, physical symptoms, and the impact of symptoms on daily functioning. She offers support to children and their families coping with medical diagnoses, procedures, and the challenges of acute and chronic illnesses.

Dr. Stella's commitment to her clients goes beyond therapy sessions. She actively collaborates with parents, educators, and other professionals involved in the child's life to create a supportive network. By fostering open communication and coordination, she ensures a comprehensive and cohesive approach to care. Overall, Dr. Stella is dedicated to empowering children and youth by providing them with the necessary tools and support to navigate their mental health challenges. 

Clinical Approach

Dr. Stella approaches treatment from an evidence and strengths-based framework, in which biopsychosocial formulations and conceptualizations are emphasized. She has been trained in various modalities including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT),  and Motivational Interviewing (MI), as well as behavioural and attachment-based approaches.

Recognizing the vital role of parents and caregivers, Dr. Stella offers comprehensive parenting and caregiver support. She is a certified Circle of Security Parenting™ (COSP) facilitator, trained in Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT), and provides SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) treatment for parents of children with anxiety, OCD, and related challenges.

 Dr. Stella is known for her warm, accepting, collaborative, and inclusive therapeutic style in which children and adolescents feel supported. She adopts an empathic, trauma-informed approach to care and provides an open, safe, and non-judgmental environment. 

Background & Training

Dr. Stella earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Developmental Psychology at York University. She then completed a residency and fellowship at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), where she currently works as a staff Psychologist. Dr. Stella has experience in pediatric hospital roles, collaborating with multidisciplinary medical teams in areas such as chronic pain, oncology, genetics, gastroenterology, cardiology, and more. She has also received training at The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) , the York University Psychology Clinic (YUPC), and in private practice.

Education & Supervision

Dr. Stella is dedicated to supporting children and youth with physical and mental health needs. She is passionate about advancing Health Psychology and promoting best practices in pediatric clinical and health psychology. Dr. Stella provides supervision and mentorship to psychology students and trainees. She highly values the supervisor role and is enthusiastic about promoting high-quality care and best practices in pediatric clinical and health psychology. 

In addition, Dr. Stella is actively involved in clinical research and delivers presentations, workshops, lectures, and trainings to interdisciplinary audiences. For professional or media inquiries, see here.