Restorative Conversations
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Tanya Kahanoff, M.A., R. Psych.
Co-Founder
If you have been carrying something for a long time and you are finally ready to understand it, not just manage it, Tanya Kahanoff may be who you are looking for.
Tanya is a Registered Psychologist with more than 20 years of post-Master's experience. She works with adults and adolescents navigating anxiety, depression, OCD, phobias, ADHD,and the kind of interpersonal patterns that do not shift with willpower alone.
She co-founded Restorative Conversations in 2015 after a decade working in adult psychiatry at the Foothills Medical Centre, where she developed particular depth in ADHD, with a focus on later life diagnosis and its intersections with mood, relationships, and life transitions.
What makes her approach distinctive is that she is practical as much as she is perceptive. She brings structure directly into the therapy space, which means clients do not just leave with more self-awareness. They leave with concrete tools and a clearer sense of being in control of their own direction. Tanya will sit with you in the hard parts and she will also challenge you. She holds clients to their own stated goals, with genuine investment rather than pressure.
If you have recently received an ADHD diagnosis, or you are wondering for the first time whether one might fit,Tanya brings particular care to that conversation. She understands that getting a diagnosis later in life is rarely just a relief. There is often grief in it too: for the years spent not knowing, for the strategies that never quite worked. She holds both sides of that.Tanya works with adults and adolescents.
Patrick C. Griffin, M.S., RCSW
Co-Founder
If you have been managingsomething for a long time and you are ready to understand it rather than justcope with it, Patrick Griffin may be the right fit.
Patrick is a Registered Clinical Social Worker with more than 45 years of post-Master's clinical experience. He works with adults (18 and up) navigating depression, anxiety, panic, workplace distress, phase of life transitions, and ADHD, both assessment and treatment. He co-founded Restorative Conversations in 2015 and trained in adult psychiatry at the Foothills Medical Centre, where he was part of one of Calgary's earliest programs focused specifically on adult ADHD.
His clinical philosophy: therapy is not something that is done to you. It is something you experience together, with a companion who offers the space to look at things differently and stay genuinely curious about what is underneath. He is not working from a model where he has the answers and you do not. He describes the people who tend to benefit most from working with him as adults who are motivated and willing to think about themselves through a different lens than they have before.
Patrick also provides clinical supervision to social workers working toward advanced practice certification with the Alberta College of Social Workers.
PLEASE NOTE THAT PATRICK GRIFFIN IS ONLY OFFERING VIRTUAL SESSIONS AS OF JUNE 2026
Kirsten Nelson, MSW, RCSW.
Associate
Some things take a long time to name. If you have spent years calling it anxiety or depression and something still does not quite fit, Kirsten Nelson works with people who are beginning to understand that what they are carrying may have a trauma history underneath it.
Kirsten is a Registered Clinical Social Worker and the lead at Restorative Conversations for working with individuals who have experienced trauma. She works with adolescents and adults.She brings particular depth to presentations that have been hard to place: PTSD, complex trauma, OCD, borderline personality disorder, and anxiety ordepression where a trauma history may be part of the picture.
Her primary treatment modalities are EMDR and DBT. She uses them not as a technique applied in isolation, but as a way of working with what the body has been holding onto. The foundation ofher work is safety: she does not rush the process, and she does not expect people to open up before they are ready. Clients who have found it difficult to talk in other therapy settings often find that something shifts with Kirsten,not in what they discuss, but in what gradually becomes possible to say and be heard. Kirsten focuses on meeting clients where they are at in their trauma story.
Kirsten is licensed in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Nova Scotia. She works with individuals and couples, and she accepts referrals from the Calgary Police Service, RCMP and the Physican and Family Support Program.
Christine Turner, M.C., R. Psych.
Associate
If you have been watching your child struggle in school for years and you still do not have a clear answer forwhy, Christine Turner has spent her career finding those answers, and explaining them in a way that makes sense.
Christine is a Registered Psychologist with more than 25 years in the school system. She worked as aclassroom teacher, then as a special education teacher and school counsellor,and later moved into post-secondary education as a counsellor and accessibility coordinator. In those roles she carried out learning assessments and helped students and families navigate the practical side of support: disability funding, student loans, and accommodations. That background gives her something most assessors do not have. She understands what learning differences look likein a real classroom, from both sides of the desk.
Psychoeducational assessment is one of Christine's specialized areas of expertise. She works with children ages 6 and up, adolescents, and adults to identify learning disabilities, giftedness, and ADHD, looking at how someone learns and where the gap sits between their ability and what school or work is asking of them.
She also offers ADHD assessments for clients who are mainly seeking clarity around attention and focus and may not need a full psychoeducational assessment. Her ADHD assessments include psychiatric screening, because a number of things can look like ADHD, and anxiety, depression, or OCD can sit alongside it or underneath it. Screening means less chance of a narrower evaluation missing what is actually going on.
Her feedback sessions are often the point where parents and clients finally have words for something they have been navigating for years. Her approach is warm, direct, and grounded. She explains what she finds in plain terms, so you leave understanding it. She holds those conversations with care: the child who needs to feel understood,and the parent trying to make sense of what they have been watching.
Alongside assessment, Christine provides individual therapy for adolescents 13 and up and adults, working with anxiety, depression, ADHD, emotional regulation, self-esteem, stress, and life transitions. Her therapeutic style is warm, collaborative, and practical,helping clients understand themselves while building strategies that are realistic and sustainable in everyday life..
Deanna Picklyk is a Registered Clinical Social Worker with more than 25 years of experience supporting individuals and groups on their journeys towardhealing, growth, and wellbeing. Deanna holds a Master of Social Work (MSW) and an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA), and brings extensive experience in clinical andleadership roles across Alberta’s healthcare system. Throughout her career, she has worked with people from the bedside to the boardroom, supporting individuals, families, healthcare professionals, and leaders through complex challenges, change, and growth. Her experience across both the public and private sectors brings a broad, systems-informed perspective to her clinical work while remaining grounded in the unique needs and experiences of each individual client. As a Calgary resident, Deanna is deeply committed to providing high-quality, accessible mental health care within her local community. When she is not in session, you will likely find her spending time with her family,van camping, reading, or adventuring with her dog, Rudy.
She works collaboratively with adults to help them better understand their experiences, develop practical coping strategies, and move toward meaningful, lasting change. Deanna provides compassionate, personalized care for a wide range of concerns, including trauma recovery, grief and bereavement, anxiety and depression, occupational burnout, menopause and midlife mental health, first responder mental health, and major life transitions such as relationship changes, career shifts, parenthood, illness, and retirement. She also offers support in the growing field of psychedelic-assisted therapy, including preparation and integration.
At the heart of Deanna’s work is a collaborative, strengths-based approach that honours each person’s unique story and adapts to meet them where they are. She believes that healing happens within a safe, supportive therapeutic relationship and works alongside clients to help them build resilience, deepen self-understanding, and create meaningful change in their lives. Deanna draws from a range of evidence-based therapies, including:
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
• Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE)
• Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)
• Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Preparation and Integration
Restorative Conversations is a place where you can safely explore your own journey to become a full person. In the context of a confidential therapeutic relationship we will use these tools to help you:
• A full assessment to better understand your concerns
• Collaborate with you on an individualized treatment plan
• Use of evidence-based practice to facilitate and support you in reaching your goals
• If indicated, collaboration with your family physician, your school, or other agency (with your written and informed consent)
Restorative Conversations will work with you at your pace to realize the goals that will assist you in gaining clarity on the road ahead!
Treatment Areas
• Depression
• Anxiety and Phobias
• Grief and Loss
• Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Self-Esteem
• Relationship Issues
• Emotion Regulation
• Transitions and Change
• Work-Life Balance
• Panic Disorder
• Academic and Career
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Parenting Issues and Training
• Stress Management
• LGBTQ2S+
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Assessment Services
• Diagnostic Assessment
• Psychiatric and psychological Assessment
• ADHD Assessment
• Psycho-Educational Assessments
• Gifted Assessments
Treatment Services
• Psychotherapy: Individual, Couples, and Groups
• ADHD Coaching
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
• Training
• Workshops
Other Services
• Clinical Supervision & Consultation
• Research
An assessment provides valuable information about your child. Assessments can identify giftedness, specific learning disabilities, academic strengths and weaknesses, ADHD, or possible cognitive delays. We listen carefully to your child’s unique needs and help guide you through the assessment process step by step. At the end, you’ll have an informed and comprehensive plan that includes meaningful strategies to help support your child’s development.
Assessments for Adults
Adults can find post-secondary education and/or the workplace challenging due to underlying and often undiagnosed learning disabilities, ADHD, or other cognitive conditions. An assessment can help you better understand your strengths and areas of need. We will take the time to discuss the final diagnostic report with you which will include strategies to help you meet your specific goals. The assessment can be used to advocate for academic or workplace accommodations or to apply for AISH or PDD funding if applicable.
