Doctor of Counselling and Psychotherapy

PhD MBA OPQ psychologist

Dr. Nate Fuks joined Yorkville University as an Adjunct Professor in October 2024 and transitioned to a full-time Faculty position in March 2025.

He brings extensive experience in faculty and clinical supervision, teaching, and applied research with multiple stakeholders, as well as accreditation and project management. In this role as Associate Chair of the DCP program, he oversees the Applied Scholarship Project (ASP) and work closely with students, faculty, and program leadership to support research supervision, program processes, and academic quality. 

Dr. Nate Fuks, earned his PhD in Counselling Psychology from McGill University in 2014 and has been licensed as an OPQ psychologist since that time, brings extensive experience from his private practice and a significant academic background into his teaching and supervision. In addition to his clinical work, he held a professorship at McGill University, demonstrating a profound commitment to clinical supervision and the education of mental health professionals. He first served as the director of the Psychoeducational & Counselling Clinic and a Director of Clinical Training at McGill University in Counselling Psychology Program. He then took on the role of director at the Virginia I. Douglas Centre for Clinical Psychology in the Department of Psychology at McGill. In these sequential leadership positions, Dr. Fuks was instrumental in training numerous cohourts of psychologists, psychotherapists, and counsellors at both the PhD and Master’s levels, drawing on his wide-ranging and diverse clinical expertise.

In his practice, Dr. Fuks employs an evidence-based integrative and collaborative approach to therapy, incorporating Psychodynamic, Emotionally Focused (EFT), Cognitive-Behavioral (CBT), Cognitive-Processing (CPT), Mindfulness, Feminist, 2SLGBTQ+ Affirmative, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Acceptance & Commitment (ACT), and Trauma-Informed/Focused therapeutic modalities. He is deeply committed to a collaborative methodology, underpinned by his belief that every client is an expert on their life. His approach is sensitively tailored to the distinctive needs of each client, ensuring that the therapeutic process is guided by the client’s input, rather than imposing a predetermined approach.

Prior to his career in academia, Nate pursued an MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University, and has established himself in a number of challenging and evolving leadership roles, in both the public and private sector. He offers service to clients in four languages, and during his career was involved in a variety of international and multi-cultural ventures. Nate’s industry observations and experiences raised his awareness of the importance of newcomer and minority integration, and inspired his interest and ongoing involvement in research, teaching, and community initiatives pertinent to these issues. His research these days revolves mostly around intersecting identities and mental health of 2SLGBTQ+ individuals, immigrants, and refugees.

Dr. Phuong-Anh Urga completed her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Rutgers University (New Jersey, USA) and her clinical internship at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (Toronto, ON).  A recipient of a pre-doctoral fellowship awarded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), Dr. Urga has extensive research, training, and clinical experience in the field of substance use disorders.   

From 2007—2019, Dr. Urga served as the Clinical Program Advisor at the Foster Addiction Rehabilitation Centre (CRD Foster) in Montreal, Quebec; she also served interim roles as the Outpatient Clinical Coordinator and the Director of Professional and Rehabilitation Services. In these capacities she was responsible for the development, implementation, and quality assurance of the centre’s clinical programming, clinical training and supervision, the practicum/internship program, and regional and network training initiatives.

Dr. Urga joined Yorkville University’s MACP faculty in 2016 and maintains a small private practice in Montreal as a Certified Canadian Counselor (C.C.C). Her clinical, consultation, training, and supervision services are focused on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Motivational Interviewing (MI); her practice can be described as evidence- and process-based behavior therapy. 

Dr. Bryden’s educational background is in counselling psychology and education from the University of Calgary. She was a Killam doctoral scholar in both. Academic interests are in counselling psychology, biopsychology, child and adolescent mental health, telemental health, and program evaluation, with applications in health care and education. 

Dr. Bryden has worked in counselling, teaching or research capacities in academic and applied settings. She has extensive teaching experience in traditional and online psychology programs, including the Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology program. Example courses are health psychology; educational psychology; and mental health and well-being. YU courses include Biopsychosocial Approach to Counselling; Professional Growth & Well-being; Advanced Practices in Mental Health Counselling & Psychotherapy; Planning, Consultation and Evaluation Models; and the Applied Scholarship Project and Integration Seminar. She is a Course Lead in the Doctor of Counselling and Psychotherapy program.

Dr. Stacey Hatch is a Registered Psychotherapist in Ontario (CRPO) and a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCPA). She completed her Master of Counselling in Counselling Psychology at the Graduate Centre for Applied Psychology at Athabasca University. Dr. Hatch completed her PhD in Aging and Health in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Queen’s University. She has held research fellowships with the CIHR Institute of Aging as a Health System Impact Postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Calgary and the Canadian Coalition for Seniors Mental Health, and with The University of Toronto in the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health as an Ontario Health Team Health System Impact fellow.

Dr. Hatch’s area of research interest is older adult mental health. Her work includes significant contributions to research and policy in healthcare systems such as the development of Canadian Clinical Practice Guideline for the Assessment and Management of Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD), and mindfulness-based interventions for late-life anxiety. Her current research examines the impact of climate change on older adults, and implementation strategies for healthcare policy and guidelines. Prior to joining the Doctor of Counselling and Psychotherapy, Dr. Hatch taught in the Master of Counselling Psychology Programs at Yorkville University and Athabasca University.

Dr. E. Rachel Skerrett, MSCP, Ph.D., completed her doctorate in psychology at Grand Canyon University. She then obtained a fellowship and completed a postdoctoral Master of Science in Clinical Psychopharmacology at The Chicago School. Dr. Skerrett is a registered psychologist in Ontario, Alberta, and Nova Scotia. She practices clinical, counselling, and school psychology with children, adolescents, adults, and families. She has experience working in private practice, hospital, agency, and school settings. She has been the director of Skerrett Psychology Professional Corporation since 2011 and provides direct service as well as supervision while overseeing the practice.

Dr. Skerrett began teaching at Yorkville in the MACP program in January 2024. She is currently a full-time faculty member in the Doctor of Counselling and Psychotherapy program and is the course lead for Supervision and Doctoral Case Conference 3: Case Studies. She also teaches the Applied Scholarship Project and Integration Seminar.

Dr. Skerrett is a member of the Canadian Psychological Association, the Ontario Psychological Association, the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association, the International Society for Neuroregulation and Research, and the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance. She is listed on the Canadian Register of Health Service Psychologists. Broadly, Dr. Skerrett’s research interests include neuromodulation, ADHD, and trauma disorders.