Our Team
The NEAC Team
Our team comprises of Registered Health Care Professionals in the fields of Psychology and Education.
NEAC team members are highly qualified and have extensive experience working with children, families and students of all ages and backgrounds.
Before working with NEAC, we pair each client with the best suited professional for your assessment or counselling needs.
Helping You Build A Brighter Future
Dr. Avraham Grunberger, Psychologist C.Psych – Director
Avraham Grunberger is a registered psychologist whose work centers on assessing and treating youth who have complex challenges in the areas of learning, behaviour, and social-emotional functioning.
Completing his doctoral degree in New York State, Dr. Grunberger has devoted much of his clinical career to exploring how academic, mood and anxiety challenges can be a barrier to success. His goal is to help families understand their challenges and develop tools to overcome them.
Since returning to Ontario in 2009, Avraham functioned as a consultant at NEAC and worked in several hospitals and outpatient clinics throughout the GTA, including The Hincks-Dellcrest Centre for Children’s Mental Health, the Tourettes Syndrome Clinic of the Toronto Western Hospital, and the Child and Family Services unit at Credit Valley Hospital in Mississauga.
In addition to his recent appointment as Clinical Director at NEAC, Avraham is currently an Assistant Professor (PT) in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster Univeristy and is full-time staff on the outpatient service of McMaster Children’s Hospital.
Pinny Stern MA, Registered Psychotherapist – Director
Pinny Stern is an experienced Registered Psychotherapist.
Over the years, Pinny has worked in both inpatient and outpatient settings with people suffering from varied psychiatric and psychological disorders.
Aside from being a high-school teacher, Pinny has over fifteen years of experience working with the adolescent population.
Pinny specializes in Anxiety and Mood Disorders as well as Family and Marriage counselling.
Dr. Bryan Phillips, C. Psych.
Dr. Phillips is the team psychologist. In addition to providing services at the Centre, he is part of the staff providing psychological services for students at York University, Toronto. Dr. Phillips is the psychological consultant to Ontario Family Group Homes.
Parisa Akhlaghi
Parisa holds a masters degree in Clinical and Counselling Psychology from the Adler Professional Graduate School. She is currently working under supervision as she is in the process of becoming a registered member of the College of Psychologist of Ontario. Parisa works in private practice as well in that her clientele include a diverse group of individuals experiencing a range of lifestyle and mental health challenges. Her approach to counselling emphasizes the connection between the body and mind. Alongside of counselling she conducts WSIB (Workplace Safety Insurance Board), MVA (Motor Vehicle Accident) and Psychoeducational assessments.
Samira Khan
Samira completed her Master’s of Science at Queen Mary University of London (Barts School of Medicine & Dentistry) in Mental Health with a concentration in Psychological Therapies. Samira is a doctoral student in the PhD program in Counselling and Psychotherapy. Samira is a professional member of the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO). She is also a Certified Neurofeedback Practitioner and Effectiveness Coach. Through this training, she is equipped to work with individuals who have challenges with addiction, anger, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, sleep difficulties, fatigue, stress and emotional imbalance.
Samira has a wide range of experience working in a variety of settings across the globe, including NHS(UK) and Tokyo University of Science. She believes that primarily her role as a Psychotherapist and Psychometristis to help empower her clients as they discover, accept their challenges, and take responsibility for their needs by accessing the necessary resources to help move forward and live more satisfying lives.
Dr. Jesse Silberstein
Dr. Silberstein is a registered psychologist who completed his doctoral degree in clinical psychology at Long Island University. His past professional experience includes positions within various community mental health and hospital-based settings, providing assessment and treatment services for adults experiencing a range of psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. Most recently, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Anxiety Treatment and Research Clinic at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton where he specialized in the assessment and treatment of anxiety disorders. At NEAC, Dr. Silberstein works with adults and provides consultation and feedback services for psychoeducational assessments. His goal is to help clients identify the factors that contribute to their learning difficulties and to direct them to resources and strategies that they can use to overcome these challenges and achieve their goals.
Alex Storace
Alex completed her Bachelor’s in Psychology at Brock University, followed by her Master’s in Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Guelph. Alex has worked as a psychometrist with a variety of institutions, most recently Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and has trained psychometrists worldwide, including a team at the Dasman Diabetes Institute in Kuwait City
Alex is well versed on a wide array of assessment tools and has worked with diverse populations of all ages. She takes a warm, person-centered approach to psychometric testing.
Caroline Lin
Caroline has worked as a Psychometrist and Educational Consultant since graduating from McGill University in 2015. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Life Sciences from Queen’s University as well as a Master’s Degree in Neurosciences from McGill University. Additionally, she has completed clinical training for the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, specifically the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, 2nd Edition (ADOS-2) from University of Calgary in 2021. Caroline greatly enjoys and has extensive experience working with children, adolescents, and adults. In her free time, Caroline enjoys teaching piano to children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disabilities. Caroline is currently enrolled in the Doctor of Medicine program at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western University. She was recently awarded the Carleton C. Whittaker Memorial Scholarship in Psychiatry by the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry for her outstanding performance in the field of psychiatry. She will be graduating with a Degree of Doctor in Medicine in June 2025.
Danya Sandler
Danya holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Western Ontario. She has gained valuable research experience at institutions such as the University of Western Ontario and Toronto Metropolitan University, focusing on developmental psychology, resilience, and coping skills. Currently, Danya works as a psychoeducational consultant, conducting assessments for children and adolescents. She brings a warm, client-focused approach to her work and is committed to supporting each client’s unique needs. Danya plans to further her education by pursuing both a Master’s and PhD in clinical psychology
Simon Levy, M.A, C. Psych
Simon is a Registered Psychologist, and has been practicing in the area of School Psychology for over 20 years. He conducts assessments of children and adolescents for a variety of disorders, including Learning Disabilities, Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disabilities. He has an extensive background in Literacy Development and Intervention, and has provided professional development workshops for educators and parents on a variety of topics including Reading, Managing Challenging Behaviour, Special Needs Intervention, Mediating Conflict, and Parenting. Simon has been a Senior Instructor in Non-Violent Crisis Intervention, with a Specialist Certificate in Autism Intervention
Ryna Waksman
Ryna Waksman has been a psychoeducational consultant for over 30 years. She earned an Honours Degree in psychology at York University, followed by a Graduate Diploma of Child Study in Assessment and Counselling from the University of Toronto. She has worked extensively within the public and private school systems as well as in private psychology practices.
Sumbel Malik
Sumbel has a Masters Degree in Psychology and a Graduate Certificate in psychometric testing. She has extensive experience working as a psychoeducational consultant with diverse children and youth in school boards and private practises. She is currently completeing the requirements for registration as a psychological associate with the College of Psychologists of Ontario. Sumbel is fluent in 3 additional languages, urdu, hindi, and punjabi.