Our Team

Director

Alison Paradis, Ph.D.

**Alison Paradis,** Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQÀM). She is a member of the Team on Violence and Sexual Health (ÉVISSA) and a member of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Marital Problems and Sexual Assault (CRIPCAS). She is primarily interested in childhood interpersonal trauma, as well as conflict and violence in couple relationships. The general objective of her research is the integration of individual, dyadic, and family variables to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the field of family violence and to identify avenues of prevention and intervention that take into account relationship and situational issues. She is also interested in the study and implementation of methodologies to better account for complex family dynamics.

Doctoral Students

Deziray De Sousa

Deziray De Sousa (Psy.D./Ph. D. candidate) holds a double major in Psychology and Behaviour and Health from Boston University. She is interested studying the prevalence and impact of controlling behaviours and ways of preventing its occurrence in adolescence. Using both qualitative and dyadic data, her doctoral thesis aims to better understand the risk factors and consequences of controlling behaviours in adolescent romantic relationships.
Email : de_sousa.deziray@courrier.uqam.ca

Luciana Lassance

Luciana Lassance (Psy.D./Ph.D. candidate) holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM) as well as a bachelor's degree in Graphic design. Under the supervision of Dr. Alison Paradis and Dr. Natacha Godbout, she is interested in the repercussions of past exposition to parental conflicts in adulthood, especially on couple relationships. From a dyadic perspective, her doctoral project seeks to better understand the impact of exposure to parental conflicts in childhood as well as relationship attributions on couple interactions in adulthood.
Email : lassance_maya_leitao.luciana@courrier.uqam.ca

Élise Villeneuve

Élise Villeneuve (Psy.D./Ph.D. student) holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from the Université du Québec à Montréal. She is co-directed by Alison Paradis and Natacha Godbout. She is interested in interpersonal trauma in childhood and its impact on adult life, particularly within the couple. Her doctoral thesis will focus on the mentalization and parental functioning of couples of parents who are survivors of childhood trauma.
Email: villeneuve.elise.3@courrier.uqam.ca

Kayla Patterson

Kayla Patterson (Psy.D./Ph.D. student) completed her B.A. and M.A. in Psychology at the University of Montreal. Although she is passionate about many areas, she is particularly interested in conflict management and violence in intimate relationships. Under the supervision of Alison Paradis, her doctoral project aims to examine how attributional biases and attachment influence the risk of conflict and violence in adolescent couples.
Email: patterson-beaumont.kayla@courrier.uqam.ca

**Ophélie Dassylva**

Ophélie Dassylva (Psy.D./Ph.D. student) holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from the Université du Québec à Montréal. Her research interests focus on childhood interpersonal trauma and mechanisms that may explain survivors' coping profiles, such as coping strategies and emotion regulation. As part of her doctoral project, supervised by Alison Paradis, Ph.D., and Martine Hébert, Ph.D., she is interested in adaptive flexibility in survivors of childhood interpersonal trauma, particularly sexual assault.
Email: dassylva.ophelie@courrier.uqam.ca

**Elisabeth Lafleur**

Elisabeth Lafleur (Psy.D./Ph.D. student) holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from the Université du Québec à Montréal. Supervised by Alison Paradis, Ph.D., she is interested in the risk and protective factors associated with violence in intimate relationships, as well as strategies for its prevention. Using qualitative and quantitative data, her doctoral project will focus on the perception of controlling behaviors and their consequences in adolescent romantic relationships.
Email: lafleur.elisabeth.2@courrier.uqam.ca

Franklin Calazana

Franklin Calazana (Psy.D./Ph.D. student) holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). He is interested in masculinity, particularly masculine norms and their effects on men's well-being, relationship dynamics, and sexuality. Under the co-supervision of Alison Paradis and Natacha Godbout, his doctoral project aims to conduct a scoping review of psychometric instruments measuring different dimensions of masculinity, as well as to develop a new one adapted to contemporary male realities.
Email: calazana.franklin@courrier.uqam.ca

**Anna Fortugno**

Anna Fortugno (Psy.D. student) holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from the Université du Québec à Montréal. She is interested in interpersonal relationships among adolescents. Under the supervision of Alison Paradis, her doctoral project will focus more specifically on the effects of text messaging during disagreements in adolescent romantic relationships.
Courriel: fortugno.anna@courrier.uqam.ca

Undergraduate Students

Graduates

Doctoral

Camille-Andrée Rassart (2026)

Doctorat en psychologie, Professional and research profile, UQAM.

"Cumulative childhood trauma, parental stress, and parental alliance: a dyadic approach among couples welcoming a new child."

Andréanne Fortin (2026)

Doctorat en psychologie, Professional and research profile, UQAM.

"Toward a dyadic and contextualized understanding of physical violence in adolescent romantic relationships: an analysis of situational and relational contexts linked to the escalation of conflicts."

Corinne Rochefort (2026)

Doctorat en psychologie, Professional and research profile, UQAM.

"Experiences of individuals who grew up with a sibling with a developmental disorder and severe behavioral disorders."

Emily-Helen Todorov (2023)

Doctorat en psychologie, Professional and research profile, UQAM.

“Conflict resolution strategies, emotional regulation and satisfaction in adolescent romantic relationships.”

Michelle Dewar (2023)

Doctorat en psychologie, Professional and research profile, UQAM.

“Psychological adaptation of aid workers: consider morally wounding events.”

Stéphanie Laforte (2023)

Doctorate in Psychology, Professional profile, UQAM

"Cyberviolence in adolescent romantic relationships: a dyadic approach."

Andréanne Lapierre (2023)

Doctorate in Psychology, Professional and research profile, UQAM

"Conflict and violence in adolescent romantic relationships: a look at the daily contribution of stress, romantic attachment, and hostile attributions."

Marie-Ève Leclerc (2021)

Doctorate in Psychology, Professional profile, UQAM

"Impacts of the participation in therapy of significant others as a complementary intervention strategy to CBT among victims of violent crime."

Arielle Buch-Frohlich (2019)

Doctorate in Psychology, Professional profile, UQAM

“Suicidality, bullying and sexual harassment in adolescent girls with a history of sexual abuse”

Masters

Jérémie Bouvier (2022)

Masters in Sexology co-supervised by Dr. Mylène Fernet

"Actions and feedback: a qualitative exploration of conflict management in adolescent dyads."

Geneviève LaRoche (2014)

Masters in Sexology co-supervised by Dr. Martine Hébert

"Self-esteem and dating violence among adolescent girl victims of childhood sexual abuse."