Our Team | Valorem Psychology

Who We Are

The Valorem team have been working together in public service settings for many years. Nina and Alyna first met when working together in a provincial correctional facility. Andreea later did a residency rotation at the same facility under Alyna’s supervision. She then transferred to the forensic service and completed her residency under Nina’s supervision. We are excited to combine our various backgrounds and training and our shared experiences to welcome you to Valorem Psychology.

Dr. Nina Fusco

Dr. Nina Fusco is a Clinical and Forensic/Correctional Psychologist. She works with adults and offers services in English and French. Nina’s clinical training and experience have focused on the assessment and evidence-based treatment of psychological difficulties and major mental disorders. She has a particular interest in working with individuals who are trying to better understand their emotions, working through difficulties in interpersonal relationships, processing traumatic life experiences, and making sense of life’s challenges. She has extensive experience working with and training police, first responders, and public safety personnel, and working with individuals involved in every facet of the criminal justice system. She also has expertise in forensic assessment and treatment, including the assessment of risk for criminal recidivism.

Alyna Reesor

Alyna Reesor is a Counselling and Forensic/Correctional Psychologist. She works with adults, couples, and families and offers services in English. Alyna has spent the majority of her career working within various public safety and defence communities. She is dedicated to supporting individuals within these safety-sensitive, high-security, and high-risk occupational settings. Alyna has also worked extensively with individuals and their families through various presenting issues, including: substantial trauma; mood and anxiety disturbances; occupational stress injuries; stage of life issues; suicide risk and ideation; separation, divorce and rebuilding; loss and grief; childhood abuse; and family of origin issues.

Dr. Andreea Tamaian

Dr. Andreea Tamaian is a Clinical and Forensic/Correctional Psychologist. She works with adults and offers services in English and Romanian. She has worked in both private practice settings and with underserved populations in a number of community clinics, hospitals, and correctional settings. Andreea has extensive experience providing treatment for various mental health disorders (e.g., mood, anxiety, trauma-related), interpersonal difficulties, emotion regulation difficulties, existential and identity issues. She has a special interest and expertise in forensic assessments, including assessing risk for criminal recidivism and malingering of mental health symptoms.

Dr. Nina Fusco has worked in clinical, forensic, law enforcement, and public safety settings for over a decade. She prioritizes a warm and collaborative approach with her clients. She focuses on working together with clients to identify goals and develop a treatment plan that fits their needs. She recognizes the significant role early childhood experiences have in shaping our development over the course of our lifetime, and specifically in shaping our beliefs and our interpersonal relationships. She acknowledges the important part that psychological treatment can play in understanding and redefining challenging life events and circumstances. She strives to help clients find meaning in challenging situations in order to promote growth and personal development. She incorporates principles from various therapeutic approaches, including CBT, DBT, Emotion-focused therapy, and Psychodynamic theory.

Nina also thoroughly enjoys offering training and workshops to help clients acquire knowledge and skills, and empower them to make positive changes in their lives. She has developed and led workshops on a variety of topics, including trauma-informed leadership, resilience, mental health in the workplace, and challenges related to police work. She has also run numerous post critical incident groups, and has formal training in Critical Incident Stress Debriefing.

Nina has had a strong interest in forensic psychology and trauma since deciding to pursue psychology, focusing her early research work on trauma in crime victims. She began her career in Forensic Psychiatric Services in British Columbia, where she developed expertise in the assessment of risk for criminal recidivism and psychopathy. She next worked in a provincial correctional facility. Through her years at the detention centre, she conducted assessments and provided support to those awaiting trial and sentencing, and co-led the Critical Incident Stress Management Team in assisting correctional staff impacted by their work. She then worked in the Integrated Forensic Program at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. There, Nina provided individual and group services to clients with complex mental disorders and further developed her expertise in forensic assessment. She was also actively involved in the Royal’s training program for practicum students and pre-doctoral residents in Psychology.

Since 2020, Nina has been working for a police service to support members of all ranks and backgrounds. This work has helped her gain a better understanding and appreciation for the challenging work of first responders. She provides psychological support to police members after critical incidents but also understands that exposure to traumatic events is only one aspect of work-related stress for first responders. She is also actively involved in training and educating police members, and is helping develop resiliency training programming and guidelines for police services.

Nina enjoys working with clients from all walks of life. She appreciates how our cultural and ethnic background contributes to our uniqueness. She is fluent in both English and French. Through her work, she has gained extensive experience in the assessment and treatment of trauma-based symptoms, particularly as it pertains to public safety personnel, crime victims, and justice-involved persons. Her clinical training and experience have focused on the assessment and evidence-based treatment of psychological difficulties, mental disorders, interpersonal relationships, and life challenges in general. She has completed training in a number of areas, including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), risk for criminal recidivism, and the treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and psychosis.

Nina completed her Bachelor’s degree, Honours, at McGill University (2005) and her Ph.D. at the Université de Montréal (2011). She completed her pre-doctoral residency in Clinical Forensic Psychology at British Columbia Mental Health and Substance Use Services, with primary rotations at the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital. She is registered as an autonomous psychologist with the College of Psychologists of Ontario in the areas of Clinical and Forensic/Correctional Psychology.

Alyna Reesor is a Certified Psychologist able to provide psychological services to adults, couples, families, and groups in the domains of counselling and forensic/correctional psychology. Since 2011, she has held dual credentials as a Marital and Family Therapist (MFT) and she is a recognized Clinical Fellow with the American and Ontario Associations of MFT. She is formally trained in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Narrative Therapy, and Solution Focused Therapy (SFT). Alyna uses a mixture of these models to understand your situation and clarify your goals. Once your goals are understood, Alyna will work with you collaboratively to achieve your desired outcomes. Psychological concepts, principles, and data are threaded throughout the process and provided in supplemental links, videos, and other relevant resources to match your unique needs and areas of interest.

Alyna has spent the majority of her career working within various public safety and defence communities, both provincially and federally. She is dedicated to supporting individuals within these safety-sensitive, high-security, and high-risk occupational settings.

Alyna began her career in Alberta, Canada working as the Coordinator of Children and Family Programs within the Department of Counselling at the Calgary Counselling Centre, a charitable organization offering services to all those in need. She facilitated and managed group psychotherapy programs for children and families affected by divorce and separation as well as behavioural and emotional issues. Alyna also facilitated groups within Mandated Offender Programs at the Wilson Centre for Domestic Abuse Studies. Prior to relocating to Ontario with her family, Alyna worked with Homewood Human Solutions managing their fitness-to-work and return-to-work programming for those working in safety-sensitive and/or high-risk settings.

Upon receiving her credentials to practice in Ontario, Alyna continued her work with those in safety-sensitive, high-risk occupations (e.g., paramedics, nurses, firefighters, police officers, military service members, front line mental health workers, correctional officers, and border services officers). She is passionate about supporting those working on the frontlines to keep our communities safe.

Alyna has worked with vulnerable populations including incarcerated people and people with housing insecurity within provincial correctional institutions and detention centres. During this time, she was a member of the Provincial Psychology Advisory Board and supervised students working to earn their credentials as Psychologists in Ontario.

Alyna has had the honour of working with individuals and their families through various presenting issues, including: substantial trauma; mood and anxiety disturbances; occupational stress injuries; stage of life issues; suicide risk and ideation; separation, divorce and rebuilding; loss and grief; childhood abuse; and family of origin issues.

Alyna comes from three generations of public servants working in various public safety organizations, and she is committed to supporting those who protect and those who need protection. As a mother of three, she is passionate about helping family systems to thrive through adversity.

Alyna completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Waterloo (2004) followed by a Master’s of Science degree from Loma Linda University’s satellite campus in Red Deer, Alberta (2008). Alyna then completed her Post-Graduate Residency at the Haskayne Postgraduate Residency Training Program in Calgary, Alberta (2009).

Dr. Andreea Tamaian focuses on building a warm, positive, and collaborative therapeutic relationship with clients in order to help them live more enjoyable and fulfilling lives. Andreea’s approach to therapy is often integrative and draws on elements of a number of modalities (e.g., cognitive-behavioural therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and emotion focused therapy). Andreea’s clinical training and experiences have focused on the provision of evidence-based treatment and assessment of adults experiencing a wide range of mental health concerns, interpersonal difficulties, and life challenges, such as mood-related disorders, anxiety (e.g., panic, social anxiety, generalized anxiety), trauma-related disorders, emotion regulation difficulties, self-esteem, and identity development.

Having immigrated to Canada as a teenager, Andreea’s firsthand experience with cultural adjustment has made it a priority in her work. She has a deep curiosity and seeks to understand her clients’ uniqueness and diversity in the larger sense, which includes culture, ethnicity, family systems, gender identity, or other various and intersecting factors. In addition to her work in private practice, Andreea has worked with underserved populations in a number of community clinics, hospitals (such as the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre), and correctional settings. Andreea has expertise in providing psychodiagnostic and personality assessments, as well as assessing risk for criminal recidivism. She has extensive experience working with both first responders and with clients in the forensic and correctional system, thus having a profound understanding of the intersection of mental health and the law, as well as the systemic complexities and demands on one’s mental health that accompany front line work. Her research has focused on understanding the relationship between systemic factors and trauma, particularly how a system’s failures to protect its members can further exacerbate mental health distress (e.g., in police members).

Andreea received her B.Sc. (2012) in Psychology from McGill University and earned both her M.A. (2015) and Ph.D. (2019) in Clinical Psychology from University of Regina. She relocated to Ottawa to complete her psychology residency at the University of Ottawa’s Centre for Psychological Treatment and Research, which included rotations at the Ottawa Carleton Detention Centre and the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. She is registered as an autonomous psychologist with the College of Psychologists of Ontario. She is authorized to provide psychological services to adult clients in the domains of clinical and forensic/correctional psychology. She provides psychological services in English and in Romanian.