Director     Clinicians    Services    Info    Contact 

At TRAUMATYS :

Dr. Louise Gaston, founder and director          

After her Ph.D. from University of Montreal,  Dr. Louise Gaston completed a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of psychiatry at the University of California in San Francisco (UCSF) with Dr. Horowitz, author of Stress Response Syndrome. At UCSF, she acquired an expertise in both PTSD and psychotherapy research. Subsequently, Dr. Gaston was recruited to become an assistant professor by the Department of psychiatry at McGill University, where she conducted clinical studies for many years.

As a researcher, Dr. Gaston collaborated with many colleagues in diverse settings, including at Stanford University. She carried out clinical trials. Her main research topic was the alliance in psychotherapy and its interaction with techniques, as they contribute to better outcomes . She has developed the California Psychotherapy Alliance Scale, CALPAS, an alliance measure which is used as one of the standard in clinical research nowadays.

Because PTSD scales had only been developed with veterans on the MMPI-2, Dr. Gaston  construct and validated two MMPI-2 scales for civilians with PTSD, acute and chronic, in order to expand the psychometric evaluation of trauma in the general population.

As clinician, Dr. Gaston practiced diverse approaches of psychotherapy, learned through extensive clinical trainings and supervisions spanning over 15 years. Herself, she has been in psychotherapy for a total of 10 years, following diverse models. Extensively trained in treating personality disorders, Dr. Gaston also knows, intimately, the major models of psychotherapy:

In 1990, Dr. Gaston founded TRAUMATYS, a clinic specialized in evaluating and treating PTSD. From her clinical experience, empirical findings, and theoretical knowledge, Dr. Gaston developed an integrative model (psychodynamic, humanistic, cognitive, behavioral, and neurobiological) for treating PTSD.

TRAUMATYS offers a 2-year advanced training in PTSD developed by Dr. Gaston. Over 100 experienced clinicians (psychologists, psychiatrists, physicians, social workers) have already been trained.

Since 1991, TRAUMATYS has evaluated and treated thousands of persons presenting with PTSD, with co-morbidity and functional limitations. According to an independent and retrospective study by the research team of Dr Brunet at McGill University, examining 100 files randomly selected at TRAUMATYS (2004),

In addition, a prospective neurological study of 25 persons treated at TRAUMATYS (Dickie et al., 2011) showed that, using magnetic resonance imaging  (fMRI),

TRAUMATYS offer a specialized 2-year advanced training in PTSD, which was developed by Dr. Gaston. Over 150 clinicians (psychologists, psychiatrists, physicians, and social workers) have already been trained. 

For many years, Dr. Gaston provided courses of continuing education across the USA:

In 2015, she has written a nonfiction book, ''Within the Heart of PTSD: Amazing Stories of Gentle Psychotherapy and Full Trauma Recovery'', describing genuine therapeutic journeys. This book aims to inspire PTSD sufferers and the psychotherapists accompanying them. She has also submitted for publication a manuscript entitled ''Divergent Mechanisms of Change in Trauma-Focused vs. Non-Trauma-Focused Therapies for PTSD'', in which it is argued that the neuroimagery evidence of today indicates how trauma-focused therapies induce emotional inhibition, rather than lessening it, when PTSD symptoms are reduced by such therapies.

Since 2014, Dr. Gaston is again playing a central role as director of TRAUMATYS, after having devoted many years of her life to meditation while keeping a discrete involvement in TRAUMATYS.

Dr. Serge Dupont, senior evaluator

Dr. Serge Dupont, Ph.D., has completed his studies in psychology at the University of Montreal. Thereafter, he has also completed studies in operational finances at Queens University in Kingston in 1992. He has worked for many years at the H�pital Rivi�res-des-Prairies, a specialized center offering services to children and teenagers. He then worked at Kepner-Tregoe, a consulting firm in Princeton, New Jersey, specialized in increasing the efficacy of operational processes and elaborating business strategies. For the last 25 years, he has been the director of many municipal administrations. Dr. Dupont has also been a member of several boards of directors for non-profit organizations, including Suicide Action Montr�al for the last 10 years.

In 2000, Dr. Dupont completed the advanced training program of TRAUMATYS. Since then, he has offered specialized services of evaluation, psychotherapy, and supervision at TRAUMATYS.

Dani�le Lapointe, senior clinician and supervisor

Dani�le Lapointe, M.Ps., psychologist, has completed studies in psychology at Universit� de Chicoutimi, as well as certificates in andragogy and education. She also obtained a masters� degree in counseling from Universit� Laval where she received two honor mentions given her excellent academic performance, from Tableau d�honneur du Doyen de la Facult� des �tudes sup�rieures and one from Conseil de recherche en Sciences humaines du Canada (CRSH). In 2001, she has participated in a clinical intership in Brussels (Belgium) at CHU Saint-Pierre, � S.O.S. Enfants �, where she collaborated with various European researchers. From 2002 to 2004, she has worked as an expert in family matters for Chambre de la Jeunesse de Qu�bec.

Dani�le Lapointe teaches at Universit� Laval, Universit� de Montr�al, and Universit� de Chicoutimi. She provides supervision to graduate students and professionals becoming psychotherapists. In addition, she offers private psychological services of evaluation and psychotherapy. To these activities can be added her doctoral studies, seminars, conferences, and scientific publications. From 2006 to 2014, Dani�le Lapointe has acted as supervisor, lecturer, and clinical director at TRAUMATYS.

Director     Clinicians    Services    Info    Contact 

TRAUMATYS : 1-844-633-3326 (toll free) / [email protected]

TRAUMATYS