Dr. Kailyn Turner (née Jones) completed her PhD in School and Applied Child Psychology from the University of Calgary. She practiced as a Registered Psychologist in Alberta and she is a member of the College of Psychologists of Ontario. Dr. Turner offers broad knowledge of child, developmental, and school psychology. She provides psychological services in English.

Dr. Turner is passionate about the creation of learning and family environments that facilitate skill development, positive mental health, and well-being. She has experience working with children with neurodevelopmental disabilities (e.g., Global Developmental Delay, autism, Intellectual Disability, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Cerebral Palsy), early adverse experiences, prenatal substance exposure, anxiety, learning disabilities, and giftedness. She has trained in numerous settings including schools, university teaching clinics, an early intervention centre, and family homes. Dr. Turner’s top priority in working with children and their families is to develop a genuine and caring connection. She aims to build on her clients’ strengths and establish a collaborative partnership to work together to overcome barriers and solve problems.

Dr. Turner has expertise in the identification of exceptionalities in children and youth. She conducts comprehensive psycho-educational, diagnostic, and developmental assessments. She also has specialized training and a keen interest in autism evaluation.

Dr. Turner uses an integrative approach to therapeutic intervention. She works primarily from a developmental-ecological perspective where she considers individual qualities of children and youth within the wider sense of various environments that influence how they grow and develop (e.g., family, school, peers, community). Dr. Turner is especially interested in working closely with caregivers and educators, and she promotes their involvement in her work through psycho- education and consultation. Dr. Turner also has specialized training in the following: cognitive- behavioural therapy to manage anxiety and increase positive coping; floortime relationship- focused developmental techniques to enhance connectedness, encourage progress toward milestones, and incorporate therapy into play; and positive behaviour supports to increase adaptive social and self-regulation skills, while reducing and preventing challenging behaviours.

In addition to her work at CAFCO, Dr. Turner is a full-time Postdoctoral Associate with the Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute and the Werklund School of Education (Calgary, AB). Dr. Turner’s postdoctoral research examines the clinical service needs of children with autism and co-occurring mental health conditions. She also investigates mental health crisis in youth with autism, and she is examining the experience of suicidal thoughts and behaviours in this population. Dr. Turner has presented her research at national and international conferences and she has published articles in peer-reviewed journals.