Meet Dr. Kerris
Kerris Oates, Ph.D., C.Psych.
Registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO) in the areas of Clinical and Counselling Psychology (both assessment and treatment) for Adults, Couples, Adolescents and Children
Dr. Kerris Oates (who also practised in the past under the surname del Rosario) earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Rosemead School of Psychology at Biola University in La Mirada, California. She is a native of Southwestern Ontario and completed her Honours B.Sc. in Psychology at McMaster University in Hamilton.
Dr. Kerris tailors her psychological services to each client with compassion and expertise (based on the presenting problems and mutually-derived goals), and in addition to assessment she provides both long- and short-term therapy from a variety of modalities (see descriptions under Therapy services). She is skilled in working with a diverse clientele, including those struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma, relationship issues, workplace stress, and phase-of-life/adjustment difficulties.
For clients who so desire, Dr. Kerris has graduate-level training and extensive clinical experience in helping clients integrate their faith into their psychological healing and growth.
In addition to working directly with clients, Dr. Kerris is committed to educating and mentoring budding healthcare professionals. She currently serves as an Adjunct Professor at the Waterloo Regional Campus of McMaster’s Michael G. DeGroote Medical School, and she has also held appointments as an Adjunct Faculty Member in the graduate department of Psychology at the University of Waterloo, the undergraduate Sociology department at Biola, and at Heritage College and Seminary in Cambridge, Ontario.
As a clinician and a researcher, Dr. Kerris’ work has been published in major scientific journals and she has presented at international conventions and conferences. In the community, she is also actively involved in mental health education and stigma reduction, as well as initiatives related to improving access to psychological services.