About Us

WCII Overview

​The Calgary based Western Canada Institute for ISTDP (WCII) is currently the only organization west of Montreal to offer a 3-year Core Training Program in Intensive Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP).  The first group of graduates completed their Core Training in December 2016. Our second cohort completed training in 2020.  We are currently providing training to a third cohort (2022-2024).  Future cohorts may be arranged upon sufficient interest. Please contact us at Contact@WesternCanada-ISTDP.com to express interest.

WCII Executive Board

President:  Dr. Heather Scott

Past President:  Dr. Petra Spletzler

Dr. Petra Spletzer is a Registered Psychologist and has worked with adults and children for over 10 years. In her clinical practice, she specializes in treating general dPetra Work photoepression, anxiety, stress, and relationship issues, and prenatal and postpartum depression/anxiety. She works with individuals, couples, and groups and has pursued additional training in Emotion-Focused Therapy, Intensive Short-term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP), Gottman Couples Therapy, and parenting strategies to foster effective family dynamics. Life-long learning and improving her work with her patients is important to Petra. She has completed the 3-year core training under the supervision Dr. Robert J. Neborsky, Dr. Josette Ten Have-de Labije, and Dr. Robin Kay. In addition, she’s attended numerous ISTDP conferences/workshops and is currently in advanced training.

Secretary:  Dr. Kent Sargeant

Dr. Kent Sargeant is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Calgary. In his background are post-graduate studies in Behavioural Genetics (McMaster University)9265df_112a29a38e2a45438c6ac4cc98ffc32c~mv2 and Psychiatric Epidemiology (Columbia University) before taking a faculty position at UBC. In Calgary for the past 25 years, he has practice general adult psychiatry with a special interest in psychotherapy. Dr. Sargeant completed ISTDP Core Training in California in 2013 under Dr. Robert Neborsky and Josette ten Have-de Labije. Currently, he works with Alberta Health Services and teaches both medical students and residents while maintaining a private psychotherapy practice. Dr. Sargeant is a founding member of the Western Canada Institute for ISTDP (WCII). He also plays keyboard for an as-yet-to-be-discovered garage band.

Treasurer:  Dr. Christi Alloway

Dr. Christi Alloway completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology at Queen’s University, and is registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists. Currently in full-time private practice, Dr. Alloway provides individual ISTDP therapy to adults of all ages. Additionally, she worked for over 15 years in an outpatient mental health clinic with Alberta Health Services, where she provided individual psychodynamic therapy and interpersonal group therapy to adults across the lifespan, including young adults and seniors, was involved in training graduate students in clinical psychology, and served on the administrative committee overseeing the clinical psychology residency program. Dr. Alloway completed the first 2 years of her ISTDP Core Training with Dr. Robert J. Neborsky, Dr. Josette Ten Have-de Labije, and Dr. Robin Kay, and her final year with Jon Frederickson MSW. She then went on to obtain a further two years of Advanced Training with Jon Frederickson MSW. She is a regular attendee of Dr. Allan Abbass’ annual ISTDP Immersion Course, and other ISTDP training events. In January 2017, Dr. Alloway joined the executive board of the Western Canada Institute for ISTDP. In June 2017, she took on the role of Treasurer and website guru.

Director / Member at Large:  Dr. Marcel Peloquin

Dr. Marcel Peloquin earned his Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Dalhousie University. He completedMarcelhis predoctoral internship with the Saskatoon Health Region. Upon completion, Dr. Peloquin worked in a clinical health psychology department and a provincial forensic psychiatric hospital in Saskatchewan before moving to Halifax, where he now provides clinical assessments and interventions for adults and adolescents across a broad range of clinical concerns. Dr. Peloquin has completed three years of core training in ISTDP with Jon Frederickson and Diane Byster and another year of core training with Drs. Joel Town and Allan Abbass. He has also been in individual supervision reviewing taped sessions for two years. He is currently in his private practice at Atlantic Dynamic Psychotherapy Group in Halifax. He enjoys board games and is reading art and philosophy after a lifetime in the sciences.

Director / Member at Large:  Dr. Diana Armstrong

Dr. Diana Armstrong is a Registered Psychologist and an adjunct professor at the University of Diana Armstrong PicAlberta (UofA). She has a Ph.D. in Counselling Psychology from the UofA and completed a CPA-accredited residency in Clinical Psychology with the Nova Scotia Health Authority, focused primarily on ISTDP. Dr. Armstrong has over 10 years of clinical experience working with adults coping with an array of mental health issues in a variety of clinical settings. She is trained in several empirically supported models of psychotherapy; however, she is most passionate about working with individuals in an ISTDP framework. Coinciding with her residency, she completed a 3-year ISTDP core training under the supervision of Drs. Joel Town and Allan Abbass. Dr. Armstrong regularly participates in ISTDP-related workshops, conferences, ongoing informal consultation with her ISTDP colleagues, and formal ISTDP consultation with Dr. Joel Town. Currently, she holds a clinical position in acute psychiatry with Alberta Health Services. Through her role, she enjoys providing individual and group psychotherapy, psychological assessment, and supervising psychology residents within the Edmonton Consortium Clinical Psychology Residency program. With the move to online platforms for psychotherapy, Dr. Armstrong is also delighted to offer ISTDP to Albertans across the province through her online private practice. In her free time, she loves growing plants, spending time with loved ones, and would never turn down an offer to go SUP-ing, waterskiing, or swimming.

2022 – 2024 Core Training Supervisor

Diane Byster, LMFT, NCC, RYT

Diane Byster is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, National Certified Counselor and Registered Yoga Teacher. She is a certified teacher and clinical supervisor with the IEDTA.

Diane co-facilitated a 3 year ISTDP core training program in Alberta, Canada for the Western Canadian Institute for ISTDP from 2017 – 2021. She has also taught workshops on “Identifying and Deconstructing Projections” for the Western Canadian Institute for ISTDP, for Therapy Today in Lansing Michigan, and for a Los Angeles based ISTDP core training group. Diane has also presented seminars on ‘Yoga Psychotherapy for Trauma’ and ‘Yoga Informed Experiential Psychotherapy’ at the IEDTA conference in Birmingham, UK, in 2017, the  IEDTA in Boston, MA in 2019 and at Stanford University in 2017. Diane also co-taught “Introduction To ISTDP”; “How Can I Be More Effective” and “Anxiety Regulation” at Stanford University .

In addition to her clinical practice, since 2014, Diane has been supervising and providing case consultation in ISTDP to psychiatrists, psychologists, licensed clinical social workers and marriage and family therapists throughout the the U.S. and Canada.

Diane completed the ISTDP Core Training from 2008 – 2010 with Dr. Robert Neborsky, M.D. and Josette Ten Have De Labije, PsyD. Starting in 2010, Diane received bi-monthly case consultation/supervision from Jon Frederickson, MSW, over period of 10 years. In addition, Diane completed over 10 advanced clinical trainings with Jon Frederickson and was a contributing manuscript editor for 3 of Jon Frederickson’s books. Between 2011 – 2014, Diane concurrently enrolled and graduated from a 3 year Training of Trainers program with Patricia Coughlin. From 2015 – 2016 Diane completed advanced clinical training with John Rathauser, PhD. Starting in 2017 – present Diane has attended numerous immersions with Allan Abbass, M.D. She has also received clinical supervision from Allan Abbass, MD from 2019 – present. Diane is currently completing her second year of Training of Trainers with Jon Frederickson, MSW.

Recent Graduates of WCII Core Training:

Some of our graduates from Core Training include: