Maria Barcelos, MA, Executive Director, Registered Psychotherapist (qualifying), has dedicated more than a decade to helping survivors of childhood sexual abuse find their voice through her work at The Gatehouse Child Abuse Investigation & Support Site in Toronto.

Maria believes wholeheartedly in community engagement and the importance of community-based responses to underlying social issues.  She motivates, acknowledges, and empowers students, volunteers, and staff to be part of the change they want to see in the world.

An avid believer in the principles of transformative community justice, she values building safer communities through collaborative knowledge sharing, idea and process formulation, and implementation.

Maria is an honors graduate of the Yorkville University Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology, a high honors graduate of the University of Guelph-Humber BA Justice Studies, recipient of the Virginia Grey Medal for Academic Achievement, an honors graduate of George Brown College’s HR Management Diploma program.

Maria volunteers her time in the community as part of an advisory panel in the Community Development Program at Humber College Lakeshore campus. Maria also volunteers her time as an Advisory member of The Canadian Centre for Men and Families Family Shelter Advisory Board.  Maria is also a founding member of the Centre for Transformative Social Change, a collaborative project between The Gatehouse and Humber College Faculty of Community and Social Services Faculty members and students. Maria is a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), practicing Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Solution Focused Therapy (SFT), Narrative, Culturally Sensitive, Trauma-Informed, Mindfulness-based therapy in private practice at M&P Psychotherapy & Consulting