100% private
and confidential

Experienced care team
specialized in substance use

24/7 resources accessible
from any device

Personalized, clinically-
validated activities

EXPLORE THE TRAiL

The science of managing substance use

Easy access to substance use care: wherever you are, whenever you need it. You set your goals. We help you meet them.

Virtual companion

An immersive experience developed by medical professionals and delivered by technology.

Dedicated care team

A team of licensed medical professionals just for you. Set your goals. Let us help.

Cognitive behavioural therapy

Evidence-based therapeutic approaches to help you understand your substance use, strengthen decision making and take control.

Awareness tools

Learn more about substance use and management; access support and put yourself first.

Ready to add ALAViDA to your benefits?

10% of employees will experience challenges with substance use, but only 1 in 10 will access treatment. It’s time to change that!

Your team deserves incredible care.

Support your team with pre-disability and return-to-work programming that well… works.

1   ALAViDA data validated by independent research partner Digital Health Circle after reviewing over 300 patients.

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86%
Reduced their consumption¹

79%
Reported increased control of substance¹

100%
Private and
confidential

>1 million
Canadians have access to
ALAViDA as a covered benefit

ALAViDA Advisors

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ALAViDA Advisors

Michael Ellery

Registered Psychotherapist

View bio →

Mike Pond
Registered Psychotherapist. RPN, MSW, RSW

View bio →

Igor Yakovenko
Registered Psychologist & Assistant Professor

View bio →

Meet our Advisors

Dr. Sari Castrén
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Psychology & Associate Professor

View bio →

Dr. Andrea Graham
Assistant Professor at Northwestern University

View bio →

Mike Pond
Registered 
Psychotherapist 

View bio →

Advisors

Meet our team of advisors:

Sari Castrén
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Psychology & Associate Professor

View bio →

Dr. Andrea Graham
Assistant Professor at Northwestern University

View bio →

Oscar Flores Sida  Program Director and Professor at Great Basin College

View bio →

Igor Yakovenko
Registered Psychologist & Assistant Professor

View bio →

Dr. Igor Yakovenko
Registered Psychologist & Assistant Professor

View bio →

Dr. Sari Castrén

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Psychology & Associate Professor @ University of Helsinki, Faculty of Medicine

Sari Castrén, PhD is an associate professor at the University of Turku in the Faculty of Social Sciences and at the University of Helsinki in the Faculty of Medicine. She works as a senior researcher at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. Her research focus is on developing interventions for gambling disorders and investigating the efficacy of treatments. Sari is currently in charge of a project of translating and evaluating the suitability of the Canadian Lower Risk Gambling Guidelines in a Finnish cultural context and she is also involved in research that explores gambling disorders and harmful social media use and the convergence of gambling and gaming. Recent publications examine the correlation between personality traits and problem gambling, the role of medication in the treatment of gambling disorder, gambling-related harms for affected others and a systematic review of treatment for affected others of gamblers*.
 
Sari is a practicing licensed clinical psychologist. She actively trains professionals in the addiction field in motivational interviewing (MI) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approaches.

Dr. Michael Ellery

Registered Psychotherapist

Dr. Michael Ellery is a registered psychologist who offers compassionate, evidence-based, psychological therapies for individuals facing challenges with their thoughts, emotions, or behaviours. He completed his PhD in clinical psychology at Dalhousie University, followed by a doctoral internship at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), specializing in the application of Dialectal Behavioural Therapy (DBT) for substance use and mental health challenges. Dr. Ellery’s passion for working with people and complexity led him to pursue a faculty position in the Department of Psychology at the University of Manitoba, where he directed the Mental Health and Addiction Laboratory and trained therapists in evidence-based treatments.

Dr. Ellery’s approach to psychotherapy integrates the philosophy and science of behavioural change. His interest in the treatment and study of co-occurring problems with addiction and mental health informs his teaching roles and his clinical practice. He values compassion, non-judgement, education, and informed choice in his work with clients. He offers evidence-based strategies, authenticity, humour, and warmth, to help clients meet the goals they bring to therapy. Dr. Ellery is passionate about reducing barriers to accessing care and supporting clients with complex clinical presentations. He offers his expertise through talks, clinical training workshops, and consultation on a range of related issues—including DBT, the assessment and treatment of substance use challenges, and suicide risk management. More information about Dr. Ellery’s clinical practice may be found at https://drellery.com/.

Marielle Montenegro

Director of Consulting @ The Decision Lab

Marielle Montenegro is the Director of Consulting at The Decision Lab, where she leads the company’s strategy to achieve the highest impact by taking on projects and research in industries where an understanding of how people make decisions have the most to add. Because of this mission, her portfolio of work in recent years has been focused on building transformational digital products in areas of health, finance and education that support people and societies to achieve their goals and thrive under often difficult and continuously evolving circumstances - including working with leading mental health organizations in Canada such as Kids Help Phone and Wellness Together - with millions of users, an accompanying app, public support by the prime minister and Health Canada and - most importantly - very positive signals from users (including priority groups, that were a big part of the co-design). Prior to working at the Decision Lab, Marielle was based in Johannesburg, where she worked on improving telecommunication policies to address access to communication issues in rural communities. Marielle has a degree in behavioural neuroscience from McGill University.
 
You can connect with Marielle via LinkedIn or email.

Mike Pond

Registered Psychotherapist. RPN, MSW, RSW

Mike Pond is a Vancouver Island-based psychotherapist who specializes in the treatment of substance use disorders. Thirty years of practice, both in the public and private sectors, combined with his own successful battle with Alcohol Use Disorder convinced Pond harm reduction is the most compassionate approach to treating substance use. Pond uses a broad range of evidence-based treatments, meeting clients where they are at. He recognizes the role trauma plays in too many addictions and works with clients to resolve deep wounds.  

Pond’s search for evidence-based addiction treatment was captured in the CBC Nature of Things film Wasted. His memoir is Wasted: An Alcoholic Therapist's Fight For Recovery in a Flawed Treatment System.
 
Pond received his Master’s in Social Work from the University of British Columbia in 1995. He worked in Forensic Psychiatric Services and Mental Health and Addictions Services for the British Columbia Government and for Health Canada and the First Nations Health Authority. He began private practice in 1995. More information about Pond’s clinical practice may be found at michaelpond.ca.

Dr. Terri-Lynn MacKay

PH.D. R.PSYCH. Clinical Director of ALAViDA

Terri-Lynn Mackay, PhD, is the Clinical Director of Alavida. She is a clinical psychologist with expertise in providing strategic direction, clinical leadership, and system transformation in mental health and addiction. As the Clinical Program Director, she strives to help clients foster purpose, meaning, and connection in their lives. Dr. MacKay is a licensed Clinical Psychologist who has specialized in the treatment and research of mental health and addictive disorders since 2003. She leads a team of licensed professionals who practice client-centered, compassionate, evidence-based care. Previously, Dr. Mackay served as the Director of Operations for the Canadian mental health pandemic response, as the Associate Director of Counselling Services at the University of British Columbia, and as an Associate Professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She has been a consultant for government and private industry for over a decade with a focus on providing social justice approaches to transformational system change.

Dr. Mackay holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology and a Masters degree in Behavioural Neuroscience. Her research has been featured in journals such as Canadian Psychology, Neuropsychologia, Computers in Human Behavior and International Gambling Studies.

Dr. Igor Yakovenko

Registered Psychologist & Assistant Professor
@ Dalhousie University Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry

Dr. Igor Yakovenko is an assistant professor of clinical psychology at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada, where he specializes in addiction and co-occurring mental health disorders. His research explores the risk factors and mechanisms of action of substance use including behavioural addictions such as gambling and video gaming. His recent work has been invested in developing evidence-based public health interventions for substance use disorder including implementing online platforms to increase access to substance use treatment. Dr. Yakovenko is an involved teacher and mentor, supervising clinical psychology, and psychiatry students.

In clinical practice, Dr. Yakovenko specializes in adult mental health, addiction, and couples therapy. He uses a combination of cognitive-behavioural, motivational, and mindfulness therapies to create tailored evidence-based treatments. Dr. Yakovenko has extensive expertise in the treatment, psychodiagnostic, and behavioural assessments of addiction, mood and anxiety disorders, PTSD and trauma, pain, behavioural issues, coping with stress, self-esteem issues, anger management, chronic impulsivity, emotional disturbance, grief, family conflict, psychosis, and personality disorders. Dr. Yakovenko holds a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Calgary. He completed a pre-doctoral clinical residency at Yale University and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Alberta. More information about Dr. Yakovenko’s work at the Transdiagnostic Addiction Laboratory can be found at www.talab.ca.

Meet our advisors

Sari Castrén
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Psychology & Associate Professor

View bio →

Marielle Montenegro
Director of Consulting @ The Decision Lab

View bio →

Michael Ellery
Registered Psychotherapist

View bio →

Mike Pond
RPN, MSW, RSW

View bio →

On-demand substance use support, right from your smartphone.

ALAViDA FOR BUSINESS

  |

  |

English | Français

Access evidence-based care all in one place: resources available 24/7, coaches, therapists and physicians you can text or meet securely from home. We’re ready when you are.

Dr. Sari Castrén

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Psychology & Associate Professor @ University of Helsinki, Faculty of Medicine

Sari Castrén, PhD is an associate professor at the University of Turku in the Faculty of Social Sciences and at the University of Helsinki in the Faculty of Medicine. She works as a senior researcher at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. Her research focus is on developing interventions for gambling disorders and investigating the efficacy of treatments. Sari is currently in charge of a project of translating and evaluating the suitability of the Canadian Lower Risk Gambling Guidelines in a Finnish cultural context and she is also involved in research that explores gambling disorders and harmful social media use and the convergence of gambling and gaming. Recent publications examine the correlation between personality traits and problem gambling, the role of medication in the treatment of gambling disorder, gambling-related harms for affected others and a systematic review of treatment for affected others of gamblers*.
 
Sari is a practicing licensed clinical psychologist. She actively trains professionals in the addiction field in motivational interviewing (MI) and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) approaches.

Dr. Michael Ellery

Registered Psychotherapist

Dr. Michael Ellery is a registered psychologist who offers compassionate, evidence-based, psychological therapies for individuals facing challenges with their thoughts, emotions, or behaviours. He completed his PhD in clinical psychology at Dalhousie University, followed by a doctoral internship at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), specializing in the application of Dialectal Behavioural Therapy (DBT) for substance use and mental health challenges. Dr. Ellery’s passion for working with people and complexity led him to pursue a faculty position in the Department of Psychology at the University of Manitoba, where he directed the Mental Health and Addiction Laboratory and trained therapists in evidence-based treatments.

Dr. Ellery’s approach to psychotherapy integrates the philosophy and science of behavioural change. His interest in the treatment and study of co-occurring problems with addiction and mental health informs his teaching roles and his clinical practice. He values compassion, non-judgement, education, and informed choice in his work with clients. He offers evidence-based strategies, authenticity, humour, and warmth, to help clients meet the goals they bring to therapy. Dr. Ellery is passionate about reducing barriers to accessing care and supporting clients with complex clinical presentations. He offers his expertise through talks, clinical training workshops, and consultation on a range of related issues—including DBT, the assessment and treatment of substance use challenges, and suicide risk management. More information about Dr. Ellery’s clinical practice may be found at https://drellery.com/.

Marielle Montenegro

Director of Consulting @ The Decision Lab

Marielle Montenegro is the Director of Consulting at The Decision Lab, where she leads the company’s strategy to achieve the highest impact by taking on projects and research in industries where an understanding of how people make decisions have the most to add. Because of this mission, her portfolio of work in recent years has been focused on building transformational digital products in areas of health, finance and education that support people and societies to achieve their goals and thrive under often difficult and continuously evolving circumstances - including working with leading mental health organizations in Canada such as Kids Help Phone and Wellness Together - with millions of users, an accompanying app, public support by the prime minister and Health Canada and - most importantly - very positive signals from users (including priority groups, that were a big part of the co-design). Prior to working at the Decision Lab, Marielle was based in Johannesburg, where she worked on improving telecommunication policies to address access to communication issues in rural communities. Marielle has a degree in behavioural neuroscience from McGill University.
 
You can connect with Marielle via LinkedIn or email.

Mike Pond

Registered Psychotherapist. RPN, MSW, RSW

Mike Pond is a Vancouver Island-based psychotherapist who specializes in the treatment of substance use disorders. Thirty years of practice, both in the public and private sectors, combined with his own successful battle with Alcohol Use Disorder convinced Pond harm reduction is the most compassionate approach to treating substance use. Pond uses a broad range of evidence-based treatments, meeting clients where they are at. He recognizes the role trauma plays in too many addictions and works with clients to resolve deep wounds.  

Pond’s search for evidence-based addiction treatment was captured in the CBC Nature of Things film Wasted. His memoir is Wasted: An Alcoholic Therapist's Fight For Recovery in a Flawed Treatment System.
 
Pond received his Master’s in Social Work from the University of British Columbia in 1995. He worked in Forensic Psychiatric Services and Mental Health and Addictions Services for the British Columbia Government and for Health Canada and the First Nations Health Authority. He began private practice in 1995. More information about Pond’s clinical practice may be found at michaelpond.ca.

Dr. Igor Yakovenko

Registered Psychologist & Assistant Professor @ Dalhousie University Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry

Dr. Igor Yakovenko is an assistant professor of clinical psychology at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada, where he specializes in addiction and co-occurring mental health disorders. His research explores the risk factors and mechanisms of action of substance use including behavioural addictions such as gambling and video gaming. His recent work has been invested in developing evidence-based public health interventions for substance use disorder including implementing online platforms to increase access to substance use treatment. Dr. Yakovenko is an involved teacher and mentor, supervising clinical psychology, and psychiatry students.

In clinical practice, Dr. Yakovenko specializes in adult mental health, addiction, and couples therapy. He uses a combination of cognitive-behavioural, motivational, and mindfulness therapies to create tailored evidence-based treatments. Dr. Yakovenko has extensive expertise in the treatment, psychodiagnostic, and behavioural assessments of addiction, mood and anxiety disorders, PTSD and trauma, pain, behavioural issues, coping with stress, self-esteem issues, anger management, chronic impulsivity, emotional disturbance, grief, family conflict, psychosis, and personality disorders. Dr. Yakovenko holds a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Calgary. He completed a pre-doctoral clinical residency at Yale University and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Alberta. More information about Dr. Yakovenko’s work at the Transdiagnostic Addiction Laboratory can be found at www.talab.ca.

Dr. Terri-Lynn MacKay

PH.D. R.PSYCH. Clinical Director of ALAViDA

Terri-Lynn Mackay, PhD, is the Clinical Director of Alavida. She is a clinical psychologist with expertise in providing strategic direction, clinical leadership, and system transformation in mental health and addiction. As the Clinical Program Director, she strives to help clients foster purpose, meaning, and connection in their lives. Dr. MacKay is a licensed Clinical Psychologist who has specialized in the treatment and research of mental health and addictive disorders since 2003. She leads a team of licensed professionals who practice client-centered, compassionate, evidence-based care. Previously, Dr. Mackay served as the Director of Operations for the Canadian mental health pandemic response, as the Associate Director of Counselling Services at the University of British Columbia, and as an Associate Professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She has been a consultant for government and private industry for over a decade with a focus on providing social justice approaches to transformational system change.

Dr. Mackay holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology and a Masters degree in Behavioural Neuroscience. Her research has been featured in journals such as Canadian Psychology, Neuropsychologia, Computers in Human Behavior and International Gambling Studies.

Access evidence-based care all in one place: resources available 24/7, coaches, therapists and physicians you can text or meet securely from home. We’re ready when you are.

On-demand substance use support, right from your smartphone.

ALAViDA FOR BUSINESS

  |

  |

English | Français

English | Français

ALAViDA FOR BUSINESS

ALAViDA Advisors

Access evidence-based care all in one place: resources available 24/7, coaches, therapists and physicians you can text or meet securely from home. We’re ready when you are.

Marielle Montenegro
Director of Consulting at
 The Decision Lab

View bio →

Bios

Dr. Andrea Graham, PhD

Assistant Professor at Northwestern University

Andrea Graham, PhD, is Assistant Professor in the Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, with an affiliation in the Center for Human-Computer Interaction + Design. Trained as a clinical psychologist and implementation scientist, her program of research focuses on the design, optimization, and implementation of evidence-based digital mental and behavioral health interventions. She is a leader in applying human-centered design methods to design digital tools that meet stakeholders’ needs and implementation plans that support the integration of digital interventions into practice. She also has expertise in designing and overseeing coaching protocols and clinical workflows for digital interventions.

Oscar Flores Sida

Program Director and Professor at Great Basin College

Oscar is a bilingual (Spanish) mental health counselor from Las Vegas, Nevada. He serves as program director and professor in the department of Health Sciences and Human Services at Great Basin College in Nevada. He teaches courses in mental health counseling, and assessment and treatment of addiction disorders. He also runs a small private practice. His clinical interests are in developmental processes and their relationship to mental illness, addictions, and substance use disorders. He holds a Master of Science degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, both from The University of Nevada Las Vegas.

Marielle Montenegro
Director of Consulting @ The Decision Lab

View bio →

Oscar Flores Sida  Program Director and Professor at Great Basin College

View bio →

Dr. Andrea Graham, PhD

Assistant Professor at Northwestern University

Andrea Graham, PhD, is Assistant Professor in the Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, with an affiliation in the Center for Human-Computer Interaction + Design. Trained as a clinical psychologist and implementation scientist, her program of research focuses on the design, optimization, and implementation of evidence-based digital mental and behavioral health interventions. She is a leader in applying human-centered design methods to design digital tools that meet stakeholders’ needs and implementation plans that support the integration of digital interventions into practice. She also has expertise in designing and overseeing coaching protocols and clinical workflows for digital interventions.

Oscar Flores Sida

Program Director and Professor at Great Basin College

Oscar is a bilingual (Spanish) mental health counselor from Las Vegas, Nevada. He serves as program director and professor in the department of Health Sciences and Human Services at Great Basin College in Nevada. He teaches courses in mental health counseling, and assessment and treatment of addiction disorders. He also runs a small private practice. His clinical interests are in developmental processes and their relationship to mental illness, addictions, and substance use disorders. He holds a Master of Science degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, both from The University of Nevada Las Vegas. 

Jonathan Chapnick   Workplace Lawyer and
 CPHR

View bio →

Jonathan Chapnick

Workplace Lawyer and Chartered Human Resources Professional

Jonathan Chapnick (he/him) is a workplace lawyer and chartered human resources professional, and the principal at Portage Legal Services, where he provides advice and assistance to organizations that want to be good employers.  His areas of expertise include labour relations, workplace policies and procedures, discrimination and accommodation, and employee mental health and substance use.  He is a frequent instructor and speaker on workplace topics, including as an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia’s Allard School of Law.
 
Jonathan is a trained mediator and is on the roster of investigators established by the Canadian government to investigate occurrences of harassment and violence in federally regulated workplaces.  Outside of his law practice, he is a part-time member of British Columbia’s Employment Standards Tribunal and serves on BC’s Patient Care Quality Review Board.  Originally from Toronto, Jonathan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree (Economics) from McGill University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Victoria.

Jonathan Chapnick   Workplace Lawyer and
 CPHR

View bio →

Jonathan Chapnick

Workplace Lawyer and Chartered Human Resources Professional

Jonathan Chapnick (he/him) is a workplace lawyer and chartered human resources professional, and the principal at Portage Legal Services, where he provides advice and assistance to organizations that want to be good employers.  His areas of expertise include labour relations, workplace policies and procedures, discrimination and accommodation, and employee mental health and substance use.  He is a frequent instructor and speaker on workplace topics, including as an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia’s Allard School of Law.
 
Jonathan is a trained mediator and is on the roster of investigators established by the Canadian government to investigate occurrences of harassment and violence in federally regulated workplaces.  Outside of his law practice, he is a part-time member of British Columbia’s Employment Standards Tribunal and serves on BC’s Patient Care Quality Review Board.  Originally from Toronto, Jonathan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree (Economics) from McGill University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Victoria.

Marielle Montenegro
Director of Consulting at
 The Decision Lab

View bio →

Mike Pond
Registered 
Psychotherapist 

View bio →

Oscar Flores Sida  Program Director and Professor at Great Basin College

View bio →

Igor Yakovenko
Registered Psychologist & Assistant Professor

View bio →

Dr. Igor Yakovenko
Registered Psychologist & Assistant Professor

View bio →