About Elephant in the room
Elephant In The Room is a thoughtful place that provides neuropsychological and psychoeducational assessment for people seven years of age and older who are facing cognitive challenges, from learning difficulties and ADHD to wider brain damages occurring later in life.
The expression “elephant in the room” refers to an issue or challenge that may affect our lives, perceptions, relationships, and personal growth. Sometimes, these difficulties are easy to recognize; other times, they may be less obvious and require a closer look or professional support to better understand them.
The elephant, the largest land animal on Earth, is known for its rich emotional life, expressing joy, anger, grief, compassion, and affection. In the work of psychologist Carl Gustav Jung, the elephant has also been associated with the concept of the Self. More broadly, the elephant symbolizes strength, resilience, wisdom, memory, and vitality — qualities that reflect our own capacity to grow, adapt, and navigate life's challenges.
Thus, the expression brings together two meaningful ideas: acknowledging the challenges we face and recognizing the strength and resilience we have to overcome them.
Dr. Lafleur is a bilingual (English/French) registered psychologist and neuropsychologist licensed in British Columbia and Quebec. He holds a Ph.D. in Psychology, specializing in Neuropsychology, from the Université de Montréal. He has worked with children, adolescents, adults, and older adults in a variety of clinical and educational settings.
Throughout his career in Montreal, Dr. Lafleur worked in hospital settings, including the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM) and the Montreal Neurological Hospital at McGill University. His experience also includes working with children and families at the Department of Child Psychiatry at the Jewish General Hospital and at the Raymond-Dewar Institute, a rehabilitation centre specializing in communication and hearing difficulties. He has also facilitated support groups for parents of children experiencing attention difficulties, including ADHD, providing guidance and support to families.
Much of Dr. Lafleur’s work has focused on understanding how children and adolescents learn, think, feel, and behave. He has extensive experience assessing a range of developmental, learning, attention, and emotional challenges, including ADHD, learning disabilities such as dyslexia, language difficulties, intellectual disabilities, and giftedness. His approach considers not only how a person thinks and learns, but also how emotional well-being, self-confidence, relationships, and independence can influence everyday life. He believes that understanding a child's strengths and challenges is an important step toward helping them thrive at home, at school, and in their relationships.
Since moving to Vancouver, Dr. Lafleur has continued to work with children and adolescents in school settings, including in bilingual and multicultural contexts. He has also worked with older adults through Vancouver Coastal Health's geriatric services, supporting individuals experiencing memory difficulties, changes in thinking abilities, and cognitive decline associated with conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. His experience working with Indigenous children, families, and communities has also shaped his professional perspective, from Waskaganish in Quebec to Vancouver and Haida Gwaii, home to the Haida Nation. These experiences have reinforced the importance of listening, respecting each person's circumstances, and recognizing the cultural and community contexts that shape people's lives.
Dr. Lafleur's diverse experience allows him to look beyond a diagnosis or a specific difficulty to understand the person as a whole. Each assessment is an opportunity to identify individual strengths, better understand challenges, and provide practical recommendations that can make everyday life easier for individuals and their families.
His interest in neuropsychology comes from a desire to better understand how people develop, learn, and navigate life's challenges. He believes that everyone, regardless of age or ability, deserves to be treated with dignity, compassion, and respect. By helping people better understand themselves and their needs, he hopes to support their well-being, independence, and personal growth.