1. How are you applying your degree in Psychology from Concordia?
I am the Director of the Cognition & Anxiety Disorders Research (CADRe) Laboratory, where we focus on understanding how people’s ways of thinking influence the development, maintenance and treatment of anxiety disorders. We have ongoing projects related to automatic associations, working memory during exposure to anxiety-related situations, emotion regulation, judgments of others and attention bias. As a faculty member, I teach graduate and undergraduate courses, supervise students and contribute to the community by disseminating research, advocating for access to evidence-based mental health care, and offering workshops in Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT). My private practice also offers comprehensive assessments and psychotherapy to adults and adolescents.
2. What do you value most from your experience in the Psychology program?
The training that enabled me to contribute in all these multiple roles! Teaching, conducting research, training future psychologists, and helping community members recover from their struggles with anxiety may seem like four separate careers; however, the scientist-practitioner training in the Psychology program at Concordia taught me the way in which each of these roles is connected. As such, I operate from an evidence-based framework across these domains, while maintaining a lot of diversity in my day-to-day experiences.
3. Is there a particular memory that stands out from your time at Concordia?
My best memories stem from the people I worked with in the Anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders Laboratory. We collaborated on research ideas, supported each other in our courses and developed enduring friendships that are still going strong.
4. What advice would you give to someone considering graduate studies in a Psychology program?
Follow your research interests; that is the component that will stick with you throughout your training, so make sure that you love it!