PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES

Children, Youth, and Adults

Dr. Dessy Marinova

Clinical & School Psychologist

Toronto

PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES

Children, Youth, and Adults

Dr. Dessy Marinova

Clinical & School Psychologist

Toronto

About Me

My Background

I am a Clinical and School Psychologist practicing in Ontario, Canada. I enjoy working with children, adolescents, adults, and their families.

Over the past 25 years, I studied and trained in Europe and Canada. In 1996, I earned a Master’s Degree in Psychology from Sofia University. I also received clinical training in Germany and Switzerland in the mid-90s.

I completed a Doctor of Philosophy program in Developmental Psychology from the University of Waterloo in 2008. I trained and worked in various mental health and school settings, including the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Sick Kids Hospital, Toronto District School Board, and Cognitive and Interpersonal Therapy Centre in Toronto. I received more advanced training in the treatment of OCD through the BTTI Foundation.

I am a registered psychologist with the College of Psychologists of Ontario and a member of the Ontario Psychological Association and the International OCD Foundation.

I provide the following services:

(1) Individual Consultation and Treatment

I provide up-to-date, evidence-based treatment to individuals with anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD), and OCD-related disorders. My clients often face other types of common life challenges, including insomnia, difficulty managing stress, life transitions, and grief.

(2) Parent Consultations & Family Therapy

I utilize an integrative approach that is tailored to each individual and family’s needs.

(3) Assessments

I have extensive experience conducting psychological and psychoeducational assessments of children, adolescents, and youth who present with learning, attention, self-regulation, and mental health challenges.

(4) Workshops

I offer workshops for parents, educators and mental health professionals.

Here are some examples:

· Establishing emotional literacy and wellness in the classrooms.

· Supporting students with anxiety and depressive disorders in the classroom.

· Promoting educators’ mental health and wellness

· Helping parents support their children in building emotion-regulation skills and coping successfully with developmental transitions and school challenges.

My Approach

In my work with clients, I design integrative and individualized evidence-based treatment plans using techniques from acceptance and commitment therapy, cognitive-behavioral, motivational interviewing, emotion-focused, relational, and psychodynamic approaches. I use exposure and response prevention therapy to treat obsessive-compulsive disorders. I endeavor to keep up to date with cutting-edge research and practice by continuously attending professional workshops, seminars, and peer consultation groups.

I am passionate about working with children, adolescents, adults, and their families and strive to create a warm and supportive environment that would help them develop psychological flexibility and optimize their mental health functioning.

I am an optimistic, warm, and creative problem-solver by nature, which my clients find helpful when dealing with stressors that are outside their control. I view therapy as a personal growth process that enables individuals to understand how their life circumstances and personal strengths and weaknesses may have hindered or reinforced the shaping of their sense of self. I work collaboratively with my clients to create an individualized treatment plan that aligns with their goals and values. A good treatment plan enables individuals to learn and integrate naturally meaningful daily practices that would help them live their lives in line with their values while learning to deal successfully with various life challenges.