Loreana La Civita

I have over 3 years of experience working with adolescents and adults experiencing a variety of concerns such as grief and loss, trauma, interpersonal trauma (e.g., emotional, physical, or sexual abuse), eating disorders, addictions, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, and body image concerns. I have a special interest in supporting individuals with neurodiversity (e.g., ADHD, Autism Spectrum, OCD) and co-occurring disordered eating, body image issues, and emotional dysregulation. I emphasize the importance of understanding how your cultural background, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity/expression have influenced your unique life experiences. My approach to therapy is trauma-informed and neurodiversity-affirming; I seek to understand how your life experiences and unique neurotype interact to shape who you are today and your present-day struggles. I strive to be flexible, creative, and collaborative in my approach to therapy; I endorse an integrative style and incorporate several therapeutic modalities based on your specific and individualized needs. I draw from frameworks such as mindfulness-based, motivational interviewing, acceptance and commitment therapy, cognitive behavioural, dialectical behavioural, attachment-based, emotion-focused, and psychodynamic. I aspire to continuously educate myself on a variety of therapeutic modalities and I am always keen to learn and adapt new approaches to best support my clients. In the first session, I will invite you to share your story with me. You can expect me to get curious and ask questions to gain a comprehensive understanding of who you are, how you got here, and where you would like to go. I will create a safe, non-judgmental space where we can connect and build a strong therapeutic alliance based on respect and trust. I may conduct an assessment to identify your challenges, concerns, and treatment goals; with this information, we can develop an individualized treatment plan to begin moving in the direction of your goals. Once we’ve established a safe environment and strong alliance, we can work together to uncover the challenging patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that are causing you to feel distressed, lost, or “stuck”. I will work collaboratively with you at your own pace as you process difficult past experiences and create new pathways toward fulfilling meaningful personal goals. I hold a Master of Psychology from Adler Graduate Professional School, where I completed a major research project on approaches to psychotherapy for bariatric surgery patients with disordered eating histories. Previously, I obtained a B.A. in developmental psychology from the University of Windsor, where I also researched body-image dissatisfaction among female undergraduate students. I have previous experience working as a psychometrist with trauma victims of motor vehicle accidents at the Centre for Neurodiagnostic Services. Additionally, I have experience working as a research assistant for several projects investigating body image, eating disorders, and the psychological benefits of practicing yoga. Below is a selected publication: Jarry, J. L., Chang, F. M., & La Civita, L. (2017). Ashtanga yoga for psychological well-being: initial effectiveness study. Mindfulness, 8(5), 1269-1279. I also maintain memberships with the Ontario Psychological Association and the Academy for Eating Disorders.