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Dr. Stephenie Davies, C.Psych.

As a Clinical and Health Psychologist, Dr. Davies believes in promoting wellness and resilience, both mentally and physically. She works with adults and adolescents. Her primary approach to therapy is Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), a type of treatment that has been extensively supported by research showing it to be highly effective for treating a wide variety of mental health concerns. This approach is complemented with other evidence-based tools and techniques such as mindfulness, self-compassion, acceptance and resilience building to better tailor her approach to an individual’s needs. 


Dr. Davies collaborates with clients to develop an understanding of their strengths, goals, wants and needs and also to determine what gets in the way of the things that are most important and meaningful to them. Dr. Davies works collaboratively with clients to empower them to break out of old patterns of thinking and behaving that may have been adaptive at one point, but are no longer serving them today, in favour of establishing more helpful ways of relating to the world, in accordance with their goals and values. Sometimes the change may involve the way they think about or accept what is going on around them over which they may not have influence. Whether a client is seeking to heal from trauma, improve their depressed or anxious mood, give up an addiction or compulsion, recover from burnout, or make a career change (all of which have amplified in COVID times), Dr. Davies proceeds at the client’s pace to help bring them to where they want to be in their life, while keeping the treatment plan open to address any challenges that may surface along the way. ​

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After becoming interested in psychology during her undergraduate studies at McGill University, Dr. Davies went on to earn an M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Georgia. As part of her training, she completed her internship at the Medical University of South Carolina, which included working with people who have been exposed to a variety of traumas through the US National Crime Victim Centre. She has been a registered psychologist in Ontario for over 20 years and has provided therapy to adults and adolescents in a variety of clinical settings. The high need for mental health services as a result of COVID prompted her to leave the Federal Government in 2022 to return to private practice, where she began her career. 



Therapeutic Approaches

Psychologist Expertise

Areas of specific interest to Dr. Davies include:

Addictions

02 Aug, 2022
An addiction refers to having a dependency on a substance or a process. An example of a substance dependency is alcoholism. Examples of process addictions include having a gambling or an Internet addiction. Addictions involve compulsive, self-defeating behaviour that continues in spite of negative consequences. Stopping the behaviour results in extreme physical and mental discomfort, which tends to contribute to people returning to their addiction. Many psychologists are experts in helping people recover from their addictions and live successful and more comfortable lives.
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Anxiety

29 Jul, 2022
Anxiety has been frequently described as feelings of fright, flight or freeze. This means that people experiencing anxiety have both the mental and the physical, visceral feelings of wanting to escape the situation, fight what is challenging or simply cannot move in any direction to deal with what is troubling them.
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Burnout

19 Jul, 2022
Burnout is a condition in which the individual feels completely overwhelmed from an increasing inability to cope with a build-up of stressors considered within the normal range of human experiences. Many of the symptoms are common to depression, including diminished interest and enjoyment of work and personal life.
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Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

13 Jul, 2022
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a form of talk therapy that focuses on reframing harmful or painful thoughts and behaviours. This form of therapy is often used to treat anxiety and depression but can be helpful with many different mental and physical challenges.
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Depression

03 Jul, 2022
Depression is a state of low mood in which people feel helpless, hopeless, worthless, lethargic and unable to enjoy the things that used to give them pleasure. People who are depressed are often irritable or pessimistic. Their low mood goes beyond having “the blues” or being sad. Even people who are grieving usually do not sink into depression. People diagnosed with a Major Depressive Disorder cannot just “pull up their socks” to get better. They require professional help. Psychologists use a variety of scientifically based psychotherapeutic approaches to help people recover from depression.

Dialectic Behavioural Therapy (DBT)

01 Jul, 2022
Dialectic Behavioural Therapy (DBT) is a form of talk therapy that is particularly helpful for individuals experiencing very intense emotions and can be used to treat mood disorders and interpersonal conflicts. It focuses on accepting feelings and thoughts. DBT addresses feelings directly through techniques focused on emotional regulation and distress tolerance.
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Health, Migraines & Chronic Illness

15 Jun, 2022
Chronic pain and mental health disorders often occur together. In fact, research suggests that chronic pain and mental health problems can contribute to and exacerbate each other.

Incest Survivor Issues

09 Jun, 2022
Incest describes sexual abuse that is committed against a child by a parent or close family member. Survivors of this form of abuse may have varying impacts into adulthood. These individuals are at an increased risk of experiencing poor self-esteem, shame, self-hatred, interpersonal difficulties, as well as a sense of helplessness and worthlessness.

Life Transitions

03 Jun, 2022
A life transition can be any change or adjustment that impacts your life in a significant way. We all experience transitions throughout our lives — big and small, planned and unplanned, easy and difficult.

Mindfulness

28 May, 2022
Mindfulness is the ability to be aware of present thoughts, emotions, physical sensations and the surrounding environment and label them from an objective viewpoint, without judgment.
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Contact

To reach Dr. Stephenie Davies directly, please phone 613-230-4709, ext. 192.

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