TARA GRALNICK, PH.D, DOCTORAL ASSOCIATE

(She/Her)

Tara Gralnick has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Toronto Scarborough. She completed her pre-doctoral residency at the Calgary Clinical Psychology Residency Program, with rotations in a hospital-based mood disorders program, early/adult psychosis program, and community mental health clinic.

Tara views the therapeutic relationship as integral to successful psychotherapy, adopting a genuine, empathetic, and non-judgmental style with her clients. She strives to deeply attune to her clients’ experiences, providing a sense of safety that facilitates emotional exploration. She has an integrative therapeutic approach, flexibly drawing from Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), and compassion-focused techniques to help her clients progress towards their treatment goals. Tara finds great meaning in the work that she does.

Tara works with clients experiencing a range of difficulties, including anxiety (e.g., social anxiety, generalized anxiety, panic), depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), psychosis, complex trauma, low self-worth, relationship difficulties, perfectionism, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), overwhelming emotions, life stressors, and self-stigma. She has developed a particular interest in working with clients who endured interpersonal traumas and who experience difficulties rooted in shame and self-criticism. She strives to promote cultural safety and apply an intersectional lens when working with clients with diverse racial, ethnic, religious, gender, and sexual identities.  

Tara has trained in a variety of settings, having completed placements at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)’s Complex Care and Recovery Program, CAMH’s Work, Stress, and Health Program, West End Psychological Services, and DBT Hamilton. In line with her client-centered approach to therapy, which emphasizes clients’ needs and personal goals, her research focuses on developing an intervention that aims to help individuals better understand their universal personality traits and to cultivate desired personality changes if they wish to.

Tara is a member of the Canadian Psychological Association and the Society for Psychotherapy Research.

Please note that our associates work with many presenting issues, some of which are not listed in this biography. Please speak to our intake team at 647-496-0457 for more information.