Jama Maxie (he/him)

BA

Jama is in his last semester as Master candidate in Clinical Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). He holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from York University.

Jama has experience providing clinical services in hospital settings and inpatient rehabilitation clinics. He has also worked with individuals with diverse identities and complex mental health needs at St. Michael’s Hospital through the Family Health Team, and as an addiction counsellor at Addiction Rehab Toronto. He will also soon be working at the Concurrent Disorders Program at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, where he will provide assessment and treatment services for individuals experiencing co-occurring addiction and mental health difficulties.

At Forward Thinking, Jama provides assessment and treatment services for individuals experiencing a range of mental health concerns, including rumination and intrusive thoughts, Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and trauma-related difficulties, depression, life transitions, emotion regulation challenges, relationship issues, self-esteem difficulties, and burnout. He is passionate about working with individuals from diverse backgrounds and life experiences.

In terms of his assessment experiences, Jama has developed a strong experience conducting psychodiagnostic assessments to young adults and adults with a wide range of clinical concerns, including PTSD, OCD, anxiety disorders (SAD, GAD, and phobias), mood disorders, personality disorders, and substance use concerns through his work at St. Michael Hospital.

Jama’s clinical approach is collaborative, compassionate, and client-centered. He values creating a supportive and non-judgmental therapeutic environment where clients feel respected, understood, and comfortable exploring difficult emotions and experiences in session. Jama recognizes that each individual brings unique experiences, identities, and strengths into therapy, and he strives to tailor therapy in ways that feel meaningful to each client.

Jama primarily works through the lens of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and integrates elements of other evidence-based treatment modalities, including Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and mindfulness and self-compassion-based approaches.

Outside of clinical practice, Jama’s research focuses on PTSD and trauma recovery. As a member of the IMPACT Lab at TMU under the mentorship of Dr. Candice Monson, his current research examines how artificial intelligence (AI) may support clinician training and enhance treatment fidelity in CPT for PTSD.

In his free time, Jama enjoys basketball, football Sundays, trying new cultural foods around the city, concerts and sporting events, stand-up comedy, and occasionally humbling himself on the golf course with friends.