Kiran Punia (she/her)

M.Sc, Doctoral Associate

Kiran Punia is a Ph.D. candidate in the Clinical Psychology Program at McMaster University. She previously completed her M.Sc., in Neuroscience and B.Sc., in Psychology, Neuroscience, & Behaviour at McMaster University.

Kiran has provided clinical services in hospital-based clinics at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton (SJHH) including the Anxiety Treatment and Research Clinic, Concurrent Disorders Outpatient Clinic, Community Psychiatry Clinic, and Women’s Health Concerns Clinic. 

Kiran has worked with individuals with a range of anxiety disorders including generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, OCD, specific phobias, and panic disorder primarily using CBT and exposure and response prevention (ERP). Kiran has also worked with individuals experiencing anxiety, perinatal anxiety, PTSD and trauma, borderline personality disorder, and individuals with concurrent disorders.

In terms of her work with individuals with OCD, she has seen people with obsessions concerning morality related doubts, intrusive thoughts relating to sexuality, harm-related obsessions, and fears of contamination alongside compulsions focusing on reassurance seeking, checking behaviours, and excessive handwashing. Her approach incorporates CBT with an emphasis on ERP work. 

Kiran also has a great deal of experience with comprehensive integrative assessments utilizing diverse psychodiagnostic, IQ, and ADHD specific assessments and has  previously worked with individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using applied behavioural analysis (ABA). Kiran has additional experience conducting psychodiagnostic assessments with individuals with eating disorders and gambling disorders. In addition, she is also a study clinician on a CIHR-funded project where she conducts Motivational Interviewing sessions with individuals with cannabis use disorder at the Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research at SJHH. 

Kiran previously worked in the Trauma Recovery and Research Unit at McMaster where she was a clinical assessor completing psychodiagnostics assessments with individuals who were first responders as part of 3 clinical trials. 

At FTPS, Kiran offers treatment and assessment services to individuals with OCD, anxiety, mood, trauma, emotion regulation concerns, ADHD and ASD inquiries. Kiran utilizes a collaborative, validating, warm, and tailored treatment approach. She draws from CBT interventions, which includes DBT skills ACT skills and Motivational Interviewing techniques.

Outside of clinical practice, Kiran conducts research on how co-morbid mental health symptoms impact treatment outcomes for individuals who are in inpatient and outpatient treatment for substance use disorders. Kiran has published her research in a variety of academic journals and has presented her research in hospital rounds, and national and international academic conferences.

In her leisure time, Kiran enjoys pilates, trying new restaurants, and exploring new places/travelling.

Kiran Punia’s practice includes the following services:

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Select Scientific Publications

  1. Punia, K., DeVillaer, M., MacKillop, J., & Balodis, I.M. (2020). Understanding the overlap between cannabis use and gambling behaviour: A systematic review of empirical findings and consideration of policy implications. Current Addiction Reports, 8, 35-56. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40429-020-00323-x 
  2. Punia, K., Scott, W., Manuja, K., Sabbineni, M., Campbell, K., Balodis, I.M., & MacKillop, J. (2023). SAEM GRACE: Anti-craving Medications for Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment in the Emergency Department: A Systematic Review of Direct Evidence. Academic Emergency Medicine. 31(5), 504-514.https://doi.org/10.1111/acem.14806  
  3. Turner, O., Punia, K., Pizzagalli, D., MacKillop, J., & Balodis, I.M. (2023). Reward learning capacity in a community sample of individuals who use cannabis. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 32(3), 285–294. https://doi.org/10.1037/pha0000701

Select Academic Presentations

  1. Punia, K., Taisir, R., Bird, B., Rush, B., Remers, S., Chorny, Y., Costello, J., & MacKillop, J. (2025, June). A Longitudinal Examination of Associations Between Co-Morbid Mental Health Symptoms and Craving in Women Undergoing Residential Addictions Treatment. Poster presented at the 86th Canadian Psychological Association Annual General Meeting and National Convention. 
  2. Punia K., Levitt, E., Taisir, R., Bird, B., Rush, B., Remers, S., Chorny, Y., Costello, J., & MacKillop, J. (2024, May). Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) in Individuals in Inpatient Addictions Treatment. Poster presented at the 14th Annual Canadian Association of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies Conference, Toronto, ON, Canada. 
  3. Punia, K., MacKillop, J., McIntyre-Wood, C., Hargreaves, T., Amlung, M., & Balodis, I.M. (2023, April). A Pilot Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Cannabis Valuation for Recreational Use: Relationships with THC Metabolites. Poster presented at the Society of Biological Psychiatry Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, USA.