Maya E. Amestoy (she/her)

MA, PhD Associate

Maya Amestoy is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Psychological Clinical Science at the University of Toronto. She also received her Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Toronto and previously completed her undergraduate degree at Toronto Metropolitan University, where she majored in Psychology and minored in Sociology.

Maya’s clinical practice is rooted in evidence-based, individualized care, with training and experience in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (I-CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). She has delivered these interventions in both individual and group settings and works collaboratively with clients to adapt treatment to their unique needs, goals, identities, and lived experiences.

Maya also has experience conducting comprehensive psychodiagnostic assessments for a range of mental health concerns, as well as assessments of neurodevelopmental conditions, including Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in adults. Her assessment approach aims to develop a nuanced understanding of each individual’s strengths, challenges, and experiences while considering the ways that neurodevelopmental and mental health presentations may overlap or interact.

Maya has worked with adults across a range of clinical settings in the Greater Toronto Area, including the University of Toronto Scarborough Health & Wellness Centre, the Integrated Day Treatment Program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), and the Sunnybrook Frederick W. Thompson Anxiety Disorders Centre.

Across these settings, Maya has gained experience working with individuals presenting with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and related concerns, including skin picking and hair pulling; mood and anxiety disorders; substance use concerns; trauma- and stressor-related difficulties; emotion dysregulation and borderline personality disorder (BPD); interpersonal and relationship difficulties; eating and body image concerns; and various forms of life stress, including burnout, academic and workplace stress, and major life transitions.

Maya has experience working with emerging adults and adults with neurodivergent presentations, including ADHD and autism. She works individually with neurodivergent clients on concerns such as executive functioning, emotion regulation, procrastination and task initiation, organization and time management, self-esteem, anxiety, burnout, interpersonal difficulties, and navigating work, school, and relationships. Her work incorporates evidence-based approaches, including CBT for adult ADHD, while adapting traditional therapeutic strategies to better reflect neurodivergent ways of thinking, communicating, and engaging with the world. 

In her work with individuals with OCD, Maya has treated a diverse range of obsessive-compulsive presentations, including concerns related to contamination, harm, responsibility, morality, sexuality, relationships, health, perfectionism and symmetry, and “just right” experiences. She has experience working with various compulsive behaviours, including checking, reassurance seeking, avoidance, rumination, and mental reviewing. Maya draws primarily on ERP and I-CBT in her work with OCD, tailoring treatment to the individual’s particular presentation and helping clients develop a different relationship with obsessive doubt, reduce reliance on compulsive strategies, and re-engage with meaningful areas of their lives.

Maya is dedicated to fostering a collaborative, supportive, and nonjudgmental therapeutic environment in which clients can better understand their experiences, work toward personally meaningful goals, and enhance their overall well-being. She aims to integrate her clinical knowledge with each client’s expertise in their own lived experience, with an emphasis on fostering autonomy, self-understanding, resilience, empowerment, and personal growth.

Alongside her clinical work, Maya is an active researcher whose work focuses on the stigmatization of mental health conditions, with a particular emphasis on BPD. Her research examines how stigma operates across community and mental healthcare settings, how stigma and discrimination affect individuals living with BPD, and how interventions may reduce internalized stigma and its consequences. Maya is committed to advancing a more nuanced and compassionate understanding of BPD and to conducting research that can contribute to reducing the stigma associated with the diagnosis across healthcare and broader societal contexts.