Maya E. Amestoy

MA, Doctoral 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 at the University of Toronto and previously obtained her undergraduate degree from Toronto Metropolitan University, wherein she majored in Psychology and minored in Sociology. 

Maya’s clinical practice is rooted in a combination of evidence-based interventions, with a primary focus on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). Maya has delivered these interventions in both individual and group settings.

She has worked with adults with various presentations across clinical sites in the GTA, including The University of Toronto Scarborough Health and Wellness Centre, the Integrated Day Treatment Program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and the Sunnybrook Frederick Thompson Anxiety Disorders Centre. At these sites, she has gained experience working with individuals with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and OCD related presentations (i.e., skin picking and hair pulling), mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders, trauma and borderline personality disorder (BPD), emotion dysregulation, relationship issues, and stressful life transitions.

In Maya’s experience working with individuals with OCD, she has addressed diverse manifestations including obsessions and compulsions related to contamination, harm, sexuality, relationships, perfectionism and symmetry, and “just right” feelings.

Maya is dedicated to fostering a collaborative, supportive, and nonjudgmental atmosphere to guide clients through their challenges, reach therapeutic objectives, and enhance their overall well-being. Maya aims to align her clinical acumen with her clients’ knowledge of their lived experiences and goals in order to promote resiliency, empowerment, and personal development.

Her research is focused on the stigmatization of mental health conditions, and particularly conducting research to better understand the existence of stigma in various settings (community and mental health care), as well as to explore pathways to reduce the experience of internalized stigma. She is committed to conducting research exploring the stigmatization of BPD and is deeply passionate about eradicating the stigma associated with BPD across diverse contexts.