Smitha Sumakumari (she/her)

M.Psy, Doctoral Candidate

Smitha is currently completing a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from Adler Graduate Professional School in Toronto, where she also completed a Master of Psychology in Clinical and Counselling Psychology from Adler Graduate Professional School.

Smitha is registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO) and is in the process of collecting hours to become a fully registered professional. She is currently working under the supervision of Dr. Taube-Schiff. 

She also holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Behaviour Science Technology from George Brown College and a Master’s in Psychology from Kerala University, India. Smitha has more than 15 years of extensive experience in the field of clinical psychology. Through those years of clinical work, she was able to gain expertise in providing evidence-based therapy for children, adolescents, and adults with various concerns such as depression, OCD, anxiety, phobia, panic disorder, trauma, grief/bereavement, work and school stress, workplace accident, and motor vehicle accident sequelae.

Smitha has provided evidence-based therapy for children, adolescents, and adults with OCD, related to the themes of contamination, perfection, symmetry, harm, just right feelings, religiosity as well as sexuality. She has also helped individuals with Tourette’s syndrome, Tic disorders, phobia, trichotillomania, hoarding and other anxiety-related disorders. Her clinical work has helped children, adolescents, and adults with life transitions as well as coping with the distress related to chronic physical conditions like cancer, diabetes, and epilepsy.

Smitha has extensive experience in providing Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) to individuals as well as using integrative approaches in her work. The evidence-based interventions she uses are derived from Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), such as Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) as well as Mindfulness-Based Therapy. She also uses a holistic and eclectic approach based on the person, their culture, relationships, purpose and the problems they are facing in their life.

She also offers Inference-Based Cognitive Therapy (I-CBT) as an alternative approach to Exposure with Response Prevention for clients who struggle with OCD. Smitha noticed that for many clients, it is essential for them to understand why they have specific anxiety, worries, or themes of OCD. She helps her clients develop more self-awareness, using effective person-centered strategies to overcome challenges and make meaningful, positive changes in their lives. Smitha has extensive knowledge regarding different themes of OCD and how experiencing these thoughts can lead to difficult emotions, such as shame, guilt, anxiety, sadness, helplessness and self-doubt.

Smitha also works with individuals with Body Focused Repetitive Behaviours (BFRBs), such as excoriation disorder (skin picking) and trichotillomania (hair pulling).

She has provided evidence-based therapy for children, adolescents, and adults with OCD, related to the themes of contamination, perfection, symmetry, harm, religiosity as well as sexuality. She has also helped individuals with Tourette’s syndrome, Tic disorders, phobia, trichotillomania, hoarding and other anxiety-related disorders. Her clinical work has helped children, adolescents, and adults with life transitions as well as coping with the distress related to chronic physical conditions like cancer, diabetes, and epilepsy.

Smitha uses an anti-oppressive, compassionate, trauma-informed, and culturally sensitive approach in her practice. She has extensive experience working with front-line workers from different walks of life who experienced complex trauma. She provides a trauma-informed, strength-based approach and is comfortable working with individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Smitha is an empathetic, passionate, and committed therapist and supports her clients to reach their goals, enhance their well-being, and help them enjoy their lives in a meaningful way. Smitha firmly believes and respects each person’s unique strengths, values, and resilience and works collaboratively with her clients as a team. Her goal is to maximize client independence and empowerment while providing a safe space to achieve their potential for physical, social and mental well-being.

Smitha is proficient in providing service in English, Hindi, Tamil, and Malayalam. She also worked in the Brain, Body and Perception Lab in CAMH and was doing evaluation for Body Dysmorphic Disorder.