Paolina Onorato is a doctoral student entering the fifth year of her Ph.D. in Clinical-Developmental Psychology at York University, where she also completed her M.A. Throughout her training, she has provided services across various settings, including placements at the Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board, The Red Oak Centre, The York University Psychology Clinic, and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). Paolina has experience working with children, adolescents, and families presenting with a wide range of challenges, including anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), low mood, tic disorders, learning difficulties, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). She is currently completing her residency at Family Psychology Centre and the Toronto Catholic District School Board, where she provides both psychological assessments and therapy services.

Paolina’s approach to therapy is evidence-based and client-centred. She tailors services to each individual and draws from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) skills, and Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT). Paolina is committed to providing a warm, collaborative, and non-judgemental space where youth and their families feel heard and supported, in order to build awareness and help them thrive. 

In addition to her clinical work, Paolina’s doctoral research explores how psychosocial differences, such as levels of social anxiety and loneliness, impact emerging adults’ daily regulation of their emotions.