EDUCATION
- Certified in Clinical Supervision 2025
- Ontario, Canada
- Ph.D. in Psychology, Neuropsychopathology 2021
Thesis: Psychopathology of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Bipolar Disorder (BD) based on the Spatio-temporal Psychopathology Theory: Dynamics of Mind-Wandering and Brain’s Resting-State Activity | DC-EEG
- Allameh Tabatabai’ University, Tehran, Iran
- Conducted at Mind, Brain Imaging & Neuroethic Lab, University of Ottawa, Canada
- Certified in Clinical Hypnotherapy 2021
- University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- M.Sc. in Psychology of Family Therapy 2010
Degree assessed by ICAS, as equivalent to Canadian two-year graduate degree in Clinical Psychology
- University of Science and Culture, Tehran, Iran
- B.Sc. in Clinical Psychology 2005
Degree assessed by ICAS, as equivalent to Canadian four-year undergraduate degree in Clinical Psychology
- University of Science and Culture, Tehran, Iran
Membership in Colleges and Associations
- Registered Psychotherapist with The College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) 2018
- Member in good standing
- Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA)
- Member in good standing
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Registered Psychotherapist 2018 to Present
Private practice, Ontario, Canada
- Providing individual psychotherapy using Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Third-wave of CBT, and Clinical Hypnotherapy for adults through in-person and virtual psychotherapy sessions
Registered Psychotherapist | Independent Contractor 2019 to Present
CBT Associates/MindBeacon, Toronto, Canada
Feel Your Way Therapy, Toronto, Canada
- Providing psychotherapy based on Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness-based Therapy psychotherapeutic methods for adults who are suffering from Anxiety disorders, Depressive disorders, Trauma-related disorders (PTSD), Obsessive-Compulsive disorders, Tic disorders, Sleep disturbance, Eating disorders, conflicts in romantic relationships, work-related issues, etc.
Registered Psychotherapist | Independent Contractor 2019 to 2020
Promed and Life Clinic, Toronto, Canada
Ran psychological assessments, Wrote psychological reports, and Provided psychotherapy based on Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for adults who suffered from motor vehicle accidents (MVA) and Trauma-related disorders (PTSD)
School-based Family Intervention Counsellor Jan-Jun 2019
Eva’s Initiative, Toronto, Canada
- Provided preventative counselling services to youth at risk of homelessness through relationships at local high schools
Mental Health Counsellor Jan-Jun 2018
Catholic Centre for Immigrants, Ottawa, Canada
- Provided assessment and clinical counselling, crisis intervention, and information and referral services
- Assisted clients in identifying/clarifying issues, problem-solving, goal-setting, and developing positive coping strategies to deal with various psychosocial issues
- Made improvement in clients’ mental health status after 8 to 12 sessions
- Worked with adults with PTSD, MDD, complicated grief, etc.
- Worked collaboratively with other social service and health providers
- Coordinated service and providing support to colleagues to provide quality services
- Evaluated client progress at the beginning, middle, and end of the program.
- Prepared and provided clinical reports, activity reports, and statistical information as required using OCASI
- Provided and recorded the clients’ records, session notes, and reports using the client management system
Research Coordinator, Researcher (Sabbatical Leave) 2016-2018
The Royal Mental Health Centre, Ottawa, Ontario
- Ran psychological experiments, questionnaires, and EEG
- Reviewed literature
- Analyzed quantitative psychological data statistically using SPSS
- Analyzed time series data using MATLAB, EEGLAB
- Recruited participants (e.g. Healthy, Depressed, Bipolar) through the Meditech database
- Trained and managed the volunteers
- Arranged meetings and brain imaging sessions appointments
Clinical Psychologist 2015-2017
Erfan Psychological and counselling Services Centre, Tehran, Iran
- Provided Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for adults with successful results in therapy
- Prepared and delivered workshops on mental health issues
Board Member (Volunteer) 2015-2017
Anxiety Disorder Association of Ontario, Ottawa, Ontario
- Helped in developing a preventive program for youth’s anxiety
Associate Editor 2015-2017
Quarterly Journal of Communication Research, Research and Polling Centre of IRIB, Tehran, Iran
Clinical Psychologist 2012-2015
Omid-e-Mehr Foundation (non-profit), Tehran
- Provided psychotherapy and trauma-focused therapy for Iranian and Afghan youth and young girls and women (traumatized population from poverty, domestic or sexual violence) to empower them
- Tested and analyzed the results of personality and trauma (MILON, MMPI, UCLA Trauma test) and intelligence (WAIS-R) tests
- Delivered workshops on psychological issues for the staff and clients
Clinical Psychologist 2011-2014
Counselling Center of University of Tehran, Tehran
- Provided psychotherapy and counselling for students who lived in the dormitory
- Coached workshops for the students in mental health, relationship issues, and suicide prevention strategies
- Chosen as the best psychotherapist in ten psychotherapists in the centre based on the client’s evaluation and statistics of the centre in 2014
Clinical Psychologist 2012
Counselling Centre of University of Water and Electricity Industry, Tehran
- Conducted psychotherapeutic and counselling sessions for students and staff
- Advised on the recruitment of psychologists
Clinical Psychologist- Manager Assistant 2009-2010
Health Community of Zones 2 and 4 of Tehran Municipality, Tehran, Iran
- Provided individual and couple therapy and counselling
- Delivered workshops for parents, children, and couples such as The Cool Kids program for children’s anxiety and their families, child-rearing, parenting specifically for ADHD, ODD and CD children (Triple-P package), sexual dysfunctions, and life skills
- Reported activities of the community to the manager
Project Manager (Volunteer) Jun-Nov 2010
University of Science and Culture, Tehran, Iran
- Planned and ran psychological workshops (Addressed the target population’s educational needs, designed workshops, communicated with professors and couches, coordinated team members, advertised and terminated the workshops)
Clinical Psychologist 2009-2011
Tolou-e-Mehr Elementary School, Tehran, Iran
- Conducted psychological assessments of mental health disorders in children
- Performed the Stanford-Binet intelligence test
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
- Research Mentorship (remote) 2020 to 2021
Dr. George Northoff’s Lab, University of Ottawa, Canada
- Lecturer 2016-2017
Allameh Tabatabaei University (ATU), Tehran, Iran
Taught “Experimental Psychology” and “Psychology of Aging” to Undergraduate Student
- Lecturer 2015-2016
Azad University, e-Campus, Tehran, Iran
Taught “Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology” course to Graduate students
Taught “Physiology of Brain and Nervous System” course to Graduate students
- Tutor 2014
Private
Taught Clinical Psychology, Psychopathology, and Personality Theories
- Coach and Facilitator 2013-2016
Counselling Center of University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Trained workshop on “Family Therapy for Children’s Anxiety” (Cool Kids package)
- Lecturer 2011-2012
Faculty of Rehabilitation, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Taught “General Psychology” course
CERTIFICATES
- Building Personal Resilience: Managing Anxiety and Mental Health 2024
Online Course, Harvard University, USA
- Existential Well-being Counseling: A Person-centered Experiential Approach 2024
Online Course, KU Leuven, Belgium
- Foundations of Clinical Supervision 2023
Online Course endorsed by the CPCA, Toronto, Canada
- Clinical Hypnotherapy 2021
University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- De-escalation Skills for Conflict Intervention 2019
St. Stephen’s Community House, Toronto, Canada
- Anti-Black Racism 2019
Eva’s Initiatives, Toronto, Canada
- Anti-Oppression Psychotherapy 2019
Eva’s Initiatives, Toronto, Canada
- Prolonged Exposure (PE) for PTSD 2018
The Royal Mental Health Centre, Ottawa, Canada
- Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) 2017
The Royal Mental Health Centre, Ottawa, Canada
- EEG Signal Processing and its Application to Computational Neuroscience 2017
National Brain Mapping Lab, Tehran, Iran
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis (CBT-P) 2016
The Royal Mental Health Centre, Ottawa, Canada
- Mental Health First Aid (MAFA) 2016
The Royal Mental Health Centre, Ottawa, Canada
- Tri-Council Policy Statement (TCPS 2) 2015
The Online course, The Royal Mental Health Centre, Ottawa, Canada
- Bridging Program for International Health Care Professional 2015
World Skills Centre, Ottawa, Canada
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Self-esteem 2014
Counselling Center of University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
- Object Relations 2013
Counselling Center of University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
- Neurofeedback 2012
Atiyeh Psychiatric Clinic, Tehran, Iran
- Theories of Couple Therapy according to Cultural Issues 2012
Iranian Psychological Association, Tehran, Iran
- Motivational Interviews with Drug Addicts 2009
Novin Rehabilitation and Therapy Center, Tehran, Iran
- Educating Autistic Children | Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) 2009
Family Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
- Behavioural Management: For Parents with Teenage Children 2010
Iranian Psychological Association, Tehran, Iran
- Teaching Life Skills to Children 2010
Iranian Psychological Association, Tehran, Iran
- Conflict Patterns in Young Couples 2010
4th National Congress on Family Pathology-Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
- Solution-focused Family Therapy 2008
3rd National Congress on Family Pathology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
- Marriage Issues and Drug Abuse 2010
Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies, Tehran, Iran
- Couples Therapy with Systemic Approach 2008
Family Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
PUBLICATIONS
- Rostami, S., Borjali, A., Eskandari, H., Rostami, R., Scalabrini, A., & Northoff, G. (2022). Slow and Powerless Thought Dynamic Relates to Brooding in Unipolar and Bipolar Depression. Psychopathology, 55(5), 258–272. https://doi.org/10.1159/000523944
- Rostami, S., Borjali, A., Eskandari, H., Rostami, R., & Northoff, G. (2021). Novel Approach to Mind Wandering in Major Depressive Disorder and Bipolar Disorder Patients: Does the Direction of Thoughts Matter?. International Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 15(1), 66-72. doi: 10.30491/ijbs.2021.250747.138
- Rostami, S. & Fathi-Ashtiani, A. (2015). The Effect of Cognitive-Behavioral Family Therapy on Children’s Non-clinical Anxiety. International Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 9(3), 187-191.
- Samira Rostami and Lida Tebyaninian. Marital Communication Patterns and Defense Styles, International Family Therapy Congress in Canada, 2012.
- Samira Rostami. Family and Schizophrenia: Parenting Styles and MMPI Factors, the International Family Therapy Congress in Canada, 2012.
- Maryam Cheshmeh Alai, Shirin Zeinali and Samira Rostami. The effectiveness of Parent Management Training on Mothers’ Aggression and Marital Satisfaction, The Psychology of Children and Adolescences International Congress in Shiraz, Iran, 2012.
- Maryam Cheshmeh Alai, Samira Rostami, and Shirin Zeinali. The Effectiveness of Parent Management Training on Parenting Stress and Child Stress, the International Psychology of Children and Adolescences Congress in Shiraz, Iran, 2012.
- Samira Rostami. The Relationship between Working Memory and Visual-Spatial Processing with Fluid Intelligence in 6-11-Year-Old Boys, the International Psychiatry of Children and Adolescences Congress in Tehran, Iran, 2013.
- Samira Rostami. Comparison of Subscales of Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test in 6-8-Year-Old and 9-11-Year-Old Children, the International Psychiatry of Children and Adolescences Congress in Tehran, Iran, 2013.
- Ali Soleimani, Mehrzad Farahati, and Samira Rostami. The Investigation of Creativity and Social Maturity in Children who Sleep with a Doll, The International Psychiatry of Children and Adolescences Congress in Tehran, Iran, 2013.
SPECIAL PROJECTS
Translated “Introduction to Psychology of Aging” book 2017
- Author: Ian Stuart
- Nashr-e-Daneshgahi, Allameh Tabatabaei’ University Publication, Tehran, Iran
Translated “Helping Your Anxious Child” book 2011
- Cognitive-behavioural Family Therapy for Anxious Children
- Authors: Prof. Ronald Rapee and colleagues
- Arjmand Publication, Tehran, Iran
Translated “Helping Your Anxious Child Workbook” 2011
- Authors: Prof. Ronald Rapee and colleagues
- Arjmand Publication, Tehran, Iran
Registered Psychotherapist | Samira Rostami Psychotherapy Clinic 