Maria Farella

Maria Farella is a psychotherapist in training committed to providing a warm, supportive, and non-judgmental environment where clients can feel comfortable sharing their experiences. She recognizes that each person’s journey is shaped by a unique combination of life experiences, relationships, challenges, and personal strengths. Maria partners with clients to better understand these experiences, helping them cultivate insight, build resilience, and move toward meaningful and lasting change.

Maria brings more than a decade of experience in mental health research to her clinical work. She earned both her Master’s degree and PhD in Psychiatry from McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, where her doctoral research explored how people interpret their life experiences and how those interpretations influence identity, relationships, and psychological well-being.

Drawing from evidence-based therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Narrative Therapy, and Positive Psychology, Maria works collaboratively with clients to recognize their inner strengths, examine unhelpful patterns of thinking, and develop more balanced and compassionate perspectives. Her approach encourages clients to build new understandings of themselves that foster resilience, confidence, and lasting personal growth.

Maria has pursued advanced training in Child Trauma through a program accredited by the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, as well as professional development in Positive Psychology, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, emotion regulation, and emotional resilience through leading institutions, including Harvard Medical School, Yale School of Medicine, the Association for Psychological Therapies (APT), and the Institute of Child Psychology.

Maria believes therapy is a collaborative process of self-discovery rather than self-reinvention. She strives to help clients better understand themselves, make sense of their experiences, and move forward with greater clarity, self-compassion, and purpose. Her goal is to support each person in creating meaningful and sustainable change that reflects their values and aspirations.