Dr. Mirella Pugliese is a clinical child psychologist who works with infants, preschoolers, children, adolescents and parents. She completed her Ph.D. in School and Clinical Child Psychology from the University of Toronto. Dr. Mirella has completed extensive training in multiple settings, including community mental health centres, such as the Hincks-Dellcrest Centre (currently, the Sick Kids Centre for Community Mental Health), the Credit Valley Hospital, and Surrey Place Centre in Toronto. Since 2015, she has worked in private practice.  

Dr. Mirella provides dyadic parent-infant/child psychotherapy, play therapy with children, talk-therapy with older children and teens, and parent counselling. She has specialized training and a keen interest in working with young children and their parents using attachment-focused therapy approaches to help enhance parental functioning, foster emotional growth and affect regulation in children, as well as to help nurture, restore, or maintain secure attachments. She has experience helping children, teens, and families with attachment concerns, anxiety, depression, adoption-related adjustment, anger, neurodiversity, autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, trauma/abuse, behavioural or emotional regulation needs, learning concerns, relational difficulties, sexuality, gender or identity concerns, and adverse childhood experiences (e.g., parental divorce, major illness, loss, or death of a family member).  

While rooted in psychodynamic principals, Dr. Mirella’s approach to therapy is integrative and individualized to meet the needs of the child or teen. Her approach draws from several therapeutic modalities including attachment-focused therapies, relational psychodynamic therapy, play-based therapy, family systems, and cognitive-behavioural therapy. Behavioural concerns or challenges are often symptomatic of something else. Dr. Mirella’s integrative approach goes beyond symptom relief to help identify what is beneath the concern by emphasizing a deeper understanding of affect and meaning. This contributes to an increased awareness of internal experiences and a decrease or resolve of both the behavioural symptoms and underlying issue. Fundamental to this process is Dr. Mirella’s emphasis on providing a safe therapeutic environment of acceptance and empathic understanding which fosters a trusting relationship and ensures that every child, teen, and parent feels heard and understood.  

In addition, Dr. Mirella conducts comprehensive assessments, including psychoeducational assessments and social-emotional or psychological assessments with preschoolers, children, and adolescents. Her approach to academic assessments is to understand a child’s learning profile, including strengths and weakness and to determine how best to support learning needs and goals. For psychological assessments, Dr. Mirella assesses strengths and challenges in mental health, development, personality, behaviour, psychosocial skills, and emotional health to help make diagnostic and treatment decisions.  

Along life’s journey there are several possible pathways to discover and explore. Many of us can benefit from a reassuring and supportive hand to help guide us to our next step. Dr. Mirella welcomes the opportunity to walk alongside you as you take your next leap.