My Path to Practice
BACKGROUND
My Experience
I worked for a decade as a clinical psychologist at Alberta Health Services in the areas of neurology and psychosocial oncology. Most of this clinical work took place in a specialized medical setting where I provided psychotherapy, assessment, and consultation services to individuals who were struggling to adjust to chronic neurological disorders, as well as comorbid anxiety and mood disorders.
Another major aspect of this work involved the assessment and treatment of functional neurological symptom disorder (previously known as conversion disorder), particularly psychogenic non-epileptic seizures. While working at Alberta Health Services, I was involved in the training and supervision of graduate psychology students through the Calgary Clinical Psychology Residency Program and University of Calgary Psychology Department.
Since 2013, I have maintained a private practice in Calgary, where I have enjoyed working with clients from the community with a wide variety of challenges and strengths. I have a keen appreciation of the impact of culture and displacement on psychological wellbeing and have extensive training and experience in working with first and second-generation immigrants, racialized minorities, and refugees.​
In addition to my clinical work, I have served as a volunteer with the College of Alberta Psychologists since 2023. I am an active member of the Psychologists Association of Alberta, International Experiential Dynamic Therapy Association, and Functional Neurological Disorder Society (Founding Member).
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I am able to work in person with clients located in Calgary and offer virtual psychotherapy to clients across Alberta and British Columbia. I welcome referrals from physicians and other healthcare professionals, as well as insurance companies.
Meet Dr. Sharma
I am a registered doctoral-level psychologist in Alberta (CAP #4149) and British Columbia (CHCPBC #04061). I completed my M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at York University in Toronto, Ontario under the supervision of Dr. Leslie Greenberg, who is one of the originators of emotion-focused therapy (EFT). During those years, I received clinical training at a variety of sites, including hospitals, trauma-focused outpatient mental health clinics, rehabilitation centres, and university counselling centres.
I completed a pre-doctoral residency in 2012 with major rotations in clinical health psychology and rehabilitation psychology. Following completion of my Ph.D., I pursued a three-year post-graduate certificate in attachment-based intensive short-term psychodynamic therapy (ISTDP). More recently, I completed a year-long advanced training module focused on treatment of dissociative processes. I continue to seek out learning opportunities through readings, supervision/ consultation, workshops, and conferences with a commitment to continually improving my clinical skills and knowledge in order to provide optimal care.
INTRODUCTION
My Approach
I have received training in a number of powerful, evidence-based therapeutic approaches, including intensive short-term psychodynamic therapy (ISTDP), emotion-focused therapy (EFT), internal family systems (IFS), cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), motivational interviewing, and narrative therapy. Since 2011, I have pursued advanced training and supervision in accelerated models of individual psychotherapy designed to help people with complex mental health difficulties, including those with medically unexplained physical symptoms and stress-related medical disorders. This training has been invaluable in working effectively and compassionately with individuals to relinquish self-defeating patterns of behaviour that negatively impact quality of life, relationships, and physical health.
My therapeutic approach is integrative, intersectional, and tailored to the needs and goals of the person in the chair across from me. I work actively and collaboratively to help people to move towards their goals as quickly as possible. I recognize the impact of early life experiences and relationships on the development of psychological difficulties and my work is informed by attachment theory and research. It is important to recognize the historical roots of current problems and empower people to take steps towards changing entrenched patterns of behaviour that keep them feeling stuck and alienated from themselves and others. I believe that therapy is most impactful when it involves emotional change and actively encourage people to recognize, accept, regulate, and ultimately transform distressing emotions that may have been previously avoided or blocked from awareness.
