Welcome! I’m Dr. Shira Segal, a child clinical psychologist committed to supporting children, adolescents, and families work through emotional challenges, behavioural concerns, and important life transitions. I take a client- and family-centered approach to care, providing highly individualized, evidence-based care to best support each child’s unique needs. My goal is always to offer support that’s both grounded in research and also feels meaningful and personalized for each family I work with.

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I received my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Toronto Metropolitan University and completed my predoctoral residency and postdoctoral fellowship at the British Columbia Children's Hospital in Vancouver, where my fellowship focused on the assessment and treatment of mood and anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. I currently work as a staff psychologist at SickKids Hospital in the Health Psychology Service, where my work centers on supporting children navigating co-occurring mental health concerns and medical conditions.

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I have experience working across hospital, community mental health, and private practice settings, where I’ve provided assessment and therapy for a wide range of mental health concerns. I support children and adolescents experiencing anxiety (including generalized anxiety, social anxiety, separation anxiety, phobias, and perfectionism), low mood and depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), as well as those adjusting to or coping with medical conditions. I also have specialized training in the assessment and treatment of selective mutism, a population I’m particularly passionate about supporting.​​​

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My main therapeutic approach is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) - a practical, skills-based method that helps children understand and manage their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. I also draw from a variety of other well-researched approaches to best fit each child and family, including Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT), attachment-based approaches such as Circle of Security, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). In addition, I'm trained in SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), a parent-based program that helps caregivers support their child's anxiety without requiring the child to attend therapy sessions directly.​