Dr. Iana Ianakieva is a Registered Clinical and Counselling Psychologist. Dr. Ianakieva’s work is guided by the belief that individuals have an inherent capacity for resilience, fulfilment, and self-determination. She views the opportunity to walk alongside individuals as they seek to navigate life’s obstacles, maintain meaningful relationships, and achieve their ambitions to be a great privilege. As a psychologist and former competitive athlete in Taekwondo, she appreciates the importance of being understood, challenged, and supported in the pursuit of one’s goals.
Her specialization is in the area of adult mental health, where she provides assessment and evidence-based treatment to individuals who are experiencing a range of concerns including anxiety, low mood, demanding work environments, persistent pain and illness, relationship difficulties, eating-related issues, existential concerns, and life transitions. She’s drawn especially to people who are thoughtful and driven, who have tried to think their way through something and found that thinking alone isn’t quite enough. She also works with individuals in high-pressure environments such as sports, medicine, business, education, and performing arts on issues related to performance enhancement, stress management, and coping with transitions.
Dr. Ianakieva earned her Master’s and Doctoral Degrees in Clinical Psychology at York University in Toronto. As part of her studies, she completed trainings in diverse settings including the York University Psychology Clinic, Toronto Western Hospital Bariatric Surgery Program, Women’s College Hospital Toronto Academic Pain Medicine Institute, and a year-long pre-doctoral residency at the University of British Columbia Counselling Services. She also provided psychological services at the Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre Patient and Family Support Program, where she sat with people who were directly experiencing or supporting someone who was going through this enormous disruption in their life and the full range of emotions that it can bring on. Her published graduate research centered on developing ways to support individuals facing cancer and their loved ones, particularly with curiosity about the stories that we tell ourselves about the challenges that we face in our lives. These experiences have informed how she works now, focusing on compassion, meaning, and transformation.
Prior to her graduate studies, Dr. Ianakieva completed her undergraduate degree at McGill University in Montreal with a double-major in psychology and art history, where she was particularly influenced by her research in the field of human motivation. Done because of pure intrinsic interest, her background in art history reflects the importance she places on curiosity, openness, and understanding the whole person and our place in the world.
Dr. Ianakieva’s diverse academic and work experiences, as well as living in various places throughout the world, has contributed to a strong commitment to providing culturally competent, flexible, and non-judgmental care. Her approach to psychotherapy is integrative, focusing on important common factors like empathy and collaboration, and draws from evidence-based treatments including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Emotion-Focused Therapy, Person-Centered Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing.
Dr. Ianakieva currently provides psychodiagnostic assessment and psychotherapy in private practice at Laksman Doell Psychology, as well as clinical supervision to trainees at various stages in their studies and during their registration with the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario. She also serves as a Sessional Lecturer at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work (FIFSW) at the University of Toronto and as a Course Director at the Department of Psychology at York University, where she teaches various psychology and psychotherapy courses to graduate and undergraduate students.