Meet Arij
Meet Arij, our most recent guest on the Inside Clinical Blog Series. She is currently in her 4th year of the PhD in Clinical Psychology program at McMaster University, and she is beginning residency at the Anxiety Treatment and Research Clinic in the fall. Arij’s research focuses on anxiety and ADHD, as well as studying real world clinical populations to make research more clinically useful such as through identifying barriers to care in marginalized communities.
Arij began her undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of Toronto Mississauga, during which she explored various research areas. The most unique experience was her undergraduate thesis, which involved neurological imaging after performing brain surgery on mice. A virus was injected into the mice, in order to map which brain regions seem to be involved in the optokinetic reflex– a reflex that supports visual image stabilization (Portugues & Engert, 2009).
She embarked on a more neuroscience based track, before gaining more experience with clinical populations in human samples once she realised she would need to be well-versed in this realm in order to increase her chances of success at securing a spot in any highly competitive Clinical Psychology program.
From starting her undergraduate degree with broad interests spanning fields as varied as law and project management, to ultimately specializing in a clinical area she felt truly passionate about, her journey reflects a growing clarity of purpose and a deepening commitment to patient care.
Career Shaping Experiences
Arij claims her thesis study as her most formative experience during her undergraduate studies, which paved the way for her further studies at graduate school. Her main takeaway from that project was the resilience piece that came with taking on such a demanding and niche research focus.
“Even to this day, my supervisors will joke about it and will say: yeah, like we knew that you said you can do these mouse brain surgeries so knew you're gonna be able to do a PhD.”
Arij’s next major undertaking guided her through working with people in a clinical setting. During her time at the Korczak Lab at Sick Kids, she gained experience conducting PTSD assessments, handling client intake and informed consent forms, and activating safety protocols. With skills like this under her belt, Arij gained a greater, first-hand understanding of how it actually works to be involved in clinical settings.
Arij’s Game Plan
Arij explained that going into her post-secondary education, she wasn’t really sure what her focus was going to be. She started her program in Life Sciences at U of T Mississauga, before quickly realising, after taking a few courses, that her interests and strengths were more neuroscience and psychology oriented.
“When I started I didn't have a clear plan. I wasn't exactly certain about where I wanted to end up. I think I was very, very open and I was really worried about narrowing myself to like certain career paths. I was even interested in law. I was kind of open to lots of different possibilities. I was kind of also considering project management.”
Keeping her options open, she chose to go in with a broader focus and narrow things down later in her undergraduate degree. The main takeaway from this seems to be that no matter how unconventional or unplanned your path into the field may seem, it is never impossible to acquire a taste for something that you hadn’t previously recognised your affinity towards. It is also entirely possible to think you know what you want to do after your undergraduate degree, and shift focus entirely at any point. It is pretty common for psychology undergraduate students to feel that they are lacking experience, direction, or knowledge, but it is perfectly normal to be figuring things out as they come.
Intersectionality in Research
Arij’s main research focuses are in the realms of anxiety of ADHD, and hence, sits at the intersection of multiple various disorders and symptom clusters. One issue with capturing comorbidity in research is trying to avoid becoming too broad with research focus and yet still capturing the true complexity and multilayered nature of various forms of psychopathology.
During our conversation, we spoke a bit about models like the DART (Diagnostic Assessment Research Tool), which Arij is involved in developing and utilising. The DART specifically is a semi-structured, open-access interview format that allows clinicians to systematically assess psychological symptoms and diagnostic criteria while retaining flexibility to explore relevant areas in greater depth (McCabe et al., 2021). Arij’s involvement with this work also highlights why it is important to better understand whether the tools and training approaches being developed in psychology are meeting the needs of diverse populations.
Arij is also highly interested in investigating structural barriers for racialized and marginalized communities. During our rapid fire game, Arij strongly agreed that oftentimes, cultural stigma is too often blamed for the gap in knowledge or acceptance of mental illness, while structural barriers to accessing information and treatment often go unnoticed.
“There is a research study on a group of South Asian youth in Toronto (...) and they talked about barriers to mental health care. There was a quote where (...) one of the participants said something to the effect of like people think that only white people experience mental health symptoms. (...) there needs to be more targeted efforts for these underserved communities.”
She has placed emphasis on this in her research, including her publication titled: “Stress grounded in experiences of racial discrimination: a cluster analysis among a racially diverse sample in Canada,” in which the findings demonstrated that there is a specific type of stress that arises from increased racial discrimination and psychosocial pressures that come with it (Moshirian Farahi & Cénat, 2026).
Finding and Combining Your Passions
During our conversation, Arij acknowledged the rigorous and challenging nature of entry into the program, but she also highlighted how having a diverse academic background can be a strength:
“I can use my neuroscience background to leverage my intervention skills and my assessment skills. Then there are also pathways with neuropsychology as well. That's a really beautiful way to marry those two interests. So I guess it again, it depends on what the person wants to do, what their end goal is.”
Many students seeking admission into the program tend to worry about their research focuses or interests being too broad going in and hence, being an applicant that may appear to be too vague or not invested enough in specific studies in the field. Arij suggested that in your interview, being very clear from the get-go about what your interests are can help push that fear to the side, as establishing this from the start can get that out of the way right away. She also notes that it’s important to be very tailored to each specific program you are applying to, making sure that you can translate your interests and skills to what is being studied at that lab, and explaining why you would be a good fit.
Key Takeaways and Final Advice
Resilience matters as much as skill:
In clinical psychology, setbacks are part of the path.
Show that you can keep going, learn fast, and stay calm under pressure.
In applications, highlight moments where you improved after a struggle or handled a hard experience well.
Be broad, but stay focused:
It’s okay to have multiple interests early on.
The key is showing a clear thread across them.
Explain how your broader interests connect to clinical psychology, not that you “like everything.”
Choose mentors carefully:
A supervisor can shape your experience a lot.
Look beyond websites and formal interviews.
Try to learn from current students and people connected to the lab.
Build your story intentionally:
Your application should feel coherent.
Every course, placement, and project should support your bigger goal.
That makes you look deliberate, prepared, and genuinely committed.
Arij’s journey demonstrates that there is no single journey into Clinical Psychology. Whether you’re still exploring your interests, have a clear direction, or are trying to combine various fields into your study, what matters most is approaching all the opportunities you’re faced with, with intention, drive, and focus. By building meaningful experiences, seeking out challenges, and developing a coherent story, you can create an application that reflects both your growth and your commitment to the field. Success comes from embracing change, remaining resilient, and staying focused on the impact you hope to make.
References
McCabe, R. E., Milosevic, I., Rowa, K., Shnaider, P., Pawluk, E. J., Antony, M. M. & the DART Working Group. (2021). Diagnostic Assessment Research Tool (DART), Version 4. Hamilton, ON: St. Joseph’s Healthcare/McMaster University.
Moshirian Farahi, S. M. M., & Cénat, J. M. (2026). Stress grounded in experiences of racial discrimination: a cluster analysis among a racially diverse sample in Canada. European journal of psychotraumatology, 17(1), 2611511. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008066.2025.2611511
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