Student
Currently a Ph.D. Psychology student at Concordia University, Mariana is a Brazilian clinical psychologist, researcher, and artist. She obtained her M.A. in Clinical Psychology and Culture from Universidade de Brasilia in 2016 and spent the last five years in Brazil exploring her diverse interests in theatrical arts, psychotherapy, and hypnosis. This trajectory includes working in private practice as a psychotherapist, an unfinished B.A. in Theatre Arts (Universidade de Brasilia), the publication of a book on the uses of humor in psychotherapy, the participation as an actress and researcher of an international art project of Coletiva Teatro (Universidade de Brasilia/Stanford University), the teaching and supervision of students at hypnosis and brief psychotherapy training program, as well as the creation and contribution to a Brazilian meditation podcast to aid people during COVID-19 pandemic (“Grupo Crescer”). In 2021 Mariana was admitted at Concordia’s Psychology Ph.D. Program to be part of the Culture, Health and Personality Lab, where she is currently developing her interests in the intersections between culture, art, and mental health. She is especially interested in the human proneness to storytelling and the potential power of stories in facilitating culturally-mindful assessments and interventions.