Clinical placements play a vital role in a health care learner’s journey, bridging academic learning with real-world practice and helping students build confidence, competence, and professional identity. Through hands-on experience, learners develop essential clinical skills, teamwork, and an understanding of patient centred care.

As an academic health sciences centre, our Hospital is proud to support learners by providing a safe, supportive, and enriching placement environment where future professionals can learn, grow, and contribute meaningfully to patient care. Every month, the department of Academic Affairs is highlighting learners at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.

Name: Izzy Malik
Hometown: Thunder Bay, Ontario

Program: Third-year Clinical Psychology, PhD Student at Lakehead University, with placements in adult mental health inpatient unit, and currently, with outpatient brief intervention treatment team at Adult Mental Health.

What does an average day during your placement look like?

When I was on the inpatient unit, my day began with a meeting with my supervisor to discuss current clinical psychology referrals from the team. I would run daily DBT and mindfulness groups and then conduct any interventions or assessments needed by the team.

As part of the outpatient team, my day involves providing evidence-based psychotherapies to patients struggling with severe mental health difficulties and conducting comprehensive psychodiagnostic assessments. Each day at lunchtime, I enjoy the company and many laughs with the team.

Is there a mentor of faculty member who has significantly impacted you?

Dr. Healey Gardiner and Dr. Kristine Knauff (both clinical psychologists), as well as Heather Kozak and Sherri Capulak-Tinnes (Psych Associates) have been incredible mentors and role models. Not only do they provide accessible and nuanced feedback, but they have helped me build confidence, autonomy, and competence in my clinical expertise as a doctoral clinical psychology student. I also echo these sentiments to the broader team at Adult Mental Health (e.g., psychiatrists, social workers, recreational therapist). I am consistently inspired by the care, effort, camaraderie, and daily work of the entire Adult Mental Health Team, which has furthered my passion for clinical psychology and eventually returning to this team in the future.

What is one interesting fact others might not know about you?I am an avid tennis player. My research centers on digital mental health tools, such as generative artificial intelligence, and I am teaching a psychology course at Lakehead University this fall.