Sage Sezlik is currently a predoctoral psychology resident at the Ottawa Institute of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (OICBT). In this role, Ms. Sezlik provides individual and group therapy services through OICBT's programs in Mood and Anxiety and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). She believes that a growth tendency exists within every person, and they deserve to feel seen, heard, and understood. She strives to cultivate a corrective experience with a therapeutic style that conveys an enduring empathic presence, curiosity, and an openness to explore potential barriers (i.e., diversity of identity and/or lived experiences). 


Online therapy is available.   

  • Sage Sezlik is a PhD student in Clinical Psychology at the University of Ottawa. She previously completed her undergraduate degree in psychology at Carleton University.

  • Ms. Sezlik’s practice (individual and group treatment) is in the service of adult populations (age 18-60) within the following areas of focus:

    • Mood disorders (depression, bipolar)

    • Anxiety (social, generalized, panic, health, agoraphobia, specific phobia)

    • Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders (OCD, hair-pulling, skin-picking, body dysmorphic disorder)

    • Grief/loss

    • Life transitions

    • Interpersonal/relational goals

    • Health & lifestyle goals (balance, burn-out, sleep, nutrition, exercise)

    • Health psychology (prevention, treatment, or determinants of health conditions; chronic pain)

    • Existential/personal growth queries (self-actualization, self-concept/esteem, meaning, purpose, spirituality)

    • Emotion regulation

    • Diversity informed-care

  • Ms. Sezlik adopts a client-centered approach and integrates varied therapeutic modalities supported by research evidence.

    • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

    • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

    • Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT)

    • Mindfulness & Compassion based approaches

    • Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT)

  • External scholarships:

    Internal scholarships:

    • 2017-2023 Excellence Scholarship, University of Ottawa

    • 2015 Senate Medal for Outstanding Academic Achievement (Medal), Carleton University

    • 2014-2015 Agnes J. Godard & Hector H. Perrier Memorial Bursary, Carleton University

    • 2011-2012 Deans’ Honour List, Carleton University

    • 2010-2012 Laurel Society Scholarship, Carleton University

  • The following are areas of training during Ms. Sezlik’s doctoral training.

  • Publications in peer-reviewed journals:

    • Forth, A., Sezlik, S., Lee, S., Ritchie, M., Logan, J., & Ellingwood, H. (2021). Toxic relationships: the experiences and effects of psychopathy in romantic relationships. International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology, 306624–. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X211049187.

    • Guérin-Marion, Sezlik, S., & Bureau, J.-F. (2020). Developmental and attachment-based perspectives on dissociation: beyond the effects of maltreatment. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 11(1), 1802908–1802908. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2020.1802908

    • McKie, R. M., Skakoon-Sparling, S., Levere, D., Sezlik, S., & Humphreys, T. P. (2020). Is

    • There Space for Our Stories? An Examination of North American and Western European Gay, Bi, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men’s Non-consensual Sexual Experiences. The Journal of Sex Research, 57(8), https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2020.1767023

    • Bureau, Deneault, A.-A., Yurkowski, K., Martin, J., Quan, J., Sezlik, S., & Guérin-Marion, C. (2021). The interaction of child–father attachment and child–mother attachment in the prediction of observed coparenting. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 22(3), 512–520. https://doi.org/10.1037/men0000309

    • Thomassin, Quint, E., Sezlik, S., & Shaffer, A. (2017). Profiles of Emotion Deficits and Adolescent Nonsuicidal Self‐Injury in an Inpatient Sample. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 27(4), 752–764. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12312

    Research brief:

    • Harrison, Obeid, N., Rohde, K., Haslett, K., MacLean, N., Simpson, C., Barriault, D., Sezlik, S., Norris, S., & Clarkin, C. (2016). 3.64 EMBODIED MOTHERHOOD: EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BODY IMAGE AND MOOD IN A COMMUNITY SAMPLE OF PREGNANT AND PARENTING YOUTH. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 55(10), S162–S162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2016.09.512

    Peer-reviewed conference presentations

    Poster Presentations

    • Sezlik, S., Guerin Marion, C., & Bureau, J.-F. (2023, April). Mother- and Father-Child Emotion Discussions: Links with Children’s Socioemotional Adaptation. Poster presented at the 2023 biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development (Salt Lake City, Utah, USA).

    • Sezlik, S., Guerin Marion, C., & Bureau, J.-F. (2021, April). Mother- and Father-Child Emotion Discussions: Comparisons on the Autobiographical Emotional Events Dialogue. Poster presented at the 2021 biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development (online).

    • Guerin Marion, C., Sezlik, S., & Bureau, J.-F. (2021, April). Mother- and Father-Child Emotion Dialogues Interact to Predict Internalizing Outcomes. Poster presented at the 2021 biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development (online).

    • Deneault, A.-A., Bureau, J.-F., Yurkowski, K., Martin, J., Quan, J., Sezlik, S., & Guérin-Marion, C. (2019, July). Coparenting and parental partnership in a triadic setting: Associations with parental sensitivity and child-parent attachment. Poster presented at the 2019 International Attachment Conference (IAC), Vancouver, Canada.

    • Bureau, J.-F., Deneault, A.-A., Guérin-Marion, C., Sezlik, S., Yurkowski, K., & Lyons-Ruth, K. (2019, May). Les implications du retrait parental en bas âge pour le développement de l’enfant jusqu’à l’âge adulte. In A. Bérubé, G. Piché, & A. Couvrette (Chairs), Parentalité en contexte de vulnérabilité: mécanismes de risqué et de protection, ainsi qu’interventions prometteuses. Colloquium conducted at the 2019 annual meeting of the Association Canadienne-Française pour l’Avancement du Savoir (ACFAS), Gatineau, Canada.

    • Sezlik, S., Deneault, A.-A., Guerin Marion, C., Yurkowski, K., Bureau, J.-F. (2019, March). Parental Interactions in a Triadic Play Setting: Longitudinal Associations With Maternal Gatekeeping and Coparenting. Poster presented at the 2019 biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Baltimore, Maryland.

    • Guerin Marion, C., Deneault, A.-A., Sezlik, S., Yurkowski, K., Bureau, J.-F. (2019, March). Child-Mother and Child-Father Attachment as Predictors of Coparenting Relationship Dimensions. Poster presented at the 2019 biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Baltimore, Maryland.

    • Forth, A.E., Sezlik, S., Ritchie, M., Ellingwood, H., & Lee, S. (2018, June). Toxic intimate relationships: The impact of psychopathy. Paper presented at symposia. In A. Forth (Chair) Psychopathy: Implications for Victim Selection and Victim Impact. Symposium presented at the International Congress of Applied Psychology, Montreal, Canada.

    • Forth, A. E., Sezlik, S., Ellingwood, H., & Lee, S. (2017, May). Toxic love: Victimization experiences of intimate partners of psychopaths. Paper presented at symposia. In A. Forth (Chair) Psychopathy and victims: Implications for victim selection, interactional style, and impact. Symposium presented at the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy Conference, Antwerp, Belgium

    • Quint, E., Venasse, M., Sezlik, S., Shaffer, A, & Thomassin, K. (2017, April). Profiles of Emotion Skills and Adolescent Nonsuicidal Self-injury in an Inpatient Sample. Poster presented at the 2017 biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Austin, TX.

    • Guerin Marion, C., Thomassin, K., Sezlik, S., Dhawan, N., & Weisz, J.R. (2017, April). Vagal suppression mediates the link between emotion dysregulation and performance depending on parental emotion socialization practices. Poster presented at the 2017 biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Austin, TX.

    • Harrison, M., Obeid, N., Rohde, K., Haslett, K., MacLean, N., Simpson, C., Barriault, D., Sezlik, S., & Norris, S., & Clarkin, C. (2016, October). Embodied motherhood: Exploring the Relationship Between Body Image and Mood in a Community Sample of Pregnant and Parenting Youth. Poster presented at the 2016 annual meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York City, NY.

    • Sezlik, S., & Forth, A. E. (2015, June). Toxic love: Physical and mental health consequences for intimate partners of psychopaths. In R. Ritchie (Chair) Psychopaths and Their Victims. Symposium presented at the North American Correctional and Criminal Justice Psychology Conference, Ottawa, Canada.

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