Grace Rustom, PhD
(Registered Psychotherapist)
Grace is a Registered Psychotherapist as a registrant of the College of
Psychotherapists of Ontario. Grace has significant experience in working with individuals using a
cognitive behavioral approach, within the biopsychosocial model. Grace’s practice is evidence-based,
relational, compassionate, client-centric, solution-oriented (including practical solution integration,
and use of objective and subjective measures) and semi-structured/manualized.
At Expert Physio Plus, Grace is the exclusive provider for the specialty service cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic
pain and comorbid conditions (such as depression, anxiety etc.), for individuals 18+.
Her aims are to create spaces where individuals can experience genuineness (within the self and with others) and
uncover opportunities for growth, awareness, and empowerment. She believes in the idea that small
steps with strategic perseverance and skill-building, can equal giant leaps toward rehabilitation.
Grace facilitates environments of non-judgement, and uses collaborative goal setting with service
users, to move toward both realistic and idealistic potential outcomes. She appreciates the range
of various starting points in people’s recovery, using a service user’s values as guidance toward
action plans and goal setting. She practices in a manner that emphasizes safety within the
professional therapeutic alliance, whilst also keeping a curious, kind, open mind as she seeks to
understand an individual’s experiences and promote autonomy.
Importantly, Grace’s scope of practice is limited to the controlled act of psychotherapy (she does not prescribe medication and cannot provide diagnostic services). Her services are anti-ableist. Grace
practices with cultural humility and welcomes service users of all backgrounds. She provides
services in the English language.
Grace completed her PhD at Queen’s University, faculty of Health
Sciences. Prior to establishing her private practice, she provided psychotherapy for over 10 years in
a tertiary care hospital setting to adult inpatients and outpatients with complex psychiatric cases.
To stay at the forefront of advances in psychiatric rehabilitation and cognitive behavioral therapy
practice and research, Grace is part of a number of organizations. Grace is a Chartered member of
the British Psychological Society (BPS). She is a member of the Faculty of Psychosis and Complex
Mental Health, psychotherapy, psychobiology section member, and is part of the Divisions of Clinical
Psychology and Academic, Researchers and Teachers in Psychology with the BPS. She is also a
member of the Canadian Psychiatric Association, International Society for Psychological and Social
Approaches in Psychosis, the International Developmental Origins of Health and Disease Society,
and World Health Organization (WHO) Global Clinical Practice Network.
To maintain high quality
standards Grace participates in training at the prestigious Beck Institute of Cognitive Therapy,
European Pain Federation, the University of Oxford, and WHO.
Grace was born and raised in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. In her spare time, she enjoys
time with her husband, grandmother and family, spending time along the water, travel, composing
music, watching classic cinema (e.g., Turner Classic Movies), swimming, learning about the history of
art, psychiatry, and psychology, and reading autobiographies.