Dr. Olivia Thakkar is a licensed clinical psychologist in the States of California and Michigan. She earned her doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology at the Michigan School of Professional Psychology in 2009. Her graduate work focused on Eating Disorder treatment and prevention. Her dissertation involved the development of a mindfulness-based program for clients struggling with Binge Eating Disorder, which earned the Marjie Scott Scholarship for Excellence award and was the beginning of her mission to help individuals recover from eating disorders.

Dr. Thakkar spent the next 10 years of her career on staff at the Birmingham Maple Clinic in Troy, MI. There she served as a psychotherapist on staff, and was the Supervising Psychologist, providing supervision and consultation to the 35 therapists in the clinic. She also worked at Beaumont Hospital providing group and individual therapy to patients coping with Chronic Illnesses.

She pursued continued training in evidence-based treatment models for Anxiety and Depression, and developed an expertise in working with the challenges that accompany a Chronic Illness diagnosis. In addition, Dr. Thakkar received advanced training in Eating Disorders, including Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, and Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorder. She offers Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Family-based treatment for eating disorders, and mindfulness-based interventions. She works with children, adolescents, young adults, adults, parents and families.

Dr. Thakkar began her psychology studies in Brazil, where she earned a degree from Pontificia Universidade Catolica in Sao Paulo. During her years in Brazil, she specialized in Clinical Health Psychology, and worked at Hospital Emilio Ribas providing psychotherapy to patients suffering from HIV/AIDS. She received at grant from the Education Ministry of Brazil to study risk taking behaviors and develop HIV/AIDS prevention strategies, in partnership with the Pontificia Universidade Catolica’s Department of Social Psychology post-graduate studies.

Her experience with a wide range of populations and treatment models allows her to create a personalized treatment plan for each patient.

Dr. Thakkar’s practice is based on the client-centered principals of empathy, unconditional positive regard and genuineness. She strives to provide symptom relief while at the same time fostering self-awareness and self-esteem. Her goal is to create long lasting change in her clients’ lives.