Meet Dr. Julia Ryan

Dr. Julia Ryan is a registered Clinical and School Psychologist serving children, adolescents, and adults in the Ottawa region. She completed her training through a combined MA/PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Ottawa and has clinical and research experience across school, hospital, and community-based settings. These experiences inform her commitment to thoughtful, evidence-based, and high-quality psychological care.

Dr. Ryan specializes in comprehensive psychological assessment for complex neurodevelopmental, learning, and mental health presentations across the lifespan. Her assessment work includes diagnostic clarification and treatment planning for learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), language-based learning concerns, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), trauma-related presentations, behavioural disorders, and personality-related concerns. She also completes assessment related to substance use concerns and eating disorders.

Her practice focuses on helping individuals and families better understand patterns of functioning, identify strengths and needs, and access meaningful supports across home, school, work, and community settings. She works from a neurodiversity-affirming and strengths-based perspective, with a strong emphasis on individualized recommendations that are both clinically sound and practically useful.

Areas that are not part of Dr. Ryan’s regular scope of practice include primary assessment of psychotic disorders, dissociative disorders, sexual disorders, forensic-related conditions, and gender dysphoria, though she may help with broader differential diagnostic clarification when these concerns arise as part of a more complex presentation.

In all of her clinical work, Dr. Ryan emphasizes the importance of building strong, genuine relationships with clients as the foundation for meaningful change. She takes a collaborative approach that combines clinical expertise with the lived experience, insight, and strengths that individuals, youth, and families bring to the process. Her goal is for each client to feel understood, respected, and supported throughout their care.

As Clinical Director of Julia Ryan Psychology, Dr. Ryan is actively involved in supervising and consulting with clinicians across the practice, supporting assessment quality, clinical consistency, and the development of strong team-based care. She also oversees clinic operations and practice development, with the goal of ensuring the clinic provides reliable, inclusive, and high-quality psychological services grounded in collaboration and clinical excellence.

While Dr. Ryan’s primary clinical focus is assessment, she also provides limited therapy services for existing and former clients when clinically appropriate. She is generally not available for new therapy referrals, as her direct therapy caseload is intentionally kept small to support her assessment work, clinical supervision responsibilities, and leadership within the practice.

CLINICAL DIRECTOR