Lorena RuciMA, C.Psych, PhD

Registered psychologist · Ontario & Alberta

Recovery takes more than time. It takes a plan.

I work with adults navigating concussion recovery, adult ADHD, performance pressure, and the anxiety and low mood that often travel with them. Reaching out is the part most people find hardest. Everything after it is something we do together.

Lorena Ruci, registered psychologist
Lorena Ruci, MA, C.Psych, PhD
Adjunct Professor, Carleton University
Lecturer, University of Ottawa

Accepting new clients for ADHD assessments in Ontario and Alberta · Current wait: 3–4 weeks · Updated July 2026

Areas of practice Adults, 18+
Concussion

Post-concussion syndrome

When symptoms outlast the expected recovery window, the psychological side of it needs treating too. I work alongside the concussion specialists at the Sport Medicine Clinic on mood, sleep, irritability, and the return to work, school, or sport.

Assessment

Adult ADHD

Full diagnostic assessment against DSM-5-TR criteria, plus treatment for adults diagnosed late or not at all. The battery covers history, current symptoms, cognitive functioning, and day-to-day impairment.

Performance

Sport psychology

For high-performance athletes and coaches: emotional regulation under pressure, self-awareness, resilience, and the mental-health side of competing. Member of the Canadian Centre for Mental Health and Sport.

Therapy

Psychotherapy

Individual therapy for depression, anxiety, burnout, self-esteem, and relationship conflict, drawing on CBT, ACT, interpersonal, existential, and supportive approaches depending on what fits.

Locations & availability

Where I practise

In person at the Sport Medicine Clinic on the Carleton University campus in Ottawa.

Virtually for clients in Ontario, Alberta, Quebec, and New Brunswick.

Insurance and direct billing

I am a registered Blue Cross provider and can direct bill for eligible RCMP, Veterans Affairs Canada, Canadian Armed Forces, and Interim Federal Health Program clients. Most extended health plans reimburse services provided by a registered psychologist — check your plan for the annual limit.

Teaching & research

The other half of the work

I teach psychology to first-, second-, and third-year students at Carleton University and the University of Ottawa, and hold an adjunct professorship at Carleton. My research sits at the intersection of self-regulation, motivation, and mental health in competitive sport.

For the past three years I have coordinated and facilitated concussion support groups at Carleton. I work to the researcher–practitioner model: clinical work should be informed by evidence, and research should answer questions that matter in the room.

Education, licences & memberships

Education

  • PhD, PsychologyCarleton University, 2011
  • MA, Counselling PsychologyUniversity of Ottawa, 2017
  • MA, PsychologyCarleton University, 2005
  • BA (Hons), Psychology & EconomicsMount Allison University, 2003

Licences

  • College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of OntarioCPBAO
  • College of Alberta PsychologistsCAP

Memberships

  • Canadian Psychological AssociationCPA
  • Ontario Psychological AssociationOPA
  • Psychologists' Association of AlbertaPAA
  • Ottawa Academy of PsychologyOAP
  • Canadian ADHD Resource AllianceCADDRA
  • American Psychological AssociationAPA
  • Sport Canada ScientistSCS
Get in touch
Clinic
Sport Medicine Clinic
Carleton University
1125 Colonel By Drive
Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6
Telephone
343-630-6436
Fax
613-520-3974
Email
[email protected]

The quickest way to start is a short phone consultation. Tell me a little about what is going on and what you are hoping for, and I will let you know whether I am the right fit — and if I am not, who might be.

If you need help right now, this form is not the place — messages are not monitored continuously. Call or text 9-8-8, Canada's suicide crisis helpline, available 24 hours a day in English and French. In an emergency, call 911.