Associate Professor
PhD, Concordia University
JOR-927
416-979-5000 x2151
naomi.koerner@torontomu.ca
Dr. Naomi Koerner received her PhD from Concordia University in 2007. During the final year of her doctoral training, she completed a clinical internship at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto. Following completion of the PhD, she joined Ryerson University as a postdoctoral fellow. Dr. Koerner began her tenure-track faculty position at Ryerson in 2008 and has been a registered psychologist in Ontario since 2010.
Dr. Koerner’s research interests are in the area of cognition and psychopathology with a specific focus on the ways in which concepts and methods from cognitive psychology can be used to inform and refine cognitive-behavioural theories and treatments for anxiety disorders. She is interested in various facets of cognition: cognitive structures (e.g., the organization and representation in memory of threat), cognitive processes (e.g., attention, appraisal, interpretation, problem-solving, reasoning) and self-reported thoughts and attitudes. Some areas of interest:
- Identification of cognitive markers of risk in individuals who are vulnerable to the development of an anxiety disorder. She is particularly interested in the causal role of information processing biases in anxiety;
Mechanisms of action in exposure-based treatments, in particular imaginal exposure; - Cognitive characteristics that distinguish individuals with generalized anxiety disorder from those with obsessive-compulsive disorder, with a specific focus on differences in the processing of uncertainty;
- Impact of cognitive training on anxiety and worry
At Ryerson University, Dr. Koerner has taught courses on:
- Psychopathology (PSY325 Psychological Disorders, PSY905 Advanced Clinical Psychology Seminar).
- Behaviour therapy (PSY806 Behaviour Modification).
- Cognitive psychology (PSY615 Psychology of Belief and Skepticism and CPSY308 Psychology of Thinking).