HI THERE!

I’m Vincent (he/him) and I’m currently a Clinical and Health Psychologist (Supervised Practice), working under the supervision of Dr. Lauren Flavelle, PhD, C.Psych. at Grenadier. In addition to my role at Grenadier, I currently work as a Psychologist in the Eating Disorders Program at the University Health Network (UHN).

I completed my PhD in Clinical Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University in 2023. I’ve received clinical training at the Family Health Team at St. Michael’s Hospital, the Intensive Residential and Day Treatment Program for OCD at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and the Day Hospital Eating Disorders Program at UHN.

I completed my pre-doctoral residency at the London Clinical Psychology Residency Consortium in London, ON in Health/Rehabilitation Psychology. I’ve also provided therapy and assessment in various clinical trials for individuals following bariatric surgery; individuals with symptoms of “food addiction” (the concept that ultra-processed foods can be addictive); and sexual minority men with the goal of reducing HIV transmission risk, social anxiety, and problematic substance use.

I am trained primarily in cognitive behavioural, motivational interviewing, and mindfulness-based approaches. My practice is anti-oppressive, LGBTQ+ affirmative, weight inclusive, and trauma-informed. I am honoured to work alongside my clients in terms of helping them explore and achieve their goals, while also recognizing and working with the external factors that can sometimes make change difficult.

EDUCATION & TRAINING

PEER-REVIEWED RESEARCH

Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Clinical Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University (Toronto, ON)
Master of Arts (MA) in Clinical Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University (Toronto, ON)
Honours Bachelor of Science (HBSc.) in Psychology and Biology, University of Toronto at Mississauga (Mississauga, ON)

Santiago, V. A., & Cassin, S. E. (2022). Social and occupational impairment among individuals with ultra-processed food addiction. Current Addiction Reports, 9, 307-317. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40429-022-00416-9

Santiago, V. A., Cassin, S. E., Wnuk, S., Du, C., Hawa, R., Parikh, S. V., & Sockalingam, S. (2021). “If you’re offered help, take it”: A qualitative study examining bariatric patients’ experience of telephone-based cognitive behavioural therapy. Clinical Obesity, 11(2), e12431. https://doi.org/10.1111/cob.12431

Lenton-Brym, A. P., Santiago, V. A., Fredborg, B. K., & Antony, M. M. (2021). Associations between social anxiety, depression, and the use of mobile dating applications. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 24(2), 86-93. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2019.0561

Santiago, V. A., Warwick, K., Ratnakumarasuriyar, S., Oyewumi, A., Robinson, S., & Sockalingam, S. (2019). Evaluation of a patient-care planning intervention to improve appointment attendance by adults after bariatric surgery. Canadian Journal of Diabetes, 43(1), 59-66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcjd.2018.05.003

Sockalingam, S., Hawa, R., Wnuk, S., Santiago, V., Kowgier, M., Jackson, T., Okrainec, A., & Cassin, C. (2017). Psychosocial predictors of quality of life and weight loss two years after bariatric surgery: Results from the Toronto Bari-PSYCH study. General Hospital Psychiatry, 47, 7-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2017.04.005

Sockalingam, S., Tehrani, H., Taube-Schiff, M., Van Exan, J., Santiago, V., & Hawa, R. (2017). The relationship between eating psychopathology and obstructive sleep apnea in bariatric surgery candidates: A retrospective study. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 50(7), 801-807. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.22701

Sunil, S., Santiago, V. A., Gougeon, L., Warwick, K., Okrainec, A., Hawa, R., & Sockalingam, S. (2017). Predictors of vitamin adherence after bariatric surgery. Obesity Surgery, 27(2), 416-423. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-016-2306-x

Thiara, G., Yanofsky, R., Abdul-Kader, S., Santiago, V. A., Cassin, S., Okrainec, A., Jackson, T., Hawa, R., & Sockalingam, S. (2016). Toronto Bariatric Interprofessional Psychosocial Assessment Suitability Scale: Evaluating a new clinical assessment tool for bariatric surgery candidates. Psychosomatics, 57(2), 165-173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psym.2015.12.003

PODCASTS & BLOG POSTS

Kennedy, C., & Painschab, M. (Hosts). (2023, November 2). Episode 149: Vincent Santiago [Audio podcast episode]. In Food Junkies. https://www.foodjunkiespodcast.com/episodes/episode-149-vincent-santiago

Santiago, V. A. (2020, December 7). More than a craving? Can we experience withdrawal symptoms when we cut back on certain foods? [Blog post]. Addiction Science. https://addictionscience.blog.ryerson.ca/2020/12/07/more-than-a-craving/

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS & ACTIVITIES

College of Psychologists of Ontario
Ontario Psychological Association
Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT)
International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS)