Pia Pechtel

Pia is a registered clinical psychologist and researcher with over 20 years of working with sexual abuse.

Pia received her PhD in Psychology in New Zealand where she helped to develop evidence-based national therapy guidelines for sexual abuse. She then joined the faculty of Harvard Medical School in the US to study the impact of trauma on the brain before completing her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Exeter (UK). She worked as a registered clinical psychologist in a sexual abuse specialist clinic for youth and led a research programme at the University of Exeter to identify neural mechanisms of self-harm after sexual abuse.

Pia is passionate about combining clinical psychology and developmental neuroscience to better support young people who experienced trauma and who find high-risk behaviour helpful. She currently works as the Clinical Director for the Child Advocacy Centre Kelowna and volunteers her time as a Board Member for UGrowGirl to support adults who experienced sexual abuse.