Thipiga Sivayoganathan

Thipiga Sivayoganathan is a Ph.D. student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada. Thipiga's research interests include understanding inequities in access to mental health care with a focus on factors that influence help-seeking behaviour. Her master's thesis, also completed at the University of Western Ontario, examined trends in mental health service use in Canada, including population characteristics and types of health providers accessed for mental health services.

Her current research aims to examine the relationship between symptoms of internalizing difficulties and perceived need for mental health services among youth and emerging adults using an intersectional approach. Using a discrete choice experiment, Thipiga will examine the relative importance of symptoms on perception of need for services as well as how perception of need may be associated with interacting social identities.