Dr. Paul L. Hewitt
Registered Clinical Psychologist
- Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia
- Associate Member, Psychotherapy Division, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia
- Visiting Professor, Universita Degli Studi di Bergamo, Dipartimento di Scienze Umane e Sociali, Italia
Dr. Paul L. Hewitt is a Full Professor in the Department of Psychology and an Associate Member of the Psychotherapy Program, in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia as well as a Registered Psychologist in British Columbia. He is also a yearly visiting professor at the University of Bergamo, Bergamo, Italy where he teaches and he provides training workshops throughout Europe and Canada. To visit Dr. Hewitt’s research lab website at UBC click here.
Dr. Hewitt is the recipient of numerous awards including the Donald O. Hebb Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology as a Science. He received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Saskatchewan in 1988 and completed his clinical residency in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington.
Recently named in the top 10 Canadian clinical psychology professors for research productivity, Dr. Hewitt is recognized for his seminal contributions to the theory and research on the role of perfectionism as a core vulnerability factor in psychopathology, physical health, relationship, and achievement problems. He has published well over 300 research papers, books, and chapters dealing with perfectionism and psychotherapy.
One of his most recent books, co-authored with Dr. G. Flett and Dr. S. Mikail, “Perfectionism: A relational approach to conceptualization, assessment, and treatment” synthesizes their research and clinical work on perfectionism and includes detailed information on the dynamic-relational individual and group psychotherapy that he and Dr. Mikail developed over the past 30 years. He conducts training workshops on the assessment and dynamic-relational individual and group psychotherapy for perfectionism they developed and refined and is frequently invited to speak internationally on his research and clinical work.
Dr. Hewitt has a private clinical practice in the Vancouver which focuses on individuals experiencing difficulties from perfectionistic behaviour, early trauma, depression, anxiety, personality, and interpersonal problems. Although he sees patients in the Vancouver area he has also treated patients from the USA and Europe.
He provides clinical consultation and supervision to clinicians, conducts beginner and advanced perfectionism assessment and treatment workshops, and consults with government agencies world-wide.
Dr. Samuel Mikail
Registered Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Mikail is a registered psychologist in the province of Ontario and is Board Certified in clinical psychology with the American Board of Professional Psychology. He holds the position of Director, Mental Health at Sun Life where he drives thought leadership in the prevention, management, and treatment of disability claims attributable to mental disorders, and contributes to the development of strategic initiatives focused on mental health.
Throughout his career Dr. Mikail has remained an active clinician, researcher, consultant and educator. He has over 30 years of experience in adult clinical, health, and rehabilitation psychology. Dr. Mikail is sensitive to the importance of being attentive to the interconnection between all aspects of one’s functioning that impact a person’s emotional, interpersonal, spiritual and physical wellbeing.
He has published numerous book chapters and articles in peer-reviewed journals. In 2017 he coauthored a book on the conceptualization, assessment, and treatment of perfectionism and in 2020 coauthored a book and companion training video on psychodynamic-interpersonal group psychotherapy. Dr. Mikail has served on the boards of several professional associations, including serving as President of the Canadian Psychological Association (2018-2019). In 2021 he received the award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology as a Profession and in 2025 the John Service Member of the Year Award from the Canadian Psychological Association. Dr. Mikail maintains a private practice in Newmarket, Ontario and holds an appointment as Adjunct Faculty at the University of Waterloo.
Dr. Paul L. Hewitt 