Professionals

ADRIAN

Adrian was born in the U.K. and completed his studies at the University College London. In addition to being a licensed psychologist, he has worked as a Mathematics teacher in a London Secondary school and also served as the Head of SEN within a GCC international school.

Adrian has over 10 years experience working with children with special and additional needs as well supporting schools and organisations in developing their inclusive and reflective practice. Adrian has worked alongside several leaders within educational settings in order to develop policies, systems, monitoring procedures and interventions.

Adrian has experience in the assessment of complex cases ranging from Early Years to more nuanced yet sensitive assessments with older children across broad cultural and faith based contexts. Adrian's psychological contribution to his case work is of the highest quality demonstrating rigor, creativity, compassion and confidence.

Adrian is an advocate of the child believing that all children can make progress relative to their starting point once provided with sufficient assistance from knowledgeable adults.

AMY

The 2015 winner of the Princess Haya Award for Outstanding Clinical Psychologist, Amy has been with kidsFIRST Medical Center since 2011. She qualified with a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Birmingham, UK in 2004 and worked in the UK until she moved to Dubai in 2011. She has significant experience in psychological assessment and treatment, including advising in child care proceedings as an expert witness for the UK court system.

Amy works across a wide range of psychological difficulties and offers an eclectic approach drawing on diverse psychological theories and practices. She holds specialist interest in attachment theory and trauma work. Amy is a certified practitioner of FRIENDS Resilience, the only anxiety prevention and resilience-building program recognized by the World Health Organization. She is also a practitioner of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) for children and teens, a therapeutic approach endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) to reprocess trauma. She also offers supervision to school counselors within Dubai.

Amy helps children both individually and in groups, provides parental support, and works with the family as a whole. She also provides comprehensive assessments to children struggling at home or at school.

Amy is heavily involved in advancing psychological awareness and services within the UAE, including extensive media interaction, participation in regional government conferences and workshops, and was a chapter contributor to the book, Mental Health and Psychological Practice in the United Arab Emirates (2015).

ANA-PAULA

Ana-Paula has a Masters degree in Philosophy, specializing in teaching and learning, and a qualification in teaching and cognitive training. Originally from South Africa, she has lived and worked in Dubai since 2014. For over thirty years, she has been involved in various facets of education as a primary teacher, cognitive trainer, researcher, author of mathematics school books and pedagogic textbooks, art specialist teacher, and head of preschool.

Ana-Paula is committed to helping students to develop effective learning strategies to promote academic success. As a qualified cognitive trainer, Ana-Paula has extensive experience in establishing practical study skills. Using a reflective practice approach to learning and teaching, critical thinking and research-based problem solving techniques are at the heart of her practice.

HACER

Hacer is a licensed psychologist, holding a B.A. degree in Psychology and a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology. She is also a certified Child-Centered Play Therapist (CCPT) and Filial Therapist accredited by the Association for Play Therapy.

Hacer's professional dedication is centered on serving children aged 2-12 and their families, addressing a wide range of mental health issues. She provides comprehensive psychological evaluations, tailoring custom treatment plans, and offering psychotherapy. In her clinical practice, Hacer emphasizes the importance of building child-centered, safe, and secure relationships with her clients, empowering them to navigate and cope with life's challenges effectively.

As an internationally certified practitioner, Hacer specializes in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, the Rorschach test, Child Apperception Test (CAT), and Thematic Apperception Test (TAT). She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in psychology and remains actively involved in academic pursuits.

Hacer is fluent in both English and Turkish.

JANET

Receiving her Bachelor's Degree from the University of Oxford in 2002, Janet's global experience supporting children in crisis led her to complete a Master’s in Professional Counseling from the USA in 2012.

Starting as clinical counselor in a residential treatment center, Janet's support of children, tweens, and teens includes a range of both common and complex cases, such as those struggling with anxiety, depression, psychoemotional disorders, eating disorders, substance abuse, self-harm and suicidal ideation, marital conflict, learning difficulties, and school delinquency.

An experienced EMDRIA Certified Therapist since 2017, Janet moved to the Middle East the same year, where she now supports children, tweens, and teens in a culturally-sensitive, collaborative manner that she finds produces the best outcomes.

LIDIA

Lidia completed her psychology studies in Spain and traveled to Germany with a scholarship, completing her clinical psychology master's in 2014. The first two years after graduation, she specialized in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), working with refugees in Germany from all over the world. Lidia then began working with children, adolescents, and families.

She worked in different psychiatric hospitals in Germany and spent the last years, before moving to UAE, in a children’s hospital. She worked with children, adolescents, and families in the emergency room and the psychotherapy ward, treating attention deficit with hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), eating disorders, PTSD, Autism, mood and personality disorders, anxiety, and others.

Lidia specializes in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), resilience-building programs and schema therapy. Lidia has a special interest in working with eating disorders, PTSD, and emotional-, mood- and personality disorders. She likes to provide children with the tools they need to succeed in every phase of their lives.

MARYSE

Maryse is a clinical psychologist who specializes in child neuropsychology. Licensed since 2012, Maryse's experience before kidsFIRST included being a neuropsychologist at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (Lebanon) and at Al Jalila Children's Specialty Hospital (Dubai). She provides comprehensive assessments (neuropsychological, psychoeducational, cognitive, and developmental) for toddlers, preschoolers, school-aged children, adolescents, and young adults.   

Through a careful assessment of all cognitive domains such as intelligence, memory, attention, and executive functioning, along with academic and social-emotional development, Maryse can identify the young person’s strengths and areas of growth. She works regularly with the support network of parents, teachers, and other care providers to better serve the child by providing recommendations for intervention, environmental modifications, and helpful resources.   

Maryse has a particular interest in the assessment and the treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders including ADHD, LD, and ASD. 

Maryse supports children in English, Arabic and French. 

PRASEETHA

Praseetha is a CDA licensed Psychologist with a Master’s in Counseling Psychology and a specialization in expressive & creative art therapy. She has been working in the field of mental health for over six years, providing services for people across the lifespan and from diverse backgrounds. Since her move to UAE in 2018, she has contributed to developing and strengthening the social and emotional culture in schools, an area which has significant influence on the wellbeing of children.

Praseetha has experience working with children and adolescents with a wide range of psychological difficulties such as anxiety, depression, self-harm tendencies, body image concerns and self-esteem. Her work is drawn from various evidence-based psychological approaches, including cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), person-centered therapy, psychodynamic based frameworks. Her primary focus is on expressive and creative art therapy, which utilizes play, movement, art, and drama as a medium of expression. She finds that the creative arts help children easily access both their difficulties and their inner world in a way that is playful, spontaneous and transformative.

Praseetha helps children both individually and in groups, provides parental support, and works alongside schools to provide holistic support to children and their families. She believes that there is immense strength in providing a safe, non-judgmental and nurturing space for clients that empowers them to find their voice and navigate through different life experiences.

SUZETTE

Suzette has been working as an educational psychologist in private practice and school environments since 2007, in addition to 16 years as a school teacher working mainly within special educational needs. She obtained her master’s and doctorate degrees in Educational Psychology at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. 

Suzette assesses, diagnoses, and treats learning and developmental barriers which can impair the psychological, social, and emotional wellbeing of children and young people. Suzette holds special interest in solution-focused family therapy, child-centered play therapy (CCPT), and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

To ensure the best treatment outcomes, Suzette utilizes a multi-disciplinary approach by collaborating with parents, teachers, and other pediatric specialists. She also aims to promote resilience by guiding clients to utilize their personal strengths and assets, so that optimal development and learning can take place. 

THERESE

Therese Sequeira is a teacher with a B. Ed from Edith Cowan University, Australia and a M.Sc Applied Psychology from Middlesex University, UK. She worked as a primary school and special educational needs teacher in Australia, Papua New Guinea and the United Arab Emirates for 20 years.  

Therese developed an interest in parenting during her teaching career and in 2007 she commenced her training as a Triple P Practitioner, working with parents of young children, teenagers and Children of Determination, offering a wide variety of Triple P programs to individuals, small and large groups at schools, nurseries & workplaces. Therese is also a contract trainer for Triple P International who disseminates the Triple P programs globally, and this role ensures she remains updated on recent research in parenting. 

Therese helps parents acquire skills to better manage every day and complex problems in families, while encouraging the development of strong relationships, good communication and shared values. She finds it tremendously rewarding to see parents regain their confidence and make positive changes in their families which strengthen relationships between all family members. 

Therese offers the following Triple P Programs: Group Triple P; Group Teen Triple P; Group Stepping Stones Triple P; Fear-Less Triple P; Family Transitions Triple P; Triple P Discussion Groups for parents of children and teenagers; Triple P Seminars.