Sarah Maamari

 “I am passionate about nurturing positive emotions and behaviors in children and adolescents, empowering them to lead healthier, happier, and more resilient lives.”

I am a Psychologist specialising in supporting children, adolescents, and young adults with a range of emotional and behavioural difficulties. I hold a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology and have been practicing in the UAE for the past six years. My approach is collaborative, evidence-based, and tailored to the individual needs of each young person and their family.

My clinical background includes experience across clinic, hospital, and school settings, where I have worked alongside multidisciplinary teams to provide holistic and coordinated care.

Prior to my current clinical role, I established the counselling department at a prestigious and innovative International Baccalaureate (IB) school, providing mental health support through individual and group sessions, as well as parenting guidance. I developed a comprehensive wellbeing program, offering workshops and talks on mental health topics, including parenting seminars and school-wide wellbeing workshops designed to build resilience across the school community.

In my clinical work, I support young people experiencing difficulties including anxiety, low mood, emotional dysregulation, stress, grief and loss, interpersonal difficulties, low self-esteem, and challenges associated with major life transitions. I draw from a range of therapeutic modalities, tailoring my approach to the individual needs, developmental stage, and context of each young person.

Parent work is an important part of my practice. I work closely with caregivers to help them better understand their child’s emotional and behavioural needs and develop practical strategies that can be applied at home. My parenting work is informed by approaches including the Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) and Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT), with a focus on strengthening the parent-child relationship, improving communication, establishing consistent and supportive boundaries, and helping parents feel more confident in responding to their child’s needs.

In addition to therapy, I am currently undertaking further training in psychological and neurodevelopmental assessment and conducting assessment sessions for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and learning disorders under supervision. As part of this work, we take a biopsychosocial approach to assessment, considering neurodevelopmental, emotional, behavioural, and contextual factors to develop a well-rounded understanding of each young person’s strengths, areas of difficulty, and support needs.

Languages:  English and Arabic, Conversational in French.