Dr. Thoraiya Kanafani
Clinical Psychologist
Clinical Director
Dr. Thoraiya Kanafani is a highly experienced Dubai-based clinical psychologist specializing in young adult and couples therapy. With over 20 years of practice across Canada, Bahrain, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia, she brings a global perspective to her work.
Holding a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Dr. Kanafani is licensed in Canada as a psychotherapist and a suicide interventionist as well as is dual-licensed by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and Community Development Authority (CDA). Her academic background includes degrees from Concordia University, McGill University, and the University of Ottawa.
As an adjunct professor at Middlesex University and previously at the American University of Sharjah, Heriot-Watt University, and Canadian University of Dubai, Dr. Kanafani is dedicated to educating the next generation of mental health professionals. Dr. Kanafani has created and supervises over HRIC’s internship program available to students who have graduated from both their Bachelor’s and Master’s programs.
Dr. Kanafani’s expertise lies in helping individuals and couples with a range of difficulties, from clinical ones (depression, anxiety, trauma, personality disorders, eating disorders) to daily navigation of life’s challenges. She also provides psycho-educational assessments to students to evaluate learning difficulties as well as ADHD in children and adults. She provides compassionate, evidence-based care tailored to each client’s unique needs.
Certifications and Trainings:
- Brainspotting Level 1
- Sex Therapy Informed Professional (CSTIP)
- Working with the Pain of Abandonment
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Jungian Psychoanalysis
- Mentalization-Based Treatment (MBT): Basic Training at UCLA Faculty Centre
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)- EMDR Institute Singapore
- Narrative Therapy
- Binge Eating Disorder: Clinical Interventions to Treat Underlying Trauma, Body Shame, and the Diet/Binge Cycle
- Disordered Eating: Somatic, Self Compassion, and Mindfulness Interventions for Lasting Recovery
- Addictive Behaviors as Self Preservation: Key Insights from the Internal Family Systems Model
- Shame Informed Treatment
- CSTS Certification – Eating Disorders, Addictive Eating, Body Shame
- Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy: Breakthrough treatments for Complex Mental Health Disorders
- Complex Trauma Treatment
- Psychology of Leadership
- Foundations of Clinical Supervision Course
- Advanced Clinical Supervision Certification