Carine el Khazen is a clinical psychologist with over 20 years of experience specializing in eating and weight disorders. She is a CBT-E therapist, trainer, and supervisor and holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical and Psychopathological Psychology (University of Saint Joseph, Lebanon), a post-graduate degree (DESS) from the University of Paris V (Sorbonne, France), and a Diploma in Profound Studies (DEA) in Clinical Psychopathology from the University of Paris VI (Jussieu, France). 

She trained at leading psychiatric institutions, including The Maudsley Hospital (UK), Sainte-Anne Hospital (France), and St. Georges University Hospital (Lebanon). Before joining ACPN in 2011, she spent eight years as a clinical psychologist at the General Medical Center (Dubai, UAE) and nine years as a school psychologist in international schools and nurseries. Carine also serves as the Clinical Lead for the Psychology Services at ACPN Dubai and Sharjah, leading a team of over 25 clinical psychologists. 

At ACPN Dubai, she founded and directs one of the only accredited CBT-E Centers of Excellence in the world—a specialized outpatient program providing evidence-based treatment for Anorexia, Bulimia, Binge-Eating Disorder, ARFID, and picky eating for children, adolescents, and adults. 

She co-authored “Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Young People: A Parent’s Guide” with Dr. Riccardo Dalle Grave, the first and only CBT-E guide for parents, published by Routledge Press in 2021 and has contributed to multiple peer-reviewed research articles. 

Carine is a Fellow of the Academy for Eating Disorders (AED) and contributed to the AED Minimum Standards of Care and the AED Core Curriculum for training healthcare professionals in eating disorders. She has led CBT-E training for psychologists, dietitians, and medical doctors across the Middle East (UAE, Lebanon, Qatar), helping major institutions like AUBMC and Sidra Medicine establish multi-disciplinary CBT-E programs.

Carine served as Vice-President of MEEDA (Middle East Eating Disorders Association) for over a decade, driving MEEDA’s efforts both regionally and internationally to raise awareness, enhance access to care, and position the region on the global map for eating disorder advocacy and treatment. She is deeply committed to advocacy, education, and professional development, tirelessly working to improve mental health care through organizing international conferences and fostering collaboration among global experts to advance the field. 

Dr. Riccardo Dalle Grave is the Director of the Department of Eating and Weight Disorders at Villa Garda Hospital (Italy). He developed the inpatient and outpatient CBT-E programs used at Villa Garda and is internationally recognized for adapting CBT-E for adolescents with eating disorders—a treatment now recommended by the NICE guidelines.

He also developed cognitive behavioral therapy for obesity (CBT-OB) and for binge-eating disorder. Dr. Dalle Grave leads the 1° Certificate in Eating Disorders and Obesity for health professionals, teaches in Italian psychotherapy schools, and supervises clinical teams across Europe, the US, Australia, and the Middle East. 

A fellow of the Academy for Eating Disorders (AED) and a board member of both AED’s European Chapter and AIDAP, he serves on several editorial boards and is editor of www.cbte.co. He has authored over 185 peer-reviewed articles and multiple books, including: 

• CBT for Adolescents with Eating Disorders (Guilford, 2020) 
• CBT for Eating Disorders in Young People: A Parents’ Guide (Routledge, 2022) 
• A Young Person’s Guide to CBT for Eating Disorders (Routledge, 2024) 
• CBT for Binge Eating Disorder (Springer) 

Maya Fleifel Sidani is a Clinical Psychologist and Team Leader at the American Center of Psychology and Neurology – Dubai Office, bringing 23 years of international experience across the USA, Egypt, and the UAE. She is a certified practitioner in CBT-E and a leading expert in the treatment of eating disorders, including Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, and Night Eating Syndrome, working with individuals of all ages.

Since 2017, Maya has been an integral part of ACPN’s multidisciplinary eating disorders program, implementing evidence-based treatments such as CBT-E and Family-Based Therapy (FBT). She is actively engaged in raising awareness about eating disorders throughout the UAE and provides professional training for clinicians in the field.

Beyond eating disorders, Maya offers specialized care for a wide range of psychological conditions, including anxiety disorders (panic disorder, phobias), mood disorders, and adjustment disorders. She is also an expert in parenting and child development, addressing issues such as childhood anxiety, communication difficulties, assertiveness, and behavioral challenges.

A recognized voice in psychology, Maya is a frequent guest on television and radio shows discussing parenting, childhood development, and mental health. She is also a contributing writer for leading publications and plays an active role in community outreach, workshops, and awareness programs for schools and social organizations on various psychological and psychiatric topics.

Dr Carole Wehbe Chidiac is a Family Medicine Consultant specialized as well in Eating Disorders, Sports and Exercise Medicine and occupational medicine.

She is accredited in cognitive behavioral therapy for eating disorders and trained in other psychological approaches to lifestyle changes.  

She has been practicing for almost 30 years and her approach is evidence based, holistic, non judgmental and collaborative, based on informed decisions. 

Dr Carole is an author and a speaker focusing mainly on educating health care professionals about the negative consequences of weight stigma and weight cycling, and the benefits of a weight inclusive approach to health and wellbeing. She participated as an instructor and supervisor in many workshops and trainings including the CBTE training of the first eating disorder unit at AUB-MC.

Ms. Abu Taha graduated in 2004 from Hashemite University in Zarqa, Jordan, with a Bachelor’s degree (BSc) in Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics. She then went on to train in post-obesity surgery in Leeds, United Kingdom. In 2006, Ms. Abu Taha attended a training program for Diabetes Education Specialists in Amman, Jordan.

Ms. Hala has been working in UAE for the past several of years counseling individuals with eating disorders to implement the proper nutritional interventions within a specialized multi-disciplinary team. She obtained her knowledge and confidence to work with eating disorders patients after getting supervision sessions with international leaders in the eating disorders world such as Marcia Herrin and Dr. Riccardo Dalleh Grave (CBT-E). Hala has completed her CREDO webcentred training on CBT-E for Eating Disorders. She works with patients with BED, Bulimia nervosa, Anorexia nervosa and ARFID confidently. Along with her one-on-one counseling, she has conducted multiple training sessions in the UAE and Lebanon to multidisciplinary teams. Hala also took part twice as a speaker in the international conference for eating disorders (ICED) that was conducted in Prague in June 2017 in New York in 2019. In addition to her work with eating disorders patients she works on weight loss (CBT-OB), diabetes, pregnancy, nutritional intervention in after pre and post bariatric surgeries, childhood obesity among other health-related conditions.

Ms. Abu Taha works closely with her clients, building solid and trusting relationships, helping them achieve long-term dietary habits, and encouraging a healthy lifestyle. In addition to pre- and post-surgery support, she works with homecare patients to assess and tailor the unique nutritional plans required for different cases. Beyond her one-on-one counseling services, Ms. Abu Taha has an active media presence, appearing regularly on televisions shows and radio stations as a dietitian to highlight the importance of nutrition on overall health and well-being.

Saria El Hachem, MD is a Family Medicine Specialist currently practicing in Dubai, United Arab Emirates with a special interest in eating disorders and obesity-related conditions.

Dr. El Hachem completed her Family Medicine Residency at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC), an ACGME-accredited program.

She has been involved in teaching medical students, delivering core lectures, and conducting research on mental health, including notable published papers on university students’ attitudes toward seeking psychological help. She also has recently participated in providing the eating disorders complications in the CBT-E training offered by the AUBMC psychiatry department.

She continues to pursue professional development, recently completing courses on easing physical symptoms and pain management in palliative care from the University of Colorado; Credo CBT-E for eating disorders from University of Oxford; and currently pursuing a certification in functional and nutritional medicine to enhance more her knowledge into the root cause of the diseases.

Her patient-centered, evidence-based practice reflects her commitment to personalized healthcare and community well-being.

Dr. Ghida Kassir completed her medical training at the American University of Beirut (AUB) in 2018, followed by a residency in psychiatry at the same institution. She then served as Chief Resident in Psychiatry, also at AUB, and worked as a part-time adult psychiatrist for a mobile crisis team with the NGO EMBRACE and at the Karagheusian Healthcare Center.

Dr. Kassir then left Lebanon to pursue further specialization in Toronto, Canada. She completed her first clinical fellowship in Adolescent Psychiatry and Eating Disorders at the University of Toronto and Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, one of the few hospitals with specialized residential and day treatment programs for eating disorders. This was followed by a second clinical fellowship in Treatment-Resistant Psychiatric Disorders and Brain Stimulation Therapies, also at Ontario Shores. 

Dr. Kassir was then appointed Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada, where she is currently an adult inpatient psychiatrist at Kingston General Hospital.  

In addition, Dr. Kassir has a proven track record in academic research, with numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals. She is passionate about mental health equity and reducing disparities in mental illness and access to treatment through advocacy and research. One of her research interests include the role of brain stimulation therapies, particularly transcranial magnetic stimulation, in the treatment of anorexia nervosa.