Dr. Mayada Abdulla Banaja is a Consultant Psychiatrist at ACPN. She holds a degree in Medicine
and Surgery from King Saud University, Saudi Arabia, in 1996 progressing to a specialized diploma
in Psychotherapy and Sociotherapy from Paris Descartes University (Paris V), France in 2007. Dr.
Banaja is certified in group psychotherapy by the American Group Psychotherapy Association and
has a fellowship in family systemic therapy from Centre Moncaeu, Paris, France. She is a licensed
psychiatrist in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Her career spans two decades of experience in psychiatry across Saudi Arabia and France. Prior to
joining ACPN, Dr. Banaja served as a Consultant Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist in King Abdullah
bin Abdul Aziz University Hospital managing outpatient and inpatient psychiatry and leading the
residency program there. She held a dual role of clinical and academics with an oversight of tutoring
and supervision as well as examinations for resident psychiatrists and psychologists. She previously
also served in premier institutions across the kingdom including Prince Sultan Medical Military City
for nine years until 2016, and as Deputy Head of the Department of Psychiatry at the Military
Hospital in Riyadh for four years until 2015. Her career in France saw her focusing on teaching and
training in psychiatry at Tarnier Hospital for four years until 2007.
Dr. Banaja’s expertise lies in various areas of psychiatry and psychotherapy, including general, adult
psychiatry with a focus on personality disorders, gender dysphoria, eating disorders, anxiety
disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, and major depressive disorder. Her professional interests
are deeply rooted in enhancing mental health services, with a specific focus on group and family
therapy, an area where she has substantial clinical and teaching experience.
