Our Psychiatrists
Dr. Mounir Khani, MD
For Dr. Mounir Khani, psychiatry has always been about more than treating mental health conditions. It is about understanding people, challenging misconceptions, and helping create a society where seeking mental healthcare is met with understanding rather than judgment.
A leading figure in psychiatry in Lebanon and the Middle East, Dr. Khani has dedicated his career to advancing mental healthcare, strengthening psychiatric education, and challenging the stigma surrounding mental illness.
As the Founding Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC), he spent 30 years helping transform a department that began with two psychiatrists and two offices into a comprehensive center for psychiatric care. Under his leadership, the department expanded to include multidisciplinary teams of psychiatrists, psychologists, and mental health specialists, a ten-room inpatient unit, and a psychiatric residency program that he developed.
Beyond his institutional achievements, Dr. Khani's work has helped shape the development and recognition of psychiatry within the region's medical community.
He is board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and has served as Chairman of the Medical and Scientific Committee of the Alzheimer's Association in Lebanon, where he has also been an Honorary Director and member. He is an active member of the organizing committee for the Arab Board of Psychiatry and a recipient of AUBMC's Lifetime Achievement Award.
As an Associate Professor at the American University of Beirut's medical school, he has contributed to the education of future physicians through psychiatry courses and seminars.
His clinical areas of care include anxiety, emotional disorders, bipolar disorder, depression, eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, paranoia, dementia, and schizophrenia.
Throughout his career, Dr. Khani has remained committed to an essential belief: mental health deserves the same attention, understanding, and respect as every other aspect of human health.
That commitment continues to shape the philosophy and direction of Khani Psych Clinics.
Co-Founder | Psychiatrist
Dr. Zeinab Bazzi, MD
Understanding mental health means recognizing that every stage of life brings its own experiences, challenges, and needs.
For Dr. Zeinab Bazzi, this understanding is central to her work with children, adolescents, and adults.
Dr. Bazzi earned her medical degree from the American University of Beirut in 2014 before completing her residency in General Psychiatry at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) in 2018.
She went on to complete a fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in 2020 and was subsequently appointed as a Clinical Associate at AUBMC.
Throughout her training and professional career, she has been involved in psychiatric research, educational initiatives, community outreach, and parenting guidance, particularly for mothers of young children.
Her clinical experience spans a wide range of psychiatric conditions and age groups.
She works closely with other healthcare professionals, including clinical psychologists and therapeutic practitioners, to develop comprehensive plans of care that reflect each patient's individual needs.
When working with children, Dr. Bazzi places particular importance on the family. She believes parents are essential partners in understanding a child's difficulties and supporting their progress.
Her areas of interest include: anxiety disorders, mood disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), childhood psychiatric conditions, early childhood behavioral difficulties, and parenting challenges involving preschoolers and young children.
Alongside her clinical practice, Dr. Bazzi remains committed to increasing awareness and reducing the stigma surrounding mental health, particularly among children and young people.
She joined Khani Psych Clinics in September 2022, where she provides psychiatric consultations for children, adolescents, and adults.
Her approach reflects a simple but important understanding: supporting someone's mental health often means understanding not only the individual, but also the relationships, family dynamics, and circumstances that shape their experience.
Psychiatrist | Child, Adolescent & Adult Psychiatry
Dr. Hassan Bourji, MD
Mental health does not exist separately from the circumstances in which people live. Personal experiences, relationships, environments, and access to care can all influence how individuals experience and manage psychological difficulties.
This broader understanding of mental health is reflected in Dr. Hassan Bourji's clinical and professional work.
A Lebanese psychiatrist, Dr. Bourji serves as the General Manager (CEO) and an attending physician at Shifaa Specialty Hospital. He completed his postgraduate specialization in psychiatry at Beirut Arab University, where he has also served as a lecturer in the Master's program.
His clinical experience extends across hospital-based psychiatric services, mobile medical clinics, community mental health initiatives, and private practice. Throughout his career, he has provided psychiatric care to thousands of patients across Lebanon, including individuals and communities facing significant barriers to mental healthcare.
Dr. Bourji collaborates with several humanitarian and institutional organizations, including AMEL Association, International Medical Corps (IMC), Embrace, and the Internal Security Forces (ISF). Through these collaborations, he has provided psychiatric services to underserved populations and individuals in correctional settings.
He is also a member of the national team of psychiatrists participating in the Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT) program under the auspices of Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health.
His academic and research interests focus on trauma-related mental health conditions, addiction psychiatry, and the development of community-based mental health interventions.
A consistent theme throughout his work is the importance of making psychiatric care more accessible, particularly to people whose circumstances may make seeking or receiving support more difficult.
His experience brings together clinical psychiatry, academic involvement, and a broader understanding of the social realities that influence mental health.
Psychiatrist
Dr. Fadel Shihimi, MD
Mental health is influenced by more than symptoms or diagnoses. Each person brings their own experiences, circumstances, beliefs, and challenges to the process of seeking care. Understanding these individual differences is an important part of psychiatric treatment.
Dr. Fadel Shihimi is a Lebanese psychiatrist whose professional experience includes clinical practice, academic research, and involvement in the wider psychiatric community.
His professional background includes an association with the Department of Psychiatry at the Beirut Arab University (BAU) and Shifaa Specialty Hospital in Lebanon.
Beyond clinical practice, Dr. Shihimi has contributed to psychiatric research exploring the relationship between mental health treatment, personal beliefs, and individual decision-making. In 2022, he co-authored a study examining how patients receiving antipsychotic medication navigate decisions about fasting during Ramadan, highlighting the importance of considering personal and cultural circumstances in psychiatric care.
He has also contributed to the development of the psychiatric profession in Lebanon, serving on the Executive Committee of the Lebanese Psychiatric Society in 2021 and participating in professional educational activities.
His clinical practice has been publicly described as including the assessment and treatment of psychiatric disorders and substance use disorders.
His professional experience reflects the importance of considering both medical needs and the broader circumstances that influence mental health and treatment decisions.
Psychiatrist
Our Psychologists
Christine El Zein, MA
For Christine El Zein, therapy begins with something fundamental: the relationship between two human beings.
While professional knowledge and therapeutic techniques are essential, she believes that trust, understanding, and genuine human connection are equally important to the therapeutic process.
Christine is a licensed clinical psychologist whose practice incorporates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). She holds a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, bringing together two professional backgrounds that have shaped her understanding of mental healthcare.
With more than ten years of experience in the mental health sector, she has worked with adolescents and adults experiencing psychological difficulties of varying nature and severity.
Her professional journey began in psychiatric nursing at the Department of Psychiatry at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC), where she worked for several years as an outpatient psychiatric nurse. This experience inspired her to pursue graduate studies in clinical psychology.
Beyond her clinical work, Christine has contributed extensively to mental health outreach and awareness through Embrace. She served as a board member of the organization and, in 2020, became its National Lifeline Supervisor.
She joined Khani Psych Clinics in 2022, bringing a holistic perspective to her psychological practice and a strong belief in the importance of the therapeutic relationship.
Christine is passionate about increasing mental health awareness and challenging the stigma that can prevent people from seeking support. She believes that understanding ourselves and recognizing when we may need help are important parts of personal well-being.
Her approach is grounded in professional knowledge, lived clinical experience, and a genuine respect for the individuality of every person she works with.
Christine provides care in Arabic, Armenian, English, and French.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Mohamad Manasfi, MA
We all develop ways of thinking, feeling, and responding to the world around us. Some of these patterns help us navigate life, while others can become sources of difficulty, sometimes without us fully understanding why.
For Mohamad Manasfi, therapy offers an opportunity to explore these patterns, understand where they come from, and discover different ways of responding.
Mohamad is a licensed clinical psychologist with a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology and experience working with adolescents and adults across private practice, hospital, and community mental health settings.
His therapeutic approach is primarily grounded in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), while integrating techniques from Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), mindfulness, and other evidence-based approaches according to each person's needs.
His clinical experience includes working with anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), depression, stress, emotional regulation, self-esteem and self-worth difficulties, and interpersonal and relationship challenges.
His work also extends to couples therapy, sexual health and psychosexual concerns, as well as psychological and cognitive assessments when clinically indicated.
Mohamad places particular emphasis on helping clients better understand the connections between their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Through this understanding, therapy becomes a collaborative process of developing practical strategies and exploring possibilities for meaningful, lasting change.
He aims to create a respectful, supportive, and nonjudgmental therapeutic environment where individuals can openly explore their experiences, better understand themselves, and develop greater flexibility in how they approach life's challenges.
At the heart of his approach is the understanding that change does not always begin with finding an immediate solution. Sometimes, it begins with seeing ourselves and our experiences more clearly.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Jana Hamam , MA
Our experiences shape us, sometimes in ways we recognize and sometimes in ways we are only beginning to understand.
For Jana Hamam, understanding a person's emotional and psychological difficulties also means understanding the experiences, relationships, and environments that have influenced their life.
Jana is a licensed clinical psychologist in Lebanon and a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) in Ontario, Canada. She holds a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology from the American University of Beirut and a Master's degree in Counselling Psychology from Western University.
She brings five years of experience across hospital, community, crisis intervention, and private practice settings in Lebanon and Canada.
Her work is grounded in trauma- and violence-informed care (TVIC), an approach that recognizes how challenging experiences and environments can influence the ways people think, feel, relate, and respond.
Rather than viewing every difficulty as something inherently wrong within a person, Jana seeks to understand the circumstances and experiences that may have contributed to it.
She works with adults and adolescents navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship difficulties, identity exploration, and life transitions.
She is particularly interested in supporting individuals who find themselves repeating patterns that may once have helped them cope with difficult circumstances but no longer serve them in the same way.
Her therapeutic approach integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and EMDR-informed interventions.
Jana's style is warm, collaborative, and guided by respect for each person's experiences, pace, and autonomy.
She believes that meaningful therapeutic work involves understanding not only what someone is experiencing today, but also how their experiences have shaped the person they have become.
Through curiosity, collaboration, and self-compassion, she supports individuals in exploring possibilities for change that feel meaningful and sustainable.
Jana provides psychotherapy in English and Arabic.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Our Coaches
Maher Khani, CPCC
Life has a way of shaping who we become.
Through our experiences, relationships, achievements, setbacks, and the choices we make along the way, we develop an understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
But that understanding is not fixed. We can question it, challenge it, and discover possibilities we may not have considered before.
For Maher Khani, this is where coaching begins.
Maher is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) and empowerment coach who earned his certification through the Coaches Training Institute (CTI) in Dubai.
His professional background spans more than two decades across the United States and the Middle East, including nine years working on Wall Street in New York City and more than thirteen years of professional experience in Dubai, Kuwait, and Beirut.
A graduate of the American University of Beirut, Maher also served as a coaching consultant at the university's wellness center. These experiences have shaped his understanding of people, personal development, professional challenges, and the different cultural and social environments that influence how we live and work.
As Co-Founder of Khani Psych Clinics, Maher brings this perspective into the clinic's broader vision, contributing to an environment that recognizes the importance of individual experiences, personal development, and the different forms of support people may need throughout their lives.
Maher's coaching philosophy is rooted in the belief that people possess the capacity to grow, evolve, and create meaningful change in their lives. Through a highly engaged, empathetic, and thought-provoking coaching style, he works with individuals to explore their perspectives, recognize their strengths, challenge limiting patterns, and develop a clearer understanding of what they want from themselves and their lives.
His areas of expertise include life coaching, performance coaching, transformation coaching, corporate coaching, and youth training.
He also brings extensive professional and leadership experience to his work with corporate clients, combining an understanding of organizational realities with a focus on the individuals navigating them. Connection is central to Maher's approach.
He believes that meaningful transformation begins with genuine engagement, honest reflection, and a willingness to look beyond familiar assumptions.
His personal philosophy, "Be Awesome. Do Awesome", reflects his belief in the possibilities that emerge when people become more conscious of who they are, what matters to them, and how they choose to live.
For Maher, coaching is not about telling people who they should become. It is about helping them explore who they are, recognize what is possible, and take ownership of the direction they choose.
Co-Founder | Certified Professional Co-Active Coach | Life & Empowerment Coach
Lamis Youssef
There are moments in life when we know something needs to change, but we are not entirely sure what that change should look like or where to begin.
For Lamis Youssef, coaching is about creating the space to explore those questions, understand ourselves more clearly, and find a way forward that feels both meaningful and realistic.
Lamis is a life coach at Khani Psych Clinics, where she works with individuals seeking greater clarity, balance, self-awareness, and direction in different areas of their lives.
With a background in accounting and several years of professional experience in client-facing roles, she developed a strong interest in communication, personal development, and understanding how people navigate challenges and change.
She holds certificates in Life Coaching and Psychosocial Support and has received professional coaching training and supervision under Maher Khani, CPCC.
Her coaching work focuses on helping individuals clarify their goals, identify their strengths and values, recognize patterns that may be limiting their progress, and develop practical steps toward meaningful change.
She supports clients navigating stress, self-confidence, personal boundaries, decision-making, life transitions, motivation, personal growth, and work-life concerns.
Lamis approaches coaching as a collaborative process, one that encourages reflection, honest conversations, and personal accountability.
She believes that people do not necessarily need someone to provide them with answers. Often, they need the opportunity to ask themselves the right questions, explore their perspectives, and better understand what matters to them.
Her approach is supportive, practical, and goal-oriented, with an emphasis on helping individuals translate greater self-awareness into realistic, sustainable action.
At the center of her work is a belief that personal growth is not about becoming someone else, but about developing a clearer understanding of ourselves and making more conscious choices about how we move forward.
Life Coach
Online or In Person
Our Specialists are taking appointments in person and online. The choice is yours.