Dr Sameh Younan
Child, Youth and Family Psychiatrist, with a focus on therapy
FRANZCP, certificate Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Graduate Diploma Family and Couple Therapy, Certified DDP practitioner, Foundational Theraplay Practitioner
I am a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist who has worked for many years in public hospitals and community clinics and have now started to work in private practice.
Over the course of the many years of my training, I’ve learnt a lot from experts, from colleagues and from the families with whom I have worked. My own understanding of psychiatry has expanded from thinking about which medication is the most suitable for which diagnosis, to reflecting on the fundamental questions of why we do what we do. Why for example do some young people quietly suffer in silence, whereas others always seem to be able to draw people to themselves. Why do some parents get more upset when their children make disrespectful comments, whereas others get more upset if they think they think their children are upset with them.
The answers to these questions have actually taken decades of research into understanding family systems, Attachment theory, and cutting-edge research about the way the brain manages Big Feelings and Emotions. This research has also led to the development of many therapies which inform my work including Circle of security, Systemic Family Therapy, Attachment Based Family Therapy, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, Theraplay, Emotion Focused Therapy, EMDR and Internal Family Systems therapy.
Because of this, when families come to me for treatment, I like to work with the family as we explore the reasons for the young person’s behaviours together, including exploring factors that might be making it harder for the young person to accept help from their parents.
Our sessions usually involve individual work with the young person and individual work with the parents, where each person’s views about behaviours and emotions are valued and understood, before bringing the family back together again to foster each person’s sense of connection. In addition to this, we will sometimes also consider whether medication may be helpful.
I feel my approach is a good fit for families who are looking for a psychiatric opinion and are not yet sure if medication is necessary, especially for clients aged 5- 18 where the problems are anxiety, depression, disruptive behaviour, grief, trauma and relationship issues. Whilst I acknowledge that there is a high need for treatment of ADHD, that is not the focus of my practice at this time.
Dr Younan works on Fridays.
