Meet Sanaz SaeedAhmadi, an experienced child and family psychologist with over 11 years of experience supporting children, adolescents, and families across private practice, schools, psychiatric hospitals, and community mental health services. She is registered with AHPRA and is a Member of the Australian Psychological Society (MAPS).
Sanaz adopts a warm, child-centred, trauma-informed, and neuro-affirming approach, creating a safe and supportive space where children feel understood, empowered, and able to build confidence and emotional resilience. She provides therapy, parent support, and psychological assessments for a range of emotional, behavioural, developmental, and learning concerns, including ADHD, autism, anxiety, emotional regulation, and school-related difficulties.
She has experience working within School Readiness Funding (SRF) programs, supporting kindergarten children’s emotional, social, and developmental readiness for school.
She is passionate about working collaboratively with families from diverse cultural and developmental backgrounds and tailoring support to each child’s unique strengths and needs.
Areas of Interest
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and ADHD
- Developmental and intellectual disabilities
- Social skills and friendship difficulties
- Anxiety, self-esteem, and resilience
- Early childhood intervention
- Emotional regulation and behavioural difficulties
- Parenting support and parent-child relationships
- School transitions and school engagement
- Trauma, grief, and loss
- Family separation and family wellbeing
- Immigration and cultural adjustment challenges
She also has experience working within School Readiness Funding (SRF) programs, supporting 3–4-year-old kindergarten children and collaborating with educators to help build emotional, social, and developmental skills needed for a smooth transition to school.
Therapeutic Approach
Sanaz uses evidence-based and play-based interventions tailored to each child’s individual needs and developmental stage. Her approaches include:
- Child-Centred Play Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Attachment-based approaches
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Trauma-Informed Interventions
- Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS)
She also works closely with parents and caregivers, providing support, psychoeducation, and practical strategies to strengthen parent-child relationships, emotional regulation, and communication at home. Parenting frameworks integrated into her work include:
- Circle of Security (COS)
- Triple P
- Tuning in to Kids / Teens
Sanaz understands that parenting can feel challenging at times, particularly when families are navigating emotional, behavioural, developmental, or cultural difficulties. She values working collaboratively with families in a compassionate and supportive way.
Assessments
Sanaz provides comprehensive psychological and developmental assessments for children and adolescents and adults including:
- ADHD diagnostic assessments
- Autism screening assessments
- Cognitive and IQ assessments
- Emotional, behavioural, adaptive functioning, and school-readiness assessments
- Educational and school funding reports
- NDIS-related assessments and supporting documentation
Her assessment approach focuses on helping families better understand their child’s strengths, learning profile, challenges, and support needs, while providing practical recommendations for home, school, and daily functioning.
Outside of Work
Outside of work, Sanaz enjoys walking, cooking, travelling, and watching movies. She values opportunities to relax, explore new places, and spend meaningful time with family and friends.