About Dr. Zaidi:
As a clinical psychologist, I provide a variety of services to children, adolescents, and adults hoping to make changes in their lives. This includes assessment, psychotherapy, and life coaching. My training has been broad, and I tailor my approach to the needs of individual patients. Unlike many traditional medical interventions, psychological work is a highly collaborative effort between therapist and client/patient. My central goal is to help clients better understand themselves in their efforts to bring about change. With the client as an active participant, we discuss therapeutic goals and avenues toward achieving them.
In some instances, a client may request a life coaching approach -- as opposed to a more traditional psychotherapy approach -- which focuses more on typical life challenges, with the goal of developing awareness of obstructing patterns and themes as well as cultivating new strategies to maximize feelings of success and happiness. In most situations the work will entail a combination of various approaches.
Background & Training:
I received my Bachelor of Arts degree from Wellesley College in Massachusetts and went on to complete my Masters and Doctoral degrees at the University of Iowa. As part of my training in Clinical Psychology, I also completed a one-year internship at the University of Southern California and a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of California in Los Angeles. Among other positions, I have worked at the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders at the Veterans Administration in Palo Alto, California, and was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Seattle University. Additionally, I spent three years developing and implementing a comprehensive school counseling program at Lakeside Upper School in Seattle. I continue to conduct psychological research and have published nine articles and book chapters on assessment and treatment issues. I am a member of the American Psychological Association, Washington State Psychological Association, and several other national and local professional organizations and have been in private practice since 1996.
Practice Specialty Areas and Therapeutic Orientation:
Adults and adolescents.
Mood disorders and anxiety.
Trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Body image issues and eating disorders.
Learning challenges and attentional problems.
Behavioral problems and parenting issues.
School, work, and family difficulties.
Relationship problems.
Life challenges, such as those related to illness, bereavement, family change, relocation, and/or developmental changes such as transitioning to college or new parenthood.