Meet the Therapist: Claudia Sáenz, Child & Teen Psychologist
What brought you to Shanghai and Body & Soul?
I moved from Chile to Shanghai two years ago with my then boyfriend, now husband. He came for a job opportunity. Even though we are far away from home, I’ve enjoyed experiencing so many new things in Shanghai. I love being able to meet people from all over the world. Working with the team at Body & Soul is another wonderful opportunity.
Tell us a little bit about your professional background.
I received my Psychology undergraduate degree from Universidad del Desarrollo in Concepción, Chile. I then went on to complete my postgraduate Diploma in Children Clinic Psychodiagnostics, with a psychoanalysis focus. I received my Clinical Psychologist Accreditation in Children Psychotherapy.
My eight years of experience in Chile included working with children in schools, clinic settings and government programs. I served as school psychologist in a Montessori school. I provided psychodiagnostics and psychoanalysis for young children and teenagers in private clinics. Additionally, I worked for a government agency providing intervention for at-risk children and teenagers. I also taught psychology at Universidad del Desarrollo in Santiago, Chile. I’ve done some work with art therapy as well.
Can you tell us a little about your specialties and treatment methods?
My chosen specialty within psychology is psychoanalysis, which is my main mode of treatment. Psychodiagnostics involves the use of psychological testing to assess factors underlying behavior. I have advanced knowledge of graphic, projective and psychometric psychological tests. I work with many children experiencing school and behavior problems, such as issues of ADHD. A lot of times there are underlying emotional issues and we can have great success with psychoanalytic treatment.
With experience in counseling and education, Claudia focuses on treating infants, children and teenagers suffering from various disorders, including emotional and behavioral disorders and study and learning problems. She offers consultations in our Downtown Clinic – Xintiandi. Click here for further information and to schedule a consultation with her.