Speech Title: Understanding Attachment Disorders in Childhood: Theories, Manifestations, and the Circle of Security as a Treatment
Biography: Dr. Sahar Kmeyha is a Lebanese-Canadian child and adolescent psychiatrist practicing at Charles-LeMoyne Hospital, Québec, Canada. She completed her psychiatry residency at the Sherbrooke University in 2022 and subspecialty training in child and adolescent psychiatry at the Montreal University in 2023. Her clinical work is primarily outpatient with children aged 6–12 presenting with diverse psychopathologies, including anxiety, ADHD, and autism. She has a particular interest in attachment disorders and collaborates with youth protection services to support institutionalized children and their families. Trained in the Circle of Security model, she applies this framework in both individual interventions and parent groups to strengthen caregiver–child relationships by focusing on the needs underlying behavior.