Dr Shaban is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Birmingham Dubai. He earned my PhD in Psychology from the University of Reading, under the supervision of Professor Craig Steel and Dr. Helen Kennerley (University of Oxford). His doctoral research examined maladaptive representations of religious beliefs as cognitive schemata and their association with depression and anxiety, work that has since developed into the Religious Schema Questionnaire (ReSQue). He has presented this research both nationally and internationally, including at the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) conference and the European Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies (EABCT).
Prior to joining the University of Birmingham Dubai, he was a Lecturer in Psychology at United Arab Emirates University (2015–2025). There he taught across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, developed several new modules (including Abnormal Psychology, Arab Psychology, and Cross-Cultural Psychology), and coordinated placements on the MA in Clinical Psychology. He has extensive experience supervising research at both master’s and doctoral level, including as an external supervisor on the University of Oxford’s Clinical Psychology doctoral programme.
Alongside his academic roles, he brings a wealth of clinical and supervisory experience. He practiced for over a decade in the UK’s National Health Service as a BABCP-accredited Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist and clinical supervisor, working within Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust. Internationally, he has contributed to the development of mental health services in Libya, leading a World Health Organization (WHO)–sponsored CBT training programme for psychiatrists and psychologists, as well as a large-scale training initiative with the Libya Foundation for Rehabilitation. More recently, he has served as service-wide clinical supervisor at Thrive Wellbeing Centre in Dubai, supporting clinicians in delivering evidence-based care.
He holds professional memberships with the American Psychological Association, the British Psychological Society (Chartered Psychologist), and the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies. He is also a licensed psychologist with the Community Development Authority, Dubai. His training portfolio includes advanced training with leading experts in CBT, schema therapy, trauma, and supervision.
His academic and clinical trajectory reflects a consistent focus on the intersection of culture, religion, and mental health. Through teaching, supervision, and research, he aims to develop culturally adapted models of psychotherapy that address the specific needs of Arab Muslim populations, while contributing to global discussions in cross-cultural psychology and evidence-based mental health practice.