Nicole El Hawi

Nicole El Hawi is a licensed clinical psychologist and co-founder of Koena Clinics. Driven by the belief that meaningful change is possible at any stage of development and that it is never too late for families to reshape their relational patterns, she founded Koena alongside Lea Harb to create a space where clients of all ages can receive thoughtful, individualised support. She oversees team supervision and the strategic growth of the practice. In addition to her work at Koena, Nicole serves as a consultant clinical lead psychologist in Kuwait, where she provides neuropsychological assessment and psychotherapy sessions.

With 7 years of experience, Nicole's clinical work is shaped by a deep interest in the complexities of family life and child development. She works extensively with families navigating challenges related to parenting, family dynamics, and the psychological transitions that come with puberty and adolescence. She has particular expertise in working with children and young people experiencing OCD, ODD, anxiety, and behavioural difficulties, drawing on evidence-based modalities including CBT, DBT, and ACT to provide tailored care. Her work with young adults spans personality disorders, trauma, identity and self-exploration, relational difficulties, and the developmental transitions unique to that stage of life. Her approach is grounded in understanding each family as a system, helping parents and children build healthier patterns of communication, set boundaries, and move through difficult stages together.

Nicole has received advanced training in ACT, CBT, DBT, ADOS-2 clinical administration, and time-limited dynamic psychotherapy. She has experience supervising psychologists and school counsellors, and has led the development of multi-tiered support systems in educational settings.

Nicole holds a Master's in Child and Adolescent Mental Health from King's College London (IoPPN) and a BSc in Psychology from Brunel University London. She is currently pursuing her PhD at the University of Limoges through the EpiMaCT programme, where her research focuses on emerging psychoses in Arabic-speaking populations, exploring the validation of clinical tools and comparative epidemiology between Lebanon, Kuwait, and France. Her earlier research included work on trauma in children and young adults, and the evaluation of outcome measures for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the University of Manchester. Her work has been published in Autism Research and the Infant Mental Health Journal. She is trilingual in Arabic, English, and French.