Maisha M. Syeda, MSc.
About The Author:
Maisha M. Syeda is pursuing her doctoral degree in School and Applied Child Psychology at University of Calgary (U of C), in Alberta, Canada. She also received her Master’s degree in the same discipline from U of C. She obtained her Honors Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto, with a specialization in Psychology and major in Human Biology.
Maisha’s research interests, primarily lie within the field of childhood anxiety. For her Master’s Thesis, she investigated the relation between parenting stress and children’s attribution style in childhood anxiety, and whether that relationship was influenced by variables such as the child’s age, sex, ethnic orientation or their own perception of their parents’ stress. Her thesis was funded by a number of provincial and University of Calgary scholarships, including a prestigious graduate scholarship, sponsored by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
Additionally, Maisha is also interested in developing and facilitating school-based prevention and intervention programs for anxiety and mood disorders for diverse student populations. In line with this, her doctoral dissertation will be evaluating the efficacy of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy to reduce anxiety in identified gifted youth. Aside from research, Maisha also has clinical experiences in assessment and diagnosis of psychological disorders (e.g., ADHD, learning disabilities, anxiety disorders, intellectual disability) in school-age populations, as well as facilitating psycho-educational and social-skills related interventions in both school and community settings.