Qualifications and Experience
Professional Qualifications
I am a fully qualified Educational Psychologist with full chartered status and a member of the Health Care Professionals Council (HCPC). I am chartered member of the British Psychological Society (BPS) and member of the Division of Educational and Child Psychology (DECP) and a member of the Association of Educational Psychologists (AEP).
I have the following qualifications:
- Social Psychology with Social Sciences (BA hons)
- Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) ( Social Sciences Secondary )
- MSc in Educational Psychology
- MSc in Applied Forensic Psychology including Level one Practising Certificate as a Forensic Psychologist- Postgraduate Certificate in the Fundamentals of Counselling and Psychotherapy
- Certificate in Cognitive Therapies
- Theraplay levels 1 and Level 2 including group Theraplay
- Certificate and accreditation in managing SAD events, including loss and bereavement ( for children, young people, carers and professionals- social workers, education setting staff, residential care workers and paramedics)
- Accredited Consultant Psychologist in Pillars of Parenting (therapeutic parenting model for children in care) iAccredited Trauma Informed Supervisor
- Professional Doctorate in Educational,and Child Psychology
Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
- Acreditation in Restorative Justice in residential care settings
- Motivational Interviewing
- Comples Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTD) in children and adolescents
- Mentalisation Therapeutic approaches for children and young people
- Schema Therapeutic approaches for children and young people
- Therapeutic Story Telling
- Therapeutic Life Story Work
- Attachment based interventions for school and the home setting including interventions based on the principles of P.ACE,
- Childhood anxiety and mood dysregulation and best practice approaches to evidenced-based intervention
- Dialectical BehaviourTherapeutic approaches (DBT) to manage emotional and behavioural dysregulation
- Children's drawings and personal construct approaches to assessment and intervention
- ASD initial identification as part of a multiagency assessment
- ADHD initial identification as part of a multiagency assessment
- Language and social communication and best practice to identification and evidenced-based interventions
- SPLd and best practice to identification in schools and evidence-based interventions
- Self-harming and best practice to evidenced-based intervention in schools and residential childrens homes
- Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) identification and best practices for evidence-based intervention
- Sensory sensitivities/processing and sensory regulation best practice approaches to evidenced -based interventions for schools and residential childrens homes
- Dynamic assessment approaches to learning- drawing on Vygotskian approaches and the use of scaffolding
- Neurodiversity, monotropism and the double empathy problem and implications for evidenced-based intervention and the focus on the child's voice including the development of the authentic self
- Child protection and safeguarding training levels 1-3
- Crimiinalisation, radicalisaton and exploitation of children and young people
- Domestic abuse
Areas of Specialism
I was a qualified secondary school teacher in an inner city London school for three years where I became Head of Year 10 before training as a psychologist. As a Head of Year I managed a variety of issues including, antisocial behaviours, school exclusion, bullying and various needs related to mental health. As a child and adolescent psychologist I have over 20 years experience (including three years in an assistant post) working with children, teens young people and their families, who have complex mental health, developmental and learning needs, substance misuse, domestic abuse and ineeds related to poverty and homelessness. I also have extensive experience with working with adults caring for children and carry out direct therapeutic work with parents/ carers, education setting staff and social workers.
I worked for a Local Authority (children's services) for 18 years and had a specialist post with children in care. My areas of specialisms are working with children, teens, young people and families who are experiencing emotional and behavioural challenges, including those who have experienced traumatic events. They may be related to attachment insecurity and complrc trauma in response to Adverse Childhood Experiences- (ACE's), child protection and safeguarding, bullying, negative sense of self anxiety, depression, challenges with connecting with peer relationships, eating challenges and self-harming behaviours, as well as working with youth justice. For the latter, I am a strong advocate regarding protecting young people from adultfication and criminalisation. Historically, and to date I have worked closely with CAMHS ( including Forensic CAMHS) and YOT (Youth Offending), schools, colleges, preschools and parents/carers. In addition, I have offered extensive individual therapeutic support to parents who are struggling. I am also a registered provider for the Adoption Support Special Guardianship Fund ASSGF fund across various LA's.
I have extensive experience with working with children and teens with a variety of needs including needs related to attachment insecurity and developmental trauma/CPSD, autism,, emotional and behavioural dysregulation and ADHD as well as language and learning diffierences. I have various publications including guidance for schools on how to manage the needs of children and teens experiencing attachment insecurity and trauma linked to Adverse Childhood Experiences in education settings and I have regularly spoken at national and international conferences, have had my work rolled out nationally and internationally, and regularly provide training and supervision in a wide variety of settings including schools and residential childrens homes.
Personal Approach
I take a systemic approach to working with children , teens, young people and adults. By this I mean I will look at the presenting concerns and needs of that individuals, however I will also explore what is happening in the life of the child/family. This is carried out through a mixture of direct assessment and consultation with parents/carers, children/YP and schools/additional professional involvement. Influencing factors may be family factors, school factors, learning difficulties, forming meaningful and authentic connections with peers,, bereavement, or any significant life event. I believe in working closely with parents/carers and education settings, to engage in providing support for children/YP as well as offering individual therapeutic support/guidance to parents if requested.
