Qualifications and Experience
Professional Qualifications
I am a fully qualified educational psychologist with full chartered status with the British Psychological Society ( BPS) and I am a member of the Health Care Professionals Council (HCPC). I am also a chartered member of the British Psychological Society (BPS) and a 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 secondary education ) in Social Sciences
- MSc in Educational Psychology
- MSc in Applied Forensic Psychology which provided stage one of the BPS practising diploma in foressic psychology. I also completed two years supervised practice in forensic psychology with children and adolecents up to age 18 years . This provided supervised practice requirements towards stage two requirements as a chartered forensic psychologist, although as I have not had supervised practice with adult populations, I do not qualify for full chartered staus as a forensic psychologist.
-Certificate in the Fundamentals of Counselling and Psychotherapy
-Psychanalytic iInterpretive Skills
- Certificate in Cognitive Therapies
- Theraplay Level 1 including group Theraplay. Theraplay Level 2 completion in 2026
- Professional Doctorate in Educational,and Child Psychology
Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
- Certificate in Restorative Justice in residential care settings
- Motivational Interviewing
- Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) in children and adolescents
- Mentalisation Therapeutic approaches for children and young people - Anna Freud Centre
- Schema Therapeutic approaches for children and young people- Anna Freud Centre
- 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 interventions
- Dialectical BehaviourTherapeutic approaches (DBT) to manage emotional and behavioural dysregulation in children and young people
- Children's drawings and personal construct approaches to assessment and intervention - Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust
- ASD initial identification as part of a multiagency assessment for children and young people
- ADHD initial identification as part of a multiagency assessment for children and young people
- Language and social communication differences and best practice to identification and evidenced-based interventions for children and young people
- SPLd and best practice to identification in schools and evidence-based interventions I also carry out post 18 assessments in this area
- Self-harming and best practice to evidenced-based intervention in schools and residential childrens homes for children and young people
- 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 for children and young people
- Sexually problematic and harmful behaviours best practice approaches to evidenced-based support in education settings and residential childrens homes for children and young people NSPCC
- 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 interventions and the focus on the child/ young person's voice, including the development of an authentic sense of self, in order to combat the negative impact of masking behaviours
- Child protection and safeguarding training for education settimgs
- Crimiinalisation, radicalisaton and exploitation of children and young people including working with cognitive biases embedded in systemic practice surrounding these young people
- Domestic abuse experiences in children and young people ( including working with both victims and perpetrators)
- Accredited trauma- informed schools supervisor
- Pillars of Parenting Emotional Warmth Model of Professional Childcare -Consultant Psychologist and POP Supervisor including undertaking Quality and Assurance Audits
- Certificate in Forensic Psychotherapy - Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust
- Systemic thinking in formulation of psychological needs in children, young people, families, residential and education settings
Areas of Specialism
I am a qualified secondary school teacher and I worked in an inner city London school for three years where I became Deputy Head of Year 10 before training as a psychologist. As a Deputy 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, needs including experiencing CPTSD, developmental and learning needs, substance misuse, experience of domestic abuse and needs 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 complex trauma in response to Adverse Childhood Experiences- (ACE's), child protection and safeguarding, bullying, negative sense of self, anxiety, low mood, 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 in the protection of 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, residential care and directly with 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 also regularly write advice towards EHCP's for various LA's across the country.
I have extensive experience with working with children and teens with a variety of needs including needs related to attachment insecurity and developmental trauma/CPTSD, autism,, emotional and behavioural dysregulation and ADHD as well as language and learning diffierences. I have produced various publications including guidance for education settings and childrens residential care on how to manage the needs of children and teens experiencing attachment insecurity and trauma linked to Adverse Childhood Experiences. , I have regularly spoken at national and international conferences, and have had my work rolled out nationally and internationally, and regularly provide training and supervision in a wide variety of settings including schools, NHS 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 individual, however I will also explore what is happening in the life of the child/family so needs are viewed through a holistic lens. This is carried out through a mixture of direct assessment and consultation with parents/carers, children/YP and schools/additional professional involvement. I also explore the Influencing factors thst maybe contributing to need, this may be family factors, school factors, learning difficulties, forming meaningful and authentic connections with peers,, bereavement, or any significant life events as well as reinforcing and maintenance factors operating in the systems around the child/YP.. I believe in working closely with parents/carers, education settings and the professional network , in providing a holistic package of support for children/YP, as well as offering individual therapeutic support/guidance to parents/carers/ education settings if requested.
