Experienced Child and Educational Psychologist providing Tribunal and Court reports in SEND, Family and Civil cases
Relevant experience
I am a Child and Educational Psychologist registered with The Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC). I hold Chartered Practitioner Psychologist status with the British Psychological Society (BPS) with specialisms in the areas of expert witness and psychotherapy. I have over 12 years of experience working in Local Authorities and the Independent sector, delivering psychological services to children, families and educational settings.
I completed professional doctoral training focused on Child, Community and Educational Psychology from the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation. I am skilled in child development and learning, assessment skills, psychotherapeutic interventions, consultation, training and reflective supervision. I have experience in writing psychological reports covering a range of children’s needs and difficulties for Local Authority statutory purposes, Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunals, Family Court and Civil Court proceedings. I have completed expert witness training with the BPS and Bond Solon.
I completed further training at Masters level in psychological therapies and work privately offering psychodynamic psychotherapy for children, young people and families in Norwich, Norfolk. I am a member of the British Society of the Rorschach and Projective Methods and deliver training and supervision in projective assessment techniques to other psychologists and psychotherapists.
Areas of expertise:
Assessment of Children and Young People (0-25)
Identifying a range of Special Educational Needs (SEN) and difficulties and how these impact on learning, inclusion and development.
Identifying environmental factors that impact on development, access to learning and social inclusion.
Providing advice to support educational placement and intervention planning.
Assessing the psychological aspects of physical injury and disfigurements.
Holistic assessment of child development (e.g. of physical, sensory, communication, cognitive and social-emotional function) and identification of developmental delay.
Academic attainment: assessing levels of literacy and numeracy, and identification of specific learning difficulties (i.e. dyslexia).
Cognitive functioning: identification of strengths and weaknesses, generalised learning difficulties or exploring learning potential and response to support.
Neurodevelopmental differences: brain injuries, autism and ADHD.
Trauma, adversity and resilience.
Relationship and attachment needs.
Social, emotional and mental health:
Perception of self, others and environment
Internalising difficulties, such as anxiety, depression, self-harm, withdrawal, and school avoidance
Externalizing difficulties, such as anger, conflict, and behaviour that challenges.
Issues associated with difference and discrimination, e.g. gender and sexuality.
Trauma, adversity and resilience.
Relationship and attachment needs.
Short-term and long-term psychotherapy for children, young people and families.