Qualifications

• BSc (Hons) Psychology
• Postgraduate Certificate of Education
  
• MEd (Distinction) Educational Psychology (Professional Training)
• DEd
• Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council as an Educational Psychologist.
• Member of the British Psychological Society's Division of Educational and Child Psychology, and registered as a Chartered Psychologist. Member of the BPS Qualitative Methods in Psychology Section.
  

Professional experience

After completing my psychology undergraduate degree at Southampton University I worked as a teacher in two local authority maintained schools over a period of seven years, working with children and young people across Key Stages 1, 2 and 3. During this time I served as a governor as well as being curriculum manager for music, history and science and manager of a Year 5/6 staff team.

I trained as an educational psychologist at Birmingham University in 1996/97 and have worked for the Hampshire and Portsmouth local authority services. In addition to generic work as an EP my local authority roles included recruitment, line management, supervision and appraisal of EPs as well as representing the psychology service in strategic and operational management groups.

I was fortunate to be able to take part in 2000 in one of the highly-regarded 4 day workshops on the theory and practice of Dynamic Assessment led by Professor David Tzuriel. The format of the workshops allowed an opportunity to practice some DA with guidance and feedback from David Tzuriel himself as well as peer supervision from EP colleagues.

I completed my doctoral research into the evidence bases underpinning the work of educational psychologists in 2009 at Southampton University.

Additional responsibilities held and tasks I have undertaken as an educational psychologist have included

• teaching on college and university-based CPD courses for teachers.
• Field Tutor and Academic and Professional Tutor on the doctoral training programme for educational psychologists at Southampton University. In addition to shortlisting, interviewing, supervising and assessing written and practical work undertaken by trainees I have led sessions at the university on dyslexia; personal construct psychology; dynamic assessment; social, emotional and behavioural difficulties; applied educational psychology; and ethics. I have also acted as an internal and external examiner of doctoral theses in applied educational and child psychology.
  
• Full panel member and Education Advisor to an adoption panel.
• Supervisor to a Portage home visiting service and line manager of that service.
• External examiner to the doctoral training programme for educational psychologists at Birmingham University.
  
• joint planning and organising with EP colleagues of the Southern Educational Psychology Services Conference.
  
• Chair of a multi-agency ADHD strategy group including co-authoring of the Solent NHS ADHD Care Pathway.
  
• commissioned training and conference presentations for voluntary sector organisations including the National Portage Association, Portsmouth Under-Eights Forum, the National Childminding Association and Home-Start.
• delivering training on the use of personal construct psychology with children and young people to a wide range of professionals including teachers, psychologists and psychotherapists.
• Membership of the Division of Educational and Child Psychology's Training Committee, participating in accreditation visits on behalf of the British Psychological Society to UK universities offering initial training courses for educational psychologists.