Expertise
Jo has experience of working in social care and NHS settings, primarily working in the area of neurodevelopment, delivering complex assessment and support planning. She has also worked as an expert witness for the Family Courts since 2018.
Jo is trained in assessing neurodevelopment and mental health and offers assessment and intervention to neurodiverse adults with trauma and attachment or relational difficulties.
In her role at Your Healthcare (a community interest company set up to delivering local NHS provision), Jo is part of the Neurodevelopmental Team, providing specialist assessment and support for Autism and ADHD in the London boroughs of Kingston and Richmond.
Jo says:
Any Psychological Assessment is about finding understanding.
Often in life, one part of us, – perhaps the way we behave or how we communicate in a certain situation is what is seen. Opportunities for further exploration are few. Yet when we think about a person in their whole life, we start to make sense of the patterns of responding. We start to see new meanings.
In assessments I hear stories like: ‘people saw that my mum had bi polar’; ‘people saw a black kid’; ‘they thought because we moved around a lot…’; listing the ways that what might have been Autism or ADHD was otherwise explained. Together, we can take another look.
Expertise
Dr Heidi has had two lead roles within NHS neurodevelopmental services, and specifically developed expertise in the diagnostic assessment of autism over the last 10 years. Heidi has also worked for Surrey University as an Associate Clinical Tutor and Mentor for the Clinical Psychology doctoral training course. She currently works for Your Healthcare in the adult autism service, providing diagnostic assessments within the London boroughs of Kingston and Richmond.
Expertise
Julian has worked in a variety of healthcare settings for over 20 years with adults with different areas of neurodivergence. As well as his clinical assessment and intervention work, Julian has held a number of leadership positions and has been involved in service and policy development.
Julian currently works at Your Healthcare as Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Head of Service for the Adult Autism and ADHD Services, as well as the Psychology input into the Community Learning Disability team.
Julian says:
A comprehensive autism assessment, completed in a collaborative and supportive way, can have a huge beneficial impact on a person’s life – it can be such a helpful process for someone’s journey in self-understanding. I’m hoping that by making these appointments available we can make a positive difference for not only for the individuals concerned, but also for the wider community through the development of other services for neurodivergent people.
Expertise
Karen has over 30 years working within NHS settings and specifically with autistic people and people with a learning disability or ADHD. She has managed specialist multidisciplinary healthcare teams and worked in an organisational leadership capacity for many years, as well as sitting on recruitment panels and providing training for the clinical psychology programme at Surrey University. Karen regularly provides specialist assessment and support for autistic people and those with ADHD in the London boroughs of Kingston and Richmond.
Karen says:
It is really important to ensure that people who prefer to access private assessments are offered affordable, prompt and high-quality assessments completed by well-trained professionals who are responsive and compassionate to individual needs and experiences. Receiving a diagnosis of autism or ADHD is more than a label, it can be a gateway to a better understanding of oneself, and provides the opportunity to plan for future success.
Expertise
Catriona has experience of working across a range of NHS health and mental health services, primarily within adult psychological therapy services providing support and intervention for difficulties associated with depression and anxiety.
Catriona has trained in a range of psychological models and therapies enabling her to tailor therapy to the individual needs of each person and their goals.
More recently, she has developed a specialist interest in neurodiversity and has worked as part of the Adult Autism Service covering the London boroughs of Kingston and Richmond providing individual support and therapy post diagnosis.
Catriona says:
Adjusting to a diagnosis of autism in adulthood can understandably lead to a range of emotions as well as a chance for greater self-understanding, including both the very real challenges and strengths of being autistic in the modern world. It is all too common for people to have had their differences and needs unrecognised or misunderstood throughout their lives which may increase vulnerability to difficulties in mental health and in relationships. Some people may experience episodes of acute or chronic burnout.
Therapy can offer a safe, supportive and collaborative space in which to increase understanding of our unique brains and individual psychology as well as develop ways to respond with greater compassion and care towards ourselves and move towards our goals.
