Inclusive Psychology is a consultancy service. This means that we deliver assessments which inform an action plan. This action plan is then put in place by parents and school staff to support change. Inclusive Psychology does not currently offer diagnosis or ongoing therapeutic sessions, although you are welcome to contact us to discuss this.

By using assessment tools, speaking with your child and consulting with the adults that know your child best, we can enable a shared understanding of the challenges and strengths that your child has. This allows us to collaboratively make an action plan which: · Focuses on what matters most to you and your child · Is personalised to your child · Uses effective and evidence-based interventions and approaches · Will work by bringing together home and school so they are supported everywhere

Dr Frances Willis is our Specialist Education and Schools Consultant at Inclusive Psychology. There is additional support from Executive Assistant, Anita, as well as receptionist staff at Maz Business Incubator.

Frances Willis has almost 10 years’ experience working with children and young people aged 0 – 25 across many different primary, secondary, and nursery settings. Frances has supported children who are academically high achieving but struggling to fit in, children who are not able to speak, children with medical needs, children who find learning difficult, children in specialist provisions, children whose anxiety makes school stressful for them, and children who get overwhelmed and hurt others or themselves. Whatever your child’s needs we are confident that Inclusive Psychology can help them move forward to become happier, more engaged and more confident learners.

Inclusive Psychology is a strongly values-based service which focuses on listening to children’s views, working collaboratively with others, and considering a child’s context. We prioritise inclusion and take a meaningful and holistic view on supporting children. The following have been influential to Inclusive Psychology: · Personal Construct Psychology · The Ecosystemic Model · The Social Model of Disability · Neuro-affirmative Practice · Change Psychology · Narrative Therapy

Inclusive Psychology offers full assessments, interim assessments, problem-solving consultations and Shadow Teacher coaching and development. Please email support@inclusivepsychology.bh (mailto:support@inclusivepsychology.bh)for the Services and Fees document. If you are unsure which involvement would be appropriate or you have a different request, please get in touch. Full and interim assessments start with an online parent consultation which can help clarify the specific assessment tools and approaches that will be used.

Inclusive Psychology assessments are personalised to your child to ensure that have the information we need to inform an effective action plan. Assessments always involve consultations with adults that know your child best (at home and usually at school), and observation may be used (usually with younger children). The assessment may also involve different dynamic, standardised or screening tools (see below) depending of the focus of the assessment and what is developmentally appropriate for your child. Standardised assessment tools are only used where required. We will discuss and agree the type of assessment that will be useful during our initial consultation. Dynamic assessment tools (tools that explore a child’s views or how they respond to support) · Strength Cards · Drawing and Talking tasks · School Wellbeing Risk and Reliance Cards · Dynamic Cognitive and Affective Skills Assessments Standardised assessment tools (tools that compare a child to a group of age-equivalent peers) · WISC IV – Assesses underlying cognitive abilities · WIAT II – Assesses achievement ability for literacy and numeracy · PIPS – Assesses early years skills

Action plans will include two types of recommendations: interventions and approaches. Interventions are strategies or activities that your child will benefit from to develop new skills and access their education more effectively. Approaches are changes that adults can make in how they interact with a child which mean you can get the most out of them and set them up for success. Interventions can include additional costs to implement, however, approaches are usually free. Both interventions and approaches are needed to make real change happen.

As parents you can decide how best to prepare your child for an assessment. Depending on their needs, ability and personality you may want to prepare them in detail or more casually mention the assessment. If the assessment will be primarily observation-based you may not want to be explicit about the assessment. The following may be useful: · Explain to them that you want them to do their best and be happy, so you have asked a new person to come and talk to them to see what might help. You can show them Frances’ info sheet · Normalise the idea that everyone needs a little help and ideas sometimes. It’s no big deal! · Avoid saying that they will ‘play games’ as part of the assessment. If a standardised assessment tool is being used then explain that there will be lots of different activities to see what they are best at. Some tasks will be interesting and fun, but others may be boring. · Schedule the assessment thoughtfully. No child wants to miss the school trip or their favourite class! · The day of the assessment try to help them sleep and eat well. Arrange something fun for afterwards. · Listen to their concerns and give them space to talk.

Inclusive Psychology work closely with school staff wherever possible as these are the adults that are with your child for many hours a week. Working with teaching staff and shadow teachers also means that the action plan with personalised recommendations which will work in the classroom. We are keen to work with other professionals that have assessed your child. Reports from previous assessments will affect the formulation and understanding of your child’s needs. Other professionals can be invited to collaborate on consultations and review meetings.

We understand how important your child’s information and data protection is to you and make every effort to treat your child’s details with care. Your consent will be required before engaging Inclusive Psychology’s services. If you withdraw consent at any time then involvement will cease. To effectively understand your child’s needs, the teachers who know them best will be involved in the assessment. As such, assessments involve sharing information between home and school. In instances where you do not want me to share a piece of information (e.g., family circumstances), we will respect this, however, this information may continue to be part of the formulation used to advise interventions and approaches. Information about your child is stored on Cliniko which meets or exceeds the standards of data protection required by GDPR (United Kingdon), GDPR (EU Standards), HIPAA (USA) and AAP (Australia). Reports are password protected for emails. You will receive the password for your child’s documents when booking your initial consultation. Formulation notes and assessment booklets used during Inclusive Psychology’s involvement are disposed of safely within a half term of the end of involvement. The report or summary is safely stored on Cliniko for 7 years (as advised by the British Psychological Society). Any safeguarding concerns about a child will follow the school’s safeguarding procedure and prioritise duty of care to the child. There are no exceptions to this.

Inclusive Psychology is not an emergency or medical service. In any urgent or highly worrying situation, please seek help from health professionals. If you have concerns about behaviours which have the potential for harm then this is something that should be discussed during the Inclusive Psychology assessment. We will advice within our level of expertise (e.g., around reducing stress or anxiety) and will inform you when we feel alternative advice should be sought.

Inclusive Psychology has extensive experience working with and supporting children who have or may meet the diagnostic criteria for these conditions; however, Inclusive Psychology is not a diagnostic service. We focus on identifying the specific underlying challenges that a child is facing (e.g., rigid thinking, impulsiveness, working memory or visual perceptual skills). Different assessment tools will be used to explore a child’s individual skill set which will directly inform the most effective interventions and approaches to help your child. Frances will redirect you to NHRA registered assessment services with similar values where the need for this is indicated. *Frances Willis is not an NHRA registered medical professional and does not provide medical opinion*

Inclusive Psychology is an independent consultation service through which expertise is used to support and offer advice on each situation. Frances may not always share your views but will offer criticality in a respectful way. In instances where parents strongly disagree with the content of a report or outcome of an assessment, we are committed to working together to see where a more agreeable solution can be found. Inclusive Psychology cannot compromise it’s independent and professional position, and will continue to place the interests of the child above all else.