Child Psychology

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Dr Linda Bolton

Dr Linda Bolton

Dr Linda Bolton is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist with over 20 years experience of working in child, family and parenting NHS services. She has worked across a range of community and Child and Adolescent  Mental Health Services in London, Somerset and for the past 7 years in Dorset.  Linda has developed particular expertise in the areas of trauma, systemic family work and long-term health problems.  Linda provides developmental and psychological assessments of children (0 to 18), parenting and attachment assessments, therapeutic work and consultation, both in the NHS and for a local Charity. Linda is fully trained in EMDR practice and currently training in Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy.  She provides training and supervision in CBT, attachment and psychological issues. Linda has provided reports for the Courts intermittently over 20 years, including personal injury assessments, and has given evidence in Court. 

Dr Sue Candy

Dr Sue Candy is the founder and Managing Director of Psychology Associates. Sue provides expert witness testimony to the Courts. She specialises in assessments of parenting capacity and attachment. She previously worked for many years in the National Health Service providing therapy, assessment and research in obstetrics and gynaecology, learning disability, mental health and parenting. Sue has extensive experience of providing expert psychological evidence to the Courts. She will accept referrals in childcare proceedings, fitness to plead or capacity assessments and complex personal injury cases. She provides training to other professionals in Court report writing and skills. She has an interest in training Clinical Psychologists and was formerly Admissions and Examinations Tutor at Plymouth University on the South West Clinical Psychology Training Scheme. She offers supervision to other psychologists working within Psychology Associates.

Dr Alex Clark

Dr Alex Clark is a Clinical Psychologist specialising in learning difficulties (children and adults), with an interest in neuropsychological approaches. Alex provides neuropsychological, capacity and parenting assessments as well as neuropsychological intervention. Alex has conducted research into familial responses to traumatic brain injury in children. Alex currently works with adults with learning disabilities and has worked within the NHS and for Psychology Associates since 2005.

Dr Emmanuelle Davison

Dr Susan Drake

Dr Susan Drake is a Consultant Clinical Child Psychologist who has been working for the NHS specialising in traumatised and looked after children for the last 12 years.  Sue provides developmental and psychological assessments of children (0-18), parenting assessments, attachment assessment, therapeutic work, and consultation to children’s services and families.  Expert witness assessments and reports for Courts are also provided.  Sue’s work in the NHS has been in the Specialist Child Abuse Team providing therapy, assessments for abused children and professional training and consultations.  For the last 6 years she has managed the CAMHS Children in Care team providing assessments, therapy, training and consultations.

Dr Madeleine Dunham

Madeleine Dunham has 25 years experience in the assessment and treatment of children, adolescents and their families in the NHS and is now in full time independent practice. She provides reports for the Courts in public and private childcare disputes and personal injury, specialising in assessment of parents attributes and parenting abilities, children’s needs, attachment issues, domestic abuse, substance misuse, learning difficulties and mental health issues. She has been providing reports to the Courts for over 20 years and has given evidence in Court on numerous occasions. She also maintains a family therapeutic practice and works with collaborative lawyers in relation to divorce and contact.

Dr Ian Frampton

Ian Frampton is a Consultant in Paediatric Neurosychology based in Cornwall UK, where his chief clinical interest concerns the development of children’s brains. He is a Senior Clinical Scientist at the Centre for Clinical Neuropsychology Research, University of Exeter, Honorary Consultant Neuropsychologist at Great Ormond St. Hospital for Children NHS Trust and visiting Research Consultant at Oslo University Hospital, Norway. His main research interests concerns the potential neurobiological basis of early onset anorexia nervosa and the neuropsychological consequences of childhood brain injury. Ian is an Associate Editor of the journal Child and Adolescent Mental Health and has served as a Neuropsychology Advisor at the UK Department of Health. He is a Full Practitioner Member of the Division of Neuropsychology of the British Psychological Society and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Dr Emma Greatbatch

Dr Emma Greatbatch is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist with 11 years experience of working in the public sector. Emma specialises in work with children, young people and families and currently works in services for Children in Care. Emma has expertise in working with attachment difficulties and with the impact of trauma and abuse on children and young people, as well as working with complex professional networks. Emma is experienced in providing training, consultation and supervision to a range of professionals, including other psychologists, and works as a visiting lecturer on a Doctoral Clinical Psychology training course.

Emma has recently joined Psychology Associates and provides psychological and cognitive assessments of children (0-18); family and parenting assessments; therapeutic work; and consultation to professionals and families. Expert Witness assessments and reports for court are also provided.

Dr Alison Hodgetts

Alison provides psychological and developmental assessments of children aged 0 – 18, as well as assessments relating to parenting, attachment and Personal Injury. In addition she provides therapeutic work and consultation to services and families.  Alison has experience in providing expert witness assessments and reports for Courts i relation to children and their families in public and private proceedings.  She has experience of giving evidence in Court.  Alison has a particular interest and experience in attachment difficulties, as well as developmental disorders, in particular Autistic Spectrum Conditions. 

Ms Jane Hughes

Ms Jane Hughes is a Child Clinical Psychologist and has been working with children and families for over twenty years. She has worked in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services offering individual, family and group therapy to children and adolescents in Exeter, London and for the past ten years in Plymouth. In the past her expertise has been working with children and adolescents who have experienced abuse, but more recently she has developed her expertise working with children and families where there has been a death in the family. She is currently working part time with a local bereavement charity for children, adolescents and their families as well as working as a self employed Clinical Psychologist with Psychology Associates. She offers psychological assessments for personal injury claims, developmental assessments, attachment assessments using Story Stem, individual and family therapy, and has recently completed the Part 1 training in EMDR, a treatment method particularly useful for trauma in children and adults. Her particular interests are systemic therapy, divorce and separation, bereavement, trauma, attachment and loss. She has four children of her own.

Dr Dionne Joseph

I am a experienced Clinical Psychologist and I work with both adults and children.  I am particularly skilled in working with families of African and African-Caribbean background. I have good understanding and experience of different cultural practices in respect of child-rearing beliefs and customs, the impact of different spiritual belief systems and how parental attitudes expectations and behaviour may differ from Western European norms. 

I have worked extensively with refugees and asylum-seekers in respect of assessing functioning and psychological trauma (eg when individuals are from war-torn countries) and in cases where residency status is disputed. I have specialist training in working through interpreters. I am also able to conduct assessments of cognitive functioning where the individual speaks no English.

I am a Certified Expert Witness. I am experienced in giving evidence in Court.  I am reliable and work quickly and efficiently.  I keep an up-to-date and comprehensive library of psychometric assessment tools.

I have prepared more than 170 reports for the family courts.

Dr Louise Langman

Dr Louise Langman is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist specialising in Child and Parenting Services. Louise joined the Psychology Associates team in 2010 having worked across a range of community and in patient NHS teams for 6 years and prior to that for 6 years in the USA offering complex clinical assessments and therapeutic work with children, adolescents and their families. Louise provides developmental and psychological assessments of children (0-18), their parents attributes and abilities, attachment issues, domestic abuse, substance misuse, learning disability and mental health issues. Expert witness assessments and reports for courts are also provided for public and private childcare disputes and personal injury, as well as consultation to children's services and families. Louise has a specialist interest in mindfulness based therapies and uses an integrative approach drawing on models of CBT, narrative, systemic and psychodynamic practice.

Dr Annie Mitchell

Annie Mitchell is a Clinical and Community Psychologist who has worked in clinical practice, research and training in the southwest for 30 years. She currently has 2 part time jobs. As Senior Lecturer and Clinical Director for the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Plymouth she provides training in clinical supervision and professional issues, and is on the executive management group for Folk.us, a nationally funded research group which promotes lay involvement in health and social care research. As Clinical Health Psychologist at Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital she provides psychological assessment and therapy for patients with complex physical illness, and staff support and training in the provision of psychological care. Annie initially trained as a Child Psychologist and previously worked as a Specialist Clinical Psychologist with children with disabilities. She offers training, consultancy, supervision and team-building for statutory and independent sector agencies, and has a particular interest in promoting service user and carer involvement in service development.

Dr Jennifer Murray-Milkins

Dr Lucie Robinson

Lucie provides developmental and psychological assessments of children (0-18), parenting assessments, therapeutic work, consultation to children’s services and families.  Expert witness assessments and reports for courts are also provided.  Lucie has an expertise in working with children who are developmentally delayed and has worked within a Community Child Psychology Service for children with learning disabilities and their families for the past 5 years.  Lucie has recently joined Psychology Associates, having spent 6 years working clinically in NHS and Social Care Child and Family Services, and 2 years working clinically for Action for Children.

Dr Helen Rowe

Helen worked in children’s services for the NHS from 2001 to 2010, providing psychological assessment, therapy, training and consultation in child physical health and child mental health services. She now works in adult health psychology, and as an independent clinical psychologist carrying out psychological assessments of adults and children, developmental and cognitive assessments, parenting and attachment assessments, therapeutic work with children or adults, including expert witness work. Helen has special interests in parenting attachment, developmental difficulties, adults and children with long term health problems, and in infant mental health.

Ms Shira Rüb

Ms Shira Rüb provides expert witness assessments in relation to children and their parents in both public and private proceedings, including the assessment of attachment relationships, parenting ability in the context of the adult's attachment status, other issues arising from the impact of the parenting and family circumstances on the child, evidence of harm, and the potential for change. Shira has worked therapeutically in the NHS with children from 0-18, currently specialising in providing a service to families where children have been diagnosed with cancer or leukaemia. She has been providing independent assessment reports since 1999 and is experienced at giving evidence in Court.

Dr Alison Stephens

I have worked for 10 years in the field of paediatric psychology in the NHS, working with children and young people with complex physical health problems, their families and healthcare teams. Through this work I have developed a particular interest and skills in the areas of systemic and attachment theories, assessment and therapy. I am currently self employed, working in the areas of assessment, therapy, supervision and research. I have 8 years’ experience of Expert Witness work, providing written reports and verbal evidence, for psychological and attachment assessments for children; and personal injury for children and adults.

Dr Vicky Sutton

Dr James Tonks

Dr James Tonks is a Clinical Psychologist with expertise in paediatric neuropsychology and cognitive assessment. James provides assessment and interventions in various contexts, including expert witness work and clinical input to schools and County Council, Joint Agency Services. James specialises in the assessment and management of children with learning disability or acquired brain injury. James completed his Ph.D. research into the socio-emotional consequences of childhood brain injury and long term associated effects in 2006. Since this time he has become a leading authority in his field, having produced 15 research publications, including an invited review, for leading international Journals since 2007, and having presented work internationally at conferences since 2005. James has NHS posts in Paediatrics and in the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. He also holds an academic post as a research/teaching fellow for the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology course at the University of Exeter.

Dr Maxine Tostevin

Dr Maxine Tostevin is our Clinical Director for Child and Parenting Services.  Maxine provides developmental and psychological assessments of children (0-18), parenting assessments, attachment assessment, therapeutic work, and consultation to children’s services and families.  Expert witness assessments and reports for courts are regularly completed.  Maxine has an expertise in working with children who have experienced abuse and trauma.   She has worked within statutory Children in Care services for over 6 six years and has specialised in working with children and families over the last 12 years, since qualifying.

Dr Vicky Wheeler

Dr Vicky Wheeler is a Clinical Psychologist providing expert witness services to the courts in criminal, civil and family cases. Dr Wheeler is skilled at working with emotionally distressed children and families and can complete attachment and parenting assessments.  She has a special interest in paediatric psychology and has considerable experience in this area. Dr Wheeler also specialises in forensic cases, providing assessments of risk for violence and sexual offending, personality disorder, psychopathy, mental health difficulties and substance misuse. Dr Wheeler has worked extensively within the court system, providing written and verbal reports and participated regularly in multi-agency public protection arrangement panels.

Mrs Arabella Whitehead

Mrs Arabella Whitehead provides developmental and psychological assessments of children (0-18), full psychological assessment of adults, predominantly parents, including learning disability, autism, assessments of parenting and attachment, mental health and associated difficulties such as drug and alcohol problems, therapeutic work and consultation to children and adult/family services; additionally, she will undertake personal injury assessments.  Expert witness assessments and reports for Court are also provided.  Arabella's clinical experience spans 23 years of working in the NHS and she has been working with Psychology Associates since 2007.

Dr Alison Williams

Dr. Alison Williams has worked within the NHS with children, young people and parents in community, inpatient and paediatric settings. She currently works in both the NHS, as joint Clinical Lead to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health service for children in the care of Plymouth Local Authority and also the private sector providing expert witness testimony to the Courts and therapy services. She has expertise in the assessment of attachment relationships and the assessment and treatment of complex trauma and is trained to deliver Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) to adults and children. She will accept referrals in childcare proceedings, assessments of attachment, parenting capacity and personal injury cases along with requests for the assessment and treatment of psychological difficulties in children and young people. She provides training and supervision to clinical psychologists and other professions in attachment and psychological issues related to being in Care and adoption. She is BUPA registered.

Dr Susan Wimshurst

Dr. Susan Wimshurst has worked with children (aged 0-18) and families since qualifying as a clinical psychologist in 2005. Within her NHS role, Susan provides specialist psychological assessments of children and their families and provides psychological intervention, for a wide range of emotional and mental health needs, by working individually with the young person as well as with families and carers, schools and other relevant agencies.  

Susan has particular interest and experience in anxiety disorders including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) as well as developmental disorders including Autistic Spectrum disorders and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).  Within her NHS role she provides several behaviour management workshops for parents of children with challenging behaviour and provides consultation and supervision to other health professionals and agencies.  Susan also has experience of psychometric testing, assessing the cognitive functioning of children and young people often as part of a broader assessment exploring possible differential diagnoses.