Testimonials from our clients
What our clients are saying…
I have found the EP service provided by Psychology First to be incredibly helpful and supportive. Tamzin has supported me to be solution focused, and she has and given staff and parents time to talk about children, which they have really valued. Parents have told me that they have really felt listened to by Tamzin and they have felt that Tamzin has really understood them and their child. I am very grateful for Tamzin’s support, both for me as SENDCo and for the staff, children and families at our school. I would highly recommend the EP service provided by Psychology First.
It has been an absolute pleasure to work with Kristina again this year. Her skills and experience have added value to our school at all times. She is always contactable, and she works in an extremely flexible way in terms of timings and arrangements. Kristina has made a fantastic impact when working with our staff, pupils and families. Her parent workshops have been so beneficial and have supported our families in so many ways. Her consultations have given a real structure to professional dialogue, as well as clear strategies and next steps for our vulnerable pupils. Thank you so much Kristina for the difference you have made again this year working with our school!
We have been working with Psychology First since Spring 2022 . Laura and her EP team have been very flexible and attuned to the needs of Locality SEND Support (LSS) schools. Needs assessments have been thorough, accurate and well received by schools. Psychology First’s services are good value for money as we only pay for days delivered, and all funding directly goes to the children who need the support. I would have no hesitation in recommending them to other organisations. We have a positive relationship with Psychology First which we are pleased to be continuing again this academic year 2023-24.
It has been really good working with Alex. She is always reachable, and she is very easy going in her nature. She is incredibly productive and flexible in her ways of working with our school to meet all of our Educational Psychology needs. It has been so empowering for our staff to work together with Alex through consultation to problem-solve and put strategies in place ourselves. Alex has also helped us to work with parents more effectively, and by inviting them in for joint home-school consultations, this has really helped us develop our relationships with our families. Alex’s records and reports are always very clear and detailed, and the resources and advice/information sheets she has sent us have been so useful. The solution circles training Alex did with us was really valuable and has really helped to build capacity and skill up our staff. We really like the format of these meetings and being able to get all adults together in one room. The staff training Alex ran for us on understanding behaviour and demand avoidance was also great. There is nothing that hasn’t been useful, and Alex has been able to offer our school everything that we need. We would highly recommend the service provided by Psychology First to other schools. It very good value for money, and it is a very good use of school’s money! Your service has really helped to quickly reduce some of the challenges we have faced with our students, especially at a time when Local Authority EP services are not available to our school and the waiting time to see other professionals, such as CAMHS, is very long!
It has been absolutely brilliant working with Laura (Griffey) this year. I am impressed by her knowledge and competence, and it has been rewarding to be able to implement further support for families. Our school has particularly valued the teacher ‘drop-ins’ as all teachers came away with practical strategies to implement, and professional dialogues and liaison with Laura have helped me within the SENCo role. Psychology First services are invaluable and good value for money. I would 100% recommend them to other schools as their services have been a huge help to me and the school as a whole.
Chantelle is a great professional to work with. I appreciate the organisation that takes place prior to her visits, with the option for a pre-visit phone call or emails, to consider our priorities and the best way of meeting our needs. Chantelle has been really key in conversations with parents during joint home-school consultations. She is brilliant at reflecting on, and summarising pertinent points, to direct the meeting to next logical steps and ways forward, which all parties are in agreement with and feel comfortable and confident with. Chantelle has been supporting us during a period where we have not had access to a Local Authority EP Service. Her advice has been key in supporting us with the assess-plan-do-review process, and any subsequent applications for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) for pupils with significant and complex additional needs. We really look forward to working with you more next academic year Chantelle!
It has been excellent working with Shin as our EP this year! She has helped us to identify key areas of development and put a strategic plan in place to implement actions to improve in these areas. Shin has approached all of this systemic work in a well-informed and non-judgmental way. She has shared her wealth of knowledge and expertise through consultation, as well as supporting staff to come to their own decisions and next steps on how to best meet our children’s needs. The service provided by Psychology First is bespoke and outstanding! I would encourage any school to work with them. All staff felt a huge amount was covered by Shin each day she came in to work with us, and it has been so refreshing to be able to put in some time to work in a preventative way. Comments from staff in our school after working with Shin have included, ‘I feel really inspired’; ‘I feel motivated’; ‘I can’t wait to try those ideas!’ Thank you so much Shin, we have thoroughly enjoyed working together with you in our school this year!
It has been very useful working with Sophie our EP this year. Recently, it was especially helpful when I had an annual review meeting booked shortly after our consultation with Sophie, and her session with the individual student. Many of the actions and strategies we problem solved together with Sophie could be used to set new outcomes for the student for the next academic year. Sophie has also helped us by facilitating the solution circle process with our staff, and we would definitely like to utilise this in the future to find solutions to difficulties we are having within our department. It has been so valuable to offer Sophie’s expertise to our staff, students and their parents, particularly when we have not been able to access this support for such a long time through the Local Authority. Thank you, Sophie and Psychology First!
This academic year has been really positive working with Emily George as our EP. Her consultations in school working with staff, students and parents have been amazing, and the advice and support given through this process has been so valuable. The volume and quality of work in one day is of a really high standard. Thank you to Emily for a fantastic year supporting us to provide for the some of our most needy children.
We have found working with Laura (Griffey) really helpful. It has been so useful to have the capacity for pupils to be observed, and our parents have very much valued the feedback consultation meetings with Laura. She has been very supportive to us as a school, and she has given us great input. Teachers have also found the opportunity for drop-in sessions with Laura really valuable, and they have quickly started work on some of the transition strategies that were discussed in the summer term. Laura's support and liaison with parents who have been struggling with home strategies for their children has been great. As a school, we have particularly valued being able to get some opinions and feedback on children who are not part of the EHCP process, as we are unable to access any advice or support for them currently via the LA. Thank you for your input and support Laura!
It has been brilliant working with Laura again this year. She is so approachable, knowledgeable, and supportive. I have particularly valued consultations as they have helped maintain and form positive relationships with parents and allowed for positive action planning. A ‘staff clinic’ allowed my staff to talk with Laura about a specific issue concerning them, and she gave them quick and easy ideas to use with their pupils. If you are thinking about working with Psychology First, then do it! You will find it incredibly beneficial for your pupils, but also for yourself as a SENCo. The services are good value for money, as the day allows me time to talk through any concerns I have and gain advice from Laura, in addition to the work we have planned for her. Thank you, Laura, for all your wonderful work again this year!
We have an excellent working relationship with Chantelle as our link EP. She responds to the needs of the school, and our staff really value her input. Her support is reliable and consistent. As a SENDCo, it is really reassuring to know that I have access to time from a trusted EP who is able to liaise and converse confidently and appropriately with all of our staff, parents and pupils, and who is someone who knows our school so well and how we work. Chantelle always agrees actions and makes any recommendations in partnership with our staff and parents. Her reports are always timely and robust. Thank you so much, as ever Chantelle. We really value having the support of such an experienced and realistic psychologist in school, and I know all my staff enjoy working with you!
This is another year that Laura has provided a first-class EP service to our school. She is always flexible to our needs and professional throughout, offering much needed support to our staff and families for better outcomes for children. Because Laura is so experienced and flexible, we can change our plans for her visit the day before to meet a priority need in school. She works non-stop all day and fits in so much quality face-to-face work, as well as writing the reports before she leaves the building – Psychology First services are excellent value for money! It’s been a pleasure to work with Laura and each visit always enthuses me to put actions in place. Consequently, I will be contacting Psychology First for support as I move schools. I can’t think of a reason why schools would not budget for this service.
It’s brilliant having Alex as our EP. She works really flexible and has such a breadth and depth of knowledge, and she has shared some brilliant resources with us! The advice she gives us through consultation has always been clear, concrete, achievable and realistic, which is not always the case from professionals who do not understand the reality of working in a school. As SENDCo, I feel like I always walk out of our meetings knowing where I’m going next. I really valued the plans we have put in place together with Alex for a student with Emotionally Based School Avoidance, and after 2 months of non-attendance, Alex played a significant part in getting the student back into school. I think that Psychology First offer everything in terms of EP services, and I’d highly recommend them to other schools!
We have found working with Psychology First really positive. We have loved having Ciara come in to support us and really valued her input! She has been flexible and easy to work with and not having to complete referral forms is a positive! We have especially valued the opportunity to talk through a child’s areas of strength/difficulty with staff and parents and the strategies generated to support them have been really helpful and practical. The services are good value for money, professional and practical and make up for the LA’s short fall. I would recommend this service – Thank you!
Working with Psychology First has been a really positive experience this academic year. It has been so helpful to draw on Chantelle’s expertise, through the work that she has carried out with us in relation to individual children and delivering training to our staff, and the advice that she always so willingly offers to us. Chantelle is so approachable and I have always felt able to talk through our school’s concerns and problem solve things with her. I would have no hesitation in recommending Psychology First. Thank you, and we are looking forward to working with you again next year!
The Educational Psychology Support from Psychology First has been fantastic and lots of our children have benefited. The flexibility to use hours for training, individual work, teacher consultations and more, ensures that Educational Psychology time can be catered to the needs of individual schools. The services are excellent value for money and we have particularly valued the really practical advice; Precision Teaching training; bank of effective strategies for our teachers to use; and excellent written and verbal communication. Ciara has been a fantastic support to our teachers, parents and children. She carries out a significant amount of work during her time with us and is always really flexible with her timings to meet parents and teachers. Thank you for all of your support this year, we look forward to continuing to work with you again next year!
The consultation process was very helpful as it was great to understand more about the strategies that we can use in the classroom and the changes we can make to support individual children. Ciara is fantastic and so helpful! It was a great opportunity to get parents involved and a fantastic approach to understanding more about the children. I have learned so much from only two of her visits – Thank you!
It has been so useful and supportive to work with Shin as our EP this year. She has been so helpful in providing me with the tools to have better strategic oversight and to support individual students and families. Shin has provided our teachers with supervision and it has been so valuable to have the space to problem solve with her. The actions following each day working with Shin are realistic and well planned. It is great to have an EP who has the expertise to work with children and families who are having the most difficult time, but also to support our school at a strategic and systemic level.
The consultation process was very helpful, and it was nice to be given the time to sit and discuss possible resolutions to my son’s needs with the Educational Psychologist and his Teacher. As the Educational Psychologist had met my son, I found the information was directed at his needs. For example, it was very interesting to explore his ‘issues’ with food as I had never looked at the situation that way before.
It has helped me a lot to offload to Laura and to get a plan in order. I’m glad I’m getting support.
I found the training very informative and learnt a lot about different types of attachment difficulties and strategies to try out and feedback to staff. The delivery of the material was good and this was a very informative, approachable, open session.
It was really useful to meet with Ciara and get her advice and insight into different strategies to help our son. It all seemed to make so much sense having the time and space to discuss things with Ciara. She explained the consultation process and really listened to us as parents, and the school, to determine the best approach moving forward for our son. We found Ciara approachable, but very professional, and her goal was very much helping our son.
Kristina was really good with my son and made him feel very comfortable. I felt completely included and was kept updated with Kristina’s involvement with my son and the college staff. Thank you, Kristina, your support and advice has been so helpful in supporting my son’s anxiety.
I love working with our link EP Emily George, and I have been able to build a good working relationship with her, and she has been able to really get to know our school. All of Emily’s work is thorough and helpful, and we have really valued the time she has given to our children and families, and to our teachers, during consultation. The turn-around of her records and reports is quick, and the strategies and recommendations are do-able because they are always agreed with us. If you are looking for a service that is efficient, professional, personable, and provides the consistency and stability of an EP that works closely with your school and understands the needs of your school, then you should work with Psychology First!
It has been really easy working with Alex who is such a brilliant EP. All staff involved in the supervision sessions that she ran in our school this year have said they really valued these sessions and that they came away feeling heard and feeling lighter! The advice and support Alex has given our ECT teachers at drop-in consultation sessions has been really appreciated. They’ve found consultations with Alex really helpful, through having a safe space to offload, and to come up with next logical steps together with her. Alex gets so much done in one day! We have loved working with Alex this year, and look forward to continuing to do so next year!
Working with Psychology First has been a breakthrough for us. As a school, we have been desperate for this support and we haven’t been getting it from the LA, so this has been invaluable. I have particularly valued early intervention support for children with significant needs and whole school implementation of SEMH strategies. This service fills the gap of the missing support for schools which is much needed, they will empower you. Just don’t leave us Laura!
It has been wonderful to be able to offer EP support to families, and I have found it useful to be part of the consultations with parents to discuss next steps and strategies. I have particularly valued Laura’s (Griffey) flexibility, the fact that she is in school all day and that she is a ‘fresh pair of eyes’ as well as affirming what is already in place in school. She is trustworthy, experienced and follows through with things. Her support this year has cleared the ’backlog’ and next year I am hopeful that we can ensure pupils’ needs are identified early before becoming too complex and/or challenging. I am also looking forward to undertaking more strategic work.
I want to sincerely thank Kristina for all the support that she has given me, and our school, over the past two years. As our consistent link EP, Kristina has been an invaluable resource in supporting our staff, parents and children, and also for my development professionally as a SENCo. I have learnt so much from Kristina!
Working with Ciara is fantastic! The consultation process is very helpful as it is beneficial to have a discussion with parents, the Inclusion Lead and Ciara to discuss strategies. It facilitates a very informative and very useful dialogue that allows you to think about approaches differently. For all of the children discussed, the consultation meetings and reviews have been so beneficial. New strategies are clearly explained, and the needs of the children are clearly listened to. I feel like it is a very personalised approach, thank you!
The support from our Psychology First EP has been amazing! Laura has been so very helpful. I am new to role and have struggled to make sense of a lot of situations and Laura has helped me to unpick everything and find a way forward. Her support and advice for me has been invaluable. Alongside support for me, Laura’s help with children has been insightful and has given the school direction. I just want Laura to be at Hammond full time! If you are thinking about working with Psychology First, do it! They work differently to other EPs and are more insightful about the daily running of a school and its SEND provision.
This is the fifth year that we have worked with Chantelle from Psychology First, and we find it a highly useful and effective partnership. The support that Chantelle provides us with is bespoke to our school and is needs led. Our school’s strengths and development areas are always taken on board and carefully considered when Chantelle plans her time and work with us. We really value her expertise and the ‘working together’ aspect of her psychological support. I would say to any school that working with Chantelle, and Psychology First, is an excellent investment that you will not regret! There isn’t another service like Psychology First. Thank you, Chantelle, for the high-quality service that you provide us with, and for always being so open to hearing and listening to us and exploring new ways of working with us.