Dr Helen Smith

I am a Chartered Child and Educational Psychologist with a wide range of experience working with children, young people, families, and schools.

I have over 25 years professional experience, including roles within Local Authority Educational Psychology Services across the East Midlands and West Midlands. I now work full time in independent practice as part of Psychology 360.

Prior to training as a Child and Educational Psychologist, I worked as an Assistant Psychologist in a CAMHS funded project providing therapeutic support and early intervention work with children, young people and their families.  

For the first ten years of my career, I was a primary school teacher and senior leader, working in schools across Leicestershire.

During my time in a Local Authority Educational Psychology Service, I worked with the Virtual School team to support the psychological well being and inclusion of looked after children, promoting trauma responsive and attachment aware practice in schools.

I have a Doctorate of Applied Educational Psychology from the University of Nottingham.

I am a Chartered Member of the British Psychological Society and a registered member of the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

Family based work:

As a HCPC-registered Practitioner Psychologist and Chartered Child and Educational Psychologist, I provide skilled therapeutic support tailored to the needs of children, young people, and families.

I am trained in Dyadic Developmental Practice (DDP) and Theraplay.  I am a qualified EMDR Therapist (Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing) for children, adolescents and adults.

I am an approved provider for the Adoption Support Fund (ASGSF), offering therapeutic interventions for children, young people, and families who have experienced developmental and relational trauma, attachment difficulties, and loss.  Please click here for further information. 

I also work with parents and families who are self-funding, or who have Bupa health insurance.  Please click here for further information.

School based work:

I offer a range of assessment, observation, intervention, advice and consultation to support children, young people, their families and schools. This is commissioned directly by schools through a Service Level Agreement (SLA).

I work in partnership with schools to support the emotional wellbeing, inclusion and learning of their pupils. Each piece of work is tailored to the context and priorities of the individual school.

Consistent with the Psychology 360 approach, my work is grounded in collaboration, reflective practice and evidence‑based psychology, always seeking to bring positive change for schools, pupils and families.

Please click here for further information.

I have experience of creating and delivering a wide range of training packages for educational settings, and have coordinated the ELSA programme for a Local Authority.  Training I have recently delivered includes:

• ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant training).

• Emotion Coaching.

• Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA).

• Selective Mutism and Reluctant Speakers.

I have supported in the delivery of doctoral training activities for Trainee Educational Psychologists at the University of Nottingham.