The child psychologists who belong to AChiPPP come from a variety of fields within child psychology. Most are either child clinical or educational psychologists and many then have additional qualifications such as in child neuropsychology or counselling. In the future it is likely that there will be sports and health psychologists with a particular specialism in working with children so we've included these categories although there will be few entries in these categories at present. A definition of 'child' is also in order. For many of the psychologists on the list their experience extends through the age range and into early adulthood.
Child clinical and educational psychologists work with children and young people in a variety of settings of which the two main ones are home and school. Child clinical psychologists have a background in the health services while educational psychologists will have worked in the school and educational settings.
Within both groups you will find a range of expertise - educational psychologists who are well versed in working with neuro-developmental disorders such as autism within family and school contexts and clinical psychologists who as well as working across health and home settings are also experienced in working within school systems. Many will have taken further training - for example in child neuropsychology or in counselling or in supporting children with challenging behaviours and their families. Others will have built up additional experience with a particular condition such as ME or self harm or the hyperactivity/attention disorders.
As a parent it may appear daunting at first to work through the information to find what you want.
Take your time! You will want to find a psychologist with whom you'll be happy to work - someone with whom you feel comfortable.
You will want a psychologist who has the expertise in the area you need for your child. Don't be afraid to ask questions. By asking the same questions of a few psychologists you can start to get a feel for what else you'd like to know about. You're in the driving seat; you do not have to book with the first psychologist you contact. Even if you're under a deadline take time to find the psychologist whom you feel will be right for your child and your family.
All the psychologists who belong to AChiPPP are chartered by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and/or Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registered. This means they will have had a further period of supervision after their postgraduate training. Almost all will for a period have had careers in public services - mainly health and education services.
Some will have left these services to set up in full time private practice. Others may offer their services on both a private basis and with the public sector
Fees will vary and a fee range is not given to avoid the possibility of contravening the competition legislation. It is up to you to check this out with individual practitioners. Bear in mind that in setting a fee the psychologist has to take into account overheads which will include secretarial fees, the costs of tests and equipment and so on.
Find out what is being offered and check the detail. For example two psychologists may each quote for an 'assessment'. In one case this may include a two hour session in total; in the other it may include separate sessions with parents and the child and observations in settings such as nursery or school. Find out exactly what is being offered and how fees will be charged.
We offer a postcode service which give details of the psychologists closest to you as the crow flies. 'Closest' in this sense may not always be the most accessible. Other factors such as traffic congestion in cities, quality of roads in rural areas may need to be considered. We've given the nearest town in which psychologists are based which may also help in choosing; for example in East London a psychologist in a Kent town may actually be more accessible than a psychologist who is nearer in miles on the other side of London. Conversely a psychologist based in London may be able to get out to a rural area more quickly if there are good connections than a psychologist travelling across county. Giving the town in which the psychologist is based means you can make your own judgements in the light of your experience about local conditions.
Or search by geographical area lists.
Some psychologists work in several areas but our system only allows one postcode entry. A search by geographical area includes all the psychologists who are willing to take work in that area, even if they are based many miles away.
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If you've heard of a psychologist whom you'd like to contact you can also use the member list to browse alphabetically.
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You may want to find a psychologist who is experienced in working in the area of concern for you and your child. Scroll down on the list in the Specialty box to find this.