CY&A Psychology Service for Schools

Dr Paula Jean Manners is a highly qualified and experienced Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist. She completed the rigorous NHS consultancy training at the internationally renowned Tavistock Clinic and spent decades working with children, adolescents, young people and their families. She has Masters degrees in Psychology and Research from Trinity College Dublin and has published, lectured and presented her work internationally. She has most recently worked as a Clinical Psychologist within a leading independent day and boarding school.

Dr Manners began her career as a classroom teacher and her interest has always been in the intersection between Health and Education. Having qualified and obtaining extensive experience in both fields working for many years in LEAs, the Private (public) school sector and the NHS, she is insightful and skillful in providing treatment interventions and promoting the inclusion of neurodiverse young people in schools. Dr Manners has worked as an in-house Clinical Psychologist in a leading boarding school. Dr Manners is part of our School’s team, offering consultation, therapeutic input and trainings to schools.

With a focus on resources and resilience Dr Manners can provide brief strategic interventions targeting problems in a sensitive yet straightforward way. She is an experienced CBT therapist, is creative and dynamic and is particularly skilled in personalising evidence based interventions to the needs of neurodiverse young people and their families. Her psychoanalytic training also equips her with the valuable capacity to provide different perspectives and longer term therapy if necessary, where problems are recurrent or otherwise resistant to shorter term interventions.

Dr Manners is a problem solver by nature, working sensitively and in partnership with young people and their families finding the most effective way forward at the most challenging of times.

Dr Nicola Alden is a Chartered Principal Clinical Psychologist with more than 10 years experience working in child and family mental health services. Having previously had a successful career in primary school teaching, she moved into mental health, gaining experience across a range of child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) before completing a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at University College London in 2015. Since qualifying she has undertaken several additional trainings in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)  approaches, especially ‘third wave’ such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) .

Dr Alden has worked in NHS CAMHS and specialist CAMHS services, as well as in Paediatric Psychology at Great Ormond Street Hospital and more recently the Royal Brompton Hospital, working with inpatients and outpatients and their families. Dr Alden has gained extensive experience of helping young people, neurotypical and neurodiverse, experiencing emotional, behavioural and health difficulties; especially in relation to anxiety, phobias, low mood, and adverse life events, including trauma, illness, disabilities and bereavement. Dr Alden worked within a neurodevelopmental team within CAMHS and provided a specialist clinic within an Autism specialist school. She also completed a year-long research post in the University of Oxford, Department of Psychiatry, Autism Research Group. She is committed to neuroaffirming practice.

Due to her role as a senior Clinical Psychologist in Paediatrics, Dr Alden is highly skilled in understanding the needs of the whole family and has a great deal of experience in working with parents, carers and systems around young people. She works flexibly, adapting her therapeutic work so it is tailored to meet your needs. She has most recently worked with children and young people with cardiac and respiratory conditions, supporting their emotional health and their families at a difficult time. In the past she has had training rotations within ENT, endocrine, renal and feeding disorders (now known as ARFID). 

Dr Alden uses a warm, empathic approach to create a safe, nurturing space to work though difficulties in a collaborative and creative way that is engaging and effective. She is skilled at adapting her approach to your or your child’s age and stage of development. Her time as a primary school teacher means she is great at engaging with younger children, although she has plenty of clinical experience with all ages. She is used to working with families at crisis points and times of significant distress. Taking a calm, containing yet responsive approach she will work to create change to help young people and their families move towards their hopes and goals.

Dr Alden is part of our school’s team, providing consultation, therapeutic intervention and training to schools.

Dr Zaffran Jami is a highly experienced Counselling Psychologist with over ten years of clinical practice across child, adolescent, family and university mental health services. She holds a Doctorate in Counselling Psychology, a Postgraduate Diploma in Children and Young People’s Psychological Wellbeing Practice, a Postgraduate Certificate in the Supervision of Children and Young People’s CBT, and a BSc in Psychology.

Dr Jami works with both individuals and groups, supporting young people and young adults experiencing a wide range of emotional and psychological difficulties, including anxiety, depression, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and interpersonal challenges. Dr Jami central therapeutic approach is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), complemented by other evidence-based approaches such as Narrative Exposure Therapy, Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and integrative methods. She carefully tailors her treatments to meet the individual needs of each client, ensuring person-centred and responsive care.

Dr Jami has particular expertise in adapting therapeutic interventions, especially CBT, for neurodiverse children, adolescents and young adults. Dr Jami also provides post-diagnostic support directly and via school and university settings and works extensively with parents, having led numerous groups and workshops for families of autistic children.

Dr Jami’s approach is collaborative and compassionate, working closely with families to create safe, supportive environments. Her work is neuro-affirming and focused on building self-understanding, emotional regulation, resilience, and confidence in managing mental health.

Most recently, Dr Jami led an NHS wellbeing-in-schools team, reflecting her ongoing commitment to improving mental health provision in educational settings.

She is a valued member of our school-based team and also provides individual and group therapies within the practice.

Dr Helen O’Connor is a highly experienced Consultant Clinical Psychologist with over 15 years of expertise in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.  She completed her Clinical Psychology Doctorate in 2001 and also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for children and adolescents. Dr O’Connor was the Consultant Clinical Psychologist within an adolescent inpatient unit for 11 years, where she managed the psychological therapies team and used her skills in delivering evidence-based therapeutic interventions such as CBT, parenting programmes, group programmes and developed a particular focus on treating Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD); Eating Disorders and related difficulties. In her most recent role as the Lead Clinical Psychologist at a leading independent boarding school, she has treated a wide range of emotional health difficulties as well as promoting wellbeing and running a programme to increase resilience in young people. 

Throughout her career, Dr O’Connor has been passionate about enhancing the mental health and emotional wellbeing of young people. She is highly experienced at working with schools. Dr O’Connor was nominated for the Times education supplement mental health initiative award 2022 for her innovative curriculum-based program focused on promoting proactive wellbeing practices in schools. She has sat on the expert reference group for child and adolescent mental health and was part of the senate campaign promoting positive education. 

Dr O’ Connor has a strong background in shaping the next generation of Clinical Psychologists via teaching and mentoring, having contributed to doctoral programmes in Clinical Psychology and providing clinical supervision to both psychologists and other mental health professionals. She is deeply committed to advancing the field of psychology and has recently served as the Network Lead for Clinical Psychologists working in education for the British Psychological Society, further solidifying her expertise and leadership in the profession. 

Dr O’Connor is part of our school’s team as well as offering individual and group therapies in the practice. 

Dr Clare Yassin is a Chartered Principal Clinical Psychologist and has been working with children, young people and young adults since she was awarded her doctorate in Clinical Psychology in 2008 and within psychological services since 2002.

Dr Yassin has ten years experience working in NHS CAMHS and a further 4 years as a clinical lead in a specialist CAMHS for looked after children and adoption. Dr Yassin is an accredited CBT psychotherapist and EMDR Europe accredited adult practitioner and EMDR Europe accredited child and adolescent practitioner. She also has additional professional qualifications and trainings in Comprehensive Behavioural Intervention for Tics & Tourette Syndrome (CBIT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Schema Therapy for Children and Adolescents, Supervision of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (PGCert), Mentalisation Based Therapy, Specialist Parenting Programmes and Expert Witness Training (Bond Solon).

Dr Yassin has considerable experience of supervising and training other mental health professionals. She has delivered training on child and adolescent emotional wellbeing with the NHS and university settings. Through creative and active approaches, Dr Yassin helps young people to express their internal worlds, to make sense of and move beyond difficult experiences, behaviours, thoughts or emotions, to find the best in themselves, and to progress towards their goals and values.