Handelsman Psychology offers a free 15 minute chat to discuss your concerns and explain how we work. To arrange a phone call please email gemma@handelsmanpsychology.com, complete the Contact Form or telephone 07368 184739. If we agree a meeting/assessment, you will be emailed forms to complete. Once these are returned, you will be offered a date for the meeting/assessment.

An EP assessment can include assessments of cognition, processing, memory, literacy and numeracy. A child’s emotional wellbeing, self-image, resiliency, attention, social skills, sensory processing, motor skills and behaviour needs can also be explored. Assessments can take various forms, including standardised and dynamic tests completed individually with the child, observations and questionnaires for parents, school staff and the child. I work with children and young people aged 3-18 years old.

If relevant and in the best interests of the child, a diagnosis of specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia or dyscalculia can be given. Diagnoses of dyspraxia, ADHD and autism cannot be given but can be screened for and you may be signposted to other professionals for formal diagnostic assessments.

Assessments can take place at your child’s school, at your home or at a clinic space in Mill Hill, NW7. This will be a decision we make together depending on factors such as the need for a school observation, where you live and my availability.

A visit to school will usually last a full morning. Individual assessment with your child varies as I work at the pace of the child and provide breaks as needed. Typically, individual assessment will last 2-3 hours. Occasionally an assessment will be split across two days.

Please share All About Me for Children and All About Me for Teens web pages with your child before their assessment. Also, have a look below at 'FAQs for Kids' that you can use to help prepare them and answer their questions.

An EP assessment is much more than completing individual activities with your child. As a Psychologist I provide a professional opinion based on a range of information, including the views of nursery/school staff. I therefore will always seek the views of teachers as part of an assessment. It is also quite normal for parents and teachers to hold different concerns or opinions about a child, and this is okay too. If you have a specific concern about informing your child’s school, please discuss this with me.

I will decide if an observation at nursery/school is necessary as part of my assessment once I know more about your concerns. An observation will always be carried out if you are having an Early Years assessment or if there are concerns regarding attention and behaviour which can be best assessed at school. Observations are less common for secondary school students.

Your child’s report will be sent to you by email within three weeks of the completed assessment and the return of any questionnaires/forms I have requested.

Take your time to read the report and note any questions you may have for me or any factual inaccuracies you would like me to amend. We can then have a phone call/video meeting so I can answer your questions. If need be, I can send you a final amended report. Then share the final report with your child’s nursery/school and ask for a meeting with the SENCo/class teacher to discuss the outcomes and agree next steps. This may include them creating or amending an SEN Individual Support Plan for your child and circulating strategies to teaching staff. Ask for a review meeting to be scheduled with you approx. 6 weeks later so you can monitor progress together. You are welcome to get back in touch for a Review meeting with me if required.

All schools have a duty to support children with additional needs, as outlined in the SEN Code of Practice (2014). They should make reasonable adjustments in line with professional recommendations, such as those within an EP report. If a child has severe and complex needs, parents may choose to request an Education Health and Care (EHC) Needs Assessment from their Local Authority. You can use my EP report as part of the evidence you provide to the Local Authority, as it will help them understand your child’s strengths and needs. It does not guarantee that the LA will agree to the EHC Needs Assessment.

I do not currently conduct assessments to provide tribunal reports and I do not act as an expert witness for SEND Appeals. You can however choose to include my report as part of your evidence.

Fees vary depending on several factors including: the child’s age, the concerns held, the location of the assessment and whether you wish them to be screened for diagnoses such as Autism or ADHD. The fee will include contact time, assessment materials, reading documents and the written report. Please contact me directly for more information. Please note Handelsman Psychology is not registered with any health insurance companies.

An Educational Psychologist (EP) works with children, like you, and their parents and teachers to make learning easier and school more enjoyable for you. We do this by talking with you, your parents and teachers and usually meeting you to complete some games and activities together.

You, your parents and/or your teachers have noticed that you sometimes find some parts of learning or school difficult. This assessment will help us find out what you’re good at, how you learn best, what you find hard and what might help make learning easier and school happier for you.

Yes, your teacher(s) knows about this assessment and will be speaking to me about how you learn best and what you find difficult. I will then give your teacher(s) ideas that should make learning easier and school happier for you.

We might meet at school, at your home or at a clinic space. I will decide this with your parents and teachers. When we meet I will explain who I am and check you understand why we are meeting. I will chat to you about your life and ask you questions about school. I sometimes ask children to complete questionnaires and I usually ask you to complete some games and activities to find out more about how you learn. You can take breaks when you need to and, if at school, you will have your school break and lunchtimes as normal. If we meet at a clinic space, please bring a water bottle and some snacks with you. You will also need your regular pen and pencil with you.

No, your friends won’t know unless you choose to tell them. They may see me at school and even in your classroom, but they don’t know I’m visiting you. If they see you meeting with me, you can choose to tell them that you have a visitor to help you at school or anything else that you feel comfortable telling them.

I will usually sit at the side of the classroom and sometimes walk around the room to look at all the children’s work. I will be listening to the teacher and all the children. I may be taking notes to help me remember what I saw and heard. Sometimes I might ask to see your work or ask you a question - if I do this, I will usually ask a few children, not just you. Please try to work as normal, so I can see what lessons are like for you at school.

After our meeting I will be writing a report (which is a long letter) about what you’re good at, how you learn best, what you find hard and what might help you. As part of this report I will include information you have told me or that I have seen and heard whilst at your school. If there is something you don’t want me to include then let me know – I can leave it out the report, unless I’m worried about you and think you might not be safe, then I would have to tell your parents or teacher to make sure they can keep you safe.

My reports are usually very long and written for your parents and teachers to read. You can ask them to tell you about it so you know what things might change for you at school and at home. When you are an adult you may choose to ask your parents for a copy of the report so you can understand more about your own learning.

We will always meet somewhere you feel safe and comfortable. If you want a trusted adult from home or school at our meeting please let me know. If you want to stop our meeting at any time, also let me know. If I see or hear something, or you tell me something, that makes me think you might not be safe at home or school then I cannot keep this a secret. I will tell either an adult at school or your parent(s), or we can tell them together.