Nicola Kennelly Clinical Psychologist in Cumbria
About me
I grew up in a small village in the Lake District and returned there with my husband in 2001 to bring up our two children. I was drawn to pursue a degree in Psychology in 1991 in Newcastle upon Tyne. During which I worked voluntarily with older adults, children and adults with learning disabilities. On completion I spent time working as a support worker with adults with learning disabilities before beginning my career in the NHS in 1994. I completed two assistant psychologist posts; with older adults; and with offenders with serious and enduring mental illness in a high secure setting.
In 1997 I began a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Newcastle University. I was drawn to attachment theory and child development issues and focussed my training on using a holistic approach, integrating both nature and nurture into my understanding of people. During my training with children, I spent time learning from a Clinical Psychologist using systemic practice in a community outreach placement and a Child Psychotherapist in a clinic setting using play therapy. I then specialised and completed an elective placement in the North East Regional Pervasive Developmental Disorders Service, working with children with possible autism spectrum conditions.
Between 2001- 2013 I worked as a Clinical Psychologist across Cumbria in two Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) teams. I was responsible for: overseeing some of the most complex cases autonomously; engaging families with complex situations in intervention, drawing from a variety of different therapeutic models; contributing to a duty rota for emergencies and high risk cases; providing leadership for autism spectrum conditions within CAMHS and clinically inputting to a multi-agency assessment team and supporting strategic development.
Other posts in the NHS since 2013 have included working with children with learning disabilities, working in a child development centre, working for the an adult autism assessment team, and working with children with physical health conditions (diabetes and children with persistent physical symptoms). I have also worked privately with looked after children in a residential setting, offered consultancy and supervision to other agencies and clinicians, completed assessments for legal proceedings, and taken on other short term projects e.g. being on BBC Radio Cumbria and in an episode of 'Born Naughty' Channel 4.
Additional training:
In addition to the standard training requirements to be a clinical psychologist, I have also undertaken the following additional training:
'Confident Parenting' training (for children with developmental difficulties), Attachment and Psychopathology training (Pat Crittenden), Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (trainer status – by Prof LeCouteur), Child Clinical Neuropsychology (BPS Division of Neuropsychology), Cognitive assessments with children, Mellow Parenting training and Webster Stratton parent training ('the incredible years'), Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), and the British Psychological Society's approved 'certificate in trauma treatments', 'certificate in third wave CBT', 'certificate of supervision', attachment style interview training, and dyadic developmental psychotherapy (DDP) level 1. I have also completed training in 'level 2 DDP'.
Please feel free to contact me with any queries by email, my preferred method of contact: nicola.kennelly@gmail.com.
