Educational Psychologists (PEP, SEPs, EPs, TEPs & AEPs)

Click on the names in purple bold to see their One Page Profiles.

Dr James Thatcher		Principal Educational Psychologist and Head of Educational Psychology and Specialist Support As the Principal EP of EPSS and contributing to local authority strategic developments, James has particular overall responsibility for the development of traded work, for the Autism team, and for the Trainee EP scheme. James is committed to developing approaches to meeting children’s needs within their communities and to parent and child participation in Service evaluation and development
	Dr Karen Fields	Assistant Principal Educational Psychologist Karen is a Child and Educational Psychologist passionate about making the voice of children heard where it matters.  She has lots of experience in working with children of all ages and loves being a member of the EPSS.
Dr Sarah Hatfield		Assistant Principal Educational Psychologist Sarah has worked as an educational psychologist for 15 years, spending 7 of these years working as a specialist senior psychologist for Looked After Children. Sarah was responsible for setting up the Norfolk Boarding Partnership in 2008 and retains involvement with the project as part of EPSS wider working.
	Dr Helena Bunn	Senior Educational Psychologist Helena is an experienced educational psychologist, with a portfolio including local, national and international projects focused on educational inclusion for children with special educational needs and those publicly fostered. Helena’s key interest in promoting virtuous cycles of development for vulnerable children is reflected across her professional initiatives.
Dr Ian Mann		Senior Educational Psychologist Since qualifying as an educational psychologist in 2004, Ian has offered ongoing psychological support to schools throughout Norfolk. He has a keen interest in supporting the emotional well-being of all children and young people, through direct therapeutic work (for example, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy), consultative casework, and through whole-school, systemic interventions.
	Dr Sue Ackerley	Senior Educational Psychologist  Sue is an Educational Psychologist who has also had a wide range of teaching experiences in both mainstream and specialist settings; this included eight years working for a specialist outreach service to support students with an Autism in Suffolk. In addition to autism, she also has a special interest in mental health issues, being passionate about promoting inclusion,  self-advocacy and emotional wellbeing using holistic approaches.
Elaine Nickolls		Senior Educational Psychologist Elaine is an experienced educational psychologist and member of the leadership team, with interests in autism and neurodiversity. Prior to training to become an EP, she had experience of working with pre-school children and then across the school age-range as a learning support teacher and, later, as a secondary SENCo. Elaine is passionate about applying psychology to ensure that all children can be the best they can be and can enjoy their time in education, whatever their needs.
	Dr Hester Howells	Senior Educational Psychologist Hester has extensive experience of working with children and young people with a range of needs and in different settings. Hester is developing specialisms in persistent literacy skill difficulties and supporting needs associated with neurodiversity. Hester is completing County-wide research exploring perceptions of parents/carers and special school staff regarding how non-speaking autistic pupil’s mental health needs can be best supported. Hester is a member of the Critical Incident Team.
Dr Lucy Kimber		Senior Educational Psychologist  Lucy is an Educational and Child Psychologist. Her interests are in supporting children and young people with social emotional and mental health needs, by working collaboratively with their school and families. She enjoys working directly with children using therapeutic approaches and is keen to advocate for the needs of vulnerable children.
	Dr Emma Speed	Senior Educational Psychologist Emma Speed is an Educational Psychologist who trained at the University of East London. Prior to this Emma has worked both locally and internationally with children and young people. She has an interest in conducting research to inform practice, which has included exploring High school students’ perspectives of the curriculum, and the relationship between music and language skills of children in the Early Years. She has also been involved in a collaborative research project supporting pupils’ transition to High school. In her practice Emma has a particular interest in Early Intervention and children’s Early Years, and in using creative support strategies.
Dr Kirstie Summers		Senior Educational Psychologist  Kirstie is an Educational Psychologist that received her Doctorate in Applied Educational Psychology at the University of Nottingham. Prior to this, Kirstie worked for the mental health charity Mind and at a Specialist Resource Base for children and young people with Autism. She has a particular interest in supporting children and young people’s social and emotional development. Kirstie has recently joined the Critical Incident Team.
	Dr Richard Smith	Specialist Senior Educational Psychologist (Autism) Richard is an Educational Psychologist that received his Doctorate in Educational Psychology at the University of East Anglia. He has over 10 years of experience working with children and young people in the field of applied psychology, both within health and social care settings. He has an interest in working with children and young people who have specific learning difficulties, neurodiversity conditions as well as those with profound and multiple learning difficulties. Richard is also interested in using therapeutic approaches to help children manage the social and emotional challenges relating to learning. Richard has a BSc (Hons) in Psychology and an MSc in Neuropsychology.
Dr Lou Somner		Specialist Senior Educational Psychologist (SEMH) Louise is an Educational Psychologist who received her Doctorate in Educational Psychology at University of East London. Louise has worked with children and young people in a range of educational settings and roles – including working as a teacher in mainstream primaries and an ASC Specialist Resource Base, being involved in the setting up and running of a therapeutic school for Looked After Children and undertaking advisory work around SEMH. She is passionate about supporting and engaging hard to reach children and families and hopes to work alongside service users to find solutions, embed child-centred approaches and encourage sustainable inclusive practice.
	Sean O’Donoghue	Educational Psychologist  Sean has been working as an Educational Psychologist in Norfolk for thirty years, having previously been a SENDCo in East London. He presently works in North Norfolk in both urban and rural schools. He has a developing interest in SEND/EAL. Individual casework remains central to his work.
Dr Sarah Raspin		Educational Psychologist Sarah is an Educational Psychologist that received her Doctorate in Applied Educational Psychology at the University of Nottingham.  Her previous experience includes teaching music and performing arts, further study in cognitive neuroscience and working as an Assistant Educational Psychologist.
	Jane Sarmezey	Educational Psychologist Jane is an experienced Educational Psychologist.  Special interests include working to support children who have experienced early trauma, and therapeutic work with children (including therapeutic storywriting and therapeutic play).  Jane emphasises the need to consider all contextual factors when promoting the education and life chances of children with additional needs.
Dr Lloyd Smith		Educational Psychologist Lloyd is an Educational Psychologist that received his Doctorate at the University of East London. He has previously worked as an Assessment Consultant, a Teaching Assistant and a Support Worker in the community. Lloyd is passionate about working with and supporting parents of children and young people with SEND.
	Dr Rachel Wade	Educational Psychologist Rachel Wade is an Educational Psychologist who received her doctorate in Educational Psychology at the University of East Anglia.  Rachel initially joined the EPSS team as a Research and Development Assistant/ Assistant Educational Psychologist. Rachel also has experience of working as a primary school teacher and holds a BSc in Psychology, Childhood and Aging.
Dr Megan Purdy		Educational Psychologist Megan is a Trainee Educational Psychologist currently undertaking a Doctorate in Educational Psychology at the University of East Anglia. Megan has previously worked in an Autism speciality school, an eating disorder in-patient unit and in a personality disorder treatment service inside a prison. Megan’s areas of interest are supporting children and young people who have been involved with offending and the promotion of autonomy and personhood in those with learning disabilities.
	Dr Joey Szabo-Hemmings	Educational Psychologist Joey is an Educational Psychologist who received his doctorate from the University of East Anglia. Joey has worked with children in a variety of roles in different countries. He received an MSc in School Psychology from Leiden University in the Netherlands. Joey has an interest in the topic of ADHD and how to create positive learning environments which meet these learners’ needs and promote their strengths. He is particularly interested in the benefits of nature connectedness and outdoor learning approaches.
Victoria Scott		Trainee Educational Psychologist Victoria is currently a Year 3 Trainee Educational Psychologist at the University of East Anglia. Previous to this she was a Specialist Teacher/Advisory Learning Support Teacher within Educational Psychology services in Norfolk. Victoria specialised in neurodiversity and looked after children. Prior to this Victoria was an Early Years Teacher and a teacher in a complex needs school. Alongside Specialist Teaching she was seconded into two different SRBs for Autism. Victoria continues to be interested in neurodiversity but is enjoying learning more about other areas including dynamic assessments, youth offending and EBSA. She is currently researching and very interested in resilience in children and young people exposed to domestic abuse.
	Max Vannucci	Trainee Educational Psychologist Max is a Trainee Educational Psychologist currently undertaking a Doctorate in Educational Psychology at the University of East Anglia. Max has worked in a variety of educational settings, including alternative and specialist provisions, and has particular interest in supporting young people with social, emotional and mental health needs. Max is passionate about celebrating difference, solution-oriented practice, and developing restorative alternatives to school exclusion.
Keith Houghton		Trainee Educational Psychologist Keith is a Trainee Educational Psychologist undertaking his Doctorate in Educational Psychology at the University of East Anglia. Keith has worked in a variety of educational roles across systems within Liverpool. Keith’s professional interests include the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Social, Emotional and Mental Health upon Learning and Engagement, along with exploring the use of person-centred planning tools and technology to increase engagement and participation of children and young people.
	Natalie Dowle	Trainee Educational Psychologist Natalie is a Trainee Educational Psychologist currently undertaking a Doctorate in Educational Psychology at the University of East Anglia. Natalie has worked in various educational and healthcare roles, including as a CAMHS Assistant Psychologist, and as a Further Education Careers Adviser. Natalie’s areas of interest are in gaining the child’s voice, in using systemic, therapeutic and solution-oriented practices, and in supporting post-16 learners. Natalie celebrates difference and is passionate about supporting people belonging to diverse groups.
Hannah Gray		Trainee Educational Psychologist Hannah is currently a Year 2 Trainee Educational Psychologist studying at the University of East Anglia. Before this, Hannah worked as a Pupil Wellbeing Assistant at a special needs school. Her interests include relational approaches to support children’s wellbeing, such as emotion coaching and animal-assisted intervention. She is also interested in supporting neurodiverse and post-16 learners and applying systemic and person-centred approaches.
	Mel Coleman	Assistant Educational Psychologist Mel is currently working as an Assistant Educational Psychologist/Research Assistant. She has over 20 years of experience working with children and young people in a range of roles including EYFS teacher, Intervention Lead and SENCO. Mel holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Masters degree in Clinical Child Psychology. Her most recent dissertation explored the relationship between theory of mind and language ability. Mel has worked on a range of research projects and her current interests lie in early childhood trauma and attachment and working memory in children with literacy difficulties.
Charlotte Fagg		Assistant Educational Psychologist Charlotte joined EPSS in September 2023 and is currently working as an Assistant Educational Psychologist/Research Assistant. Since earning a Psychology degree in 2015, she has worked in roles as a 1:1 Teaching Assistant and a Senior Support Mentor, in both Primary and Secondary schools. Most recently, Charlotte completed training to become a Designated Safeguard Lead, supporting vulnerable children and young people facing challenging circumstances. Charlotte has a keen interest in exploring the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences, Trauma and Emotionally Based School Avoidance on the wellbeing and engagement of young people.
	Harriet Winfield	Assistant Educational Psychologist Harriet is currently an Assistant Educational Psychologist/Research Assistant. Harriet received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in Developmental Science from the University of East Anglia. Her master’s dissertation focused on children with autism and their parents’ attitudes, behaviours, and feelings surrounding climate change. Harriet has worked as a nursery assistant, supporting neurodiversity as a 1:1 teaching assistant, collaborating with young people to reduce the gaps for young people least represented in higher education, and coordinating the student listening service Norwich Nightline. Harriet is passionate about neurodiversity, eco-anxiety, person-centred approaches, and inclusive practice.

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