Kitty Jack-Thomas is an Assistant Psychologist and Psychological Coach. She has an MSc in Psychology of Mental Health and Wellbeing. Prior to this, Kitty was a teacher and has educational experience across a range of age groups and cultural contexts in the UK and internationally. She has a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), as well as two other degrees from the University of London. As a member of the British Psychological Society (BPS), she abides by the BPS Code of Ethics and Conduct. She is also a member of the International Society of Coaching Psychology (ISCP) and the Association for Coaching (AC).
Dr. Burbach spent 30 years as a clinician, clinical lead, and service manager in the NHS before moving into the digital mental health sector. He has contributed to national research projects, has developed training courses accredited by the universities of Plymouth and Exeter, and published over 60 academic publications.
Frank has a special interest in working with families and has extensive leadership and research experience in this area including membership of national expert reference groups, the Journal of Family Therapy editorial board and chairing the Association for Family Therapy Ethics Committee.
Assembly was designed by a world class team of cross-functional clinicians and researchers with over 140 years of experience.
Our brains are constantly changing. Children’s brains are especially neuroplastic, which means they can develop and learn new skills easily.
But the parts of the brain that help us understand other people’s actions and control our own reactions don’t fully develop until our 20s. That’s why many children have difficulties not only with managing their emotions and controlling their behaviour and impulses, but also with focusing on relevant information, setting goals and solving problems.
As neuroscientists learn more about how different brain networks function, modern diagnostic models are beginning to take into account that children can have functional difficulties across many dimensions; and that all the dimensions need to be addressed as part of a pattern, regardless of whether they pass a clinical threshold.
Many children don’t meet the diagnostic criteria for specific disorders but they still have needs. Sometimes this is because their dimensions develop slower or less compared to their peers due to genetic or environmental factors, causing functional difficulties at school or at home. We are all ‘wired differently’ to some extent but some children may be further along on a neurodevelopmental disorders spectrum.