The Team

A bit about us.....

Dr Nikkita Osiadacz

Clinical Director and Clinical Psychologist

Registered member of the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)

I am an enthusiastic and passionate Clinical Psychologist with a specific interest in supporting young people and their families to thrive and to be the best version of themselves, particularly young people with autism.

I provide autism and ADHD assessments and diagnosis for young people, support for autistic young people and their families, and mental health support for children and adolescents for challenges with anxiety, low mood, relationships and low self-esteem.

A person-centred approach is at the core of my work to suit the person’s needs. I also use other psychological approaches such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) adapted for young people, Narrative Therapy (NT) and systemic thinking throughout my practice.

I am a strong believer in young people being part of many systems such as family, friendship circle, and school amongst others, and therefore working with the system is paramount to ensuring the young person is supported and change is maintained.

Melissa Dean

Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Registered member of the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT).

I qualified as a Speech and Language Therapist in 2007, following completion of the MSc in
Language Pathology at Newcastle University. I have worked in the area of Autism Spectrum
Disorder (ASD) assessment within a multidisciplinary team for most of my career and I am
qualified to administer the ADOS-2 assessment.

Over the years, I have worked in many different settings, including autism resource units,
special schools, mainstream schools and child development centres. I work collaboratively
with a range of different professionals and strongly believe in joint working in order to
achieve holistic goal setting for children and young people.

I am experienced in a range of different therapeutic approaches, including Hanen ‘More
than Words’ parent training, Makaton, Intensive Interaction, Attention Autism and
supporting children with Alternative and Augmentative Communication systems (both
paper based and devices). I also have a special interest in Selective Mutism and have
completed the advanced masterclass level training. I aim to empower families to know how
best to work with their child to enable them to reach their full communication potential.

Alongside private practice, I currently work for the NHS as a Specialist Speech and Language
Therapist in an early years autism assessment team.

Dr Anna Kearney

Clinical Psychologist

Registered member of the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)

Anna has worked in independent practise for over 12 years alongside employment within the
NHS for the past 17 years. She completes comprehensive assessments and intervention of
children, young people and adults with learning disabilities and neurodevelopmental
conditions. Her work is underpinned by a commitment to thorough assessment, robust
differential diagnosis and a holistic understanding of each individual.

Anna has completed substantial diagnostic assessments and supported families through the
diagnostic process and post diagnosis.

Within the NHS Anna plays a central role within a senior leadership team, supporting
psychology colleagues, developing national pathways and local service developments. She is
an active contributor to national meetings, helping to promote collaboration, equity of care,
and the sharing of good practice across specialties.

In addition to her clinical and leadership roles, Anna is engaged in national research trials and
contributes extensively to research across several specialty areas.