Dr Nikki Collingwood is an experienced HCPC registered Educational Psychologist, working with children and young people with learning and socio-emotional difficulties in school and clinical settings.
Before completing her Doctorate in Child & Educational Psychology at UCL in 2016, Nikki was a Key Stage 1 Class Teacher and Specialist SEN Teacher working with pupils with difficulties in Key Stage 2 in mainstream schools. Since qualifying, Nikki has worked within a Local Authority Psychology Service and more recently as a Lecturer at the University of East Anglia, teaching across all modules of the Doctorate in Educational Psychology. She currently has a part time role as Lecturer at the Tavistock & Portman, teaching on the Educational Doctoral program there. Nikki also works at the Evelina London Children's Hospital providing outpatient neuropsychological assessments for children with brain injuries.
Nikki’s areas of special interest are in Executive Functions, Metacognition and Self-Regulation (EMS) where she has developed training around how school professionals can use this knowledge to enhance learning. Her Doctoral research involved developing a multidimensional meta-cognitive and affective intervention to address maths performance, self-regulation behaviours, self-concept and maths anxiety.
Nikki values the importance of continued professional development, having recently completed a Diploma in Clinical Paediatric Neuropsychology at UCL. She is currently or has supervised research in a range of areas including Emotionally Based School Non Attendance (EBSNA); trauma informed schools, academic achievement in spite of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs , responding to Critical Incidents involving suicide in schools, Social-Emotional wellbeing in young people from diverse backgrounds, Professional's Perspectives on PDA and peer supported social emotional support interventions.
Nikki works with children and young people up to the age of 25 at individual, group, class and a systemic level to address barriers to learning; providing advice and training to schools to help them support pupils with affective, learning and behavioural challenges. In particular, training on how to support children and young people who have experienced attachment difficulties and trauma. Using her knowledge and engagement with research, Nikki supports the development of strategies and interventions to enhance social and emotional well-being, identifying needs to achieve the best outcomes.