Dr Lucy - Clinical Psychologist

Dr Lucy - Clinical Psychologist Autism, ADHD, and trauma specialist offering assessments, parent consultation, psychological therapy and training.

Available across Leeds, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield.

08/09/2026

I think we're asking the wrong questions about ADHD.

Even before the recent documentary (I’m sure you know the one I mean), my feed was full of content about the ‘explosion’ in ADHD diagnoses and the prescribing of medication.

But here’s the thing. These aren’t numbers, they’re people.

And in my clinical experience, they’re people who have struggled for years with education, work, relationships, and very often their own identity.

So, as someone whose job it is to assess, support and understand people and their needs, the questions I think are worth asking are:

“Is receiving the right diagnosis and accessing treatment helpful?”

And “Do we have the systems and services in place that we need to provide the right support?”

I’m not pretending the details and wider debates aren’t important, but I do believe that we need to keep people - not numbers or politics - at the heart of our thinking.

I’d love to hear your take.

—

🤝 Dr Lucy & Associates
🧠 Psychological Therapy & Assessment
💡 Consultation, Teaching & Training
📍 West Yorkshire

📩 [email protected]
📞 Book via our website (link in bio)

07/09/2026

I think we're asking the wrong questions about ADHD.

Even before the recent documentary (I’m sure you know the one I mean), my feed was full of content about the ‘explosion’ in ADHD diagnoses and the prescribing of medication.

But here’s the thing. These aren’t numbers; they’re people.

And in my clinical experience, they’re people who have struggled for years with education, work, relationships, and very often their own identity.

So, as someone whose job it is to assess, support and understand people and their needs, the questions I think are worth asking are:

“Is receiving the right diagnosis and accessing treatment helpful?”

And “Do we have the systems and services in place that we need to provide the right support?”

I’m not pretending the details and wider debates aren’t important, but I do believe that we need to keep people - not numbers or politics - at the heart of our thinking.

I’d love to hear your take.

—

🤝 Dr Lucy & Associates
🧠 Psychological Therapy & Assessment
💡 Consultation, Teaching & Training
📍 West Yorkshire

📩 [email protected]
📞 Book via our website (link in bio)

There are four words here that really matter to me.Of course, it's lovely to hear that someone would recommend us. But t...
04/09/2026

There are four words here that really matter to me.

Of course, it's lovely to hear that someone would recommend us. But the words that really matter to me are heard, seen, respected and supported.

Because whether someone comes to us for an assessment, therapy, or another kind of support, they're trusting us with something that really matters

And we want to honour that by ensuring that the experience feels right for them.

A huge thank you to everyone who took the time to share their feedback. It genuinely means a lot to the whole team.

And if you're wondering whether we might be the right people to support you or your family, you're always welcome to get in touch and ask us anything you'd like to know before deciding.

—

🤝 Dr Lucy & Associates
🧠 Psychological Therapy & Assessment
💡 Consultation, Teaching & Training
📍 West Yorkshire

📩 [email protected]
📞 Book via our website (link in bio)

You prepared them for starting school. But nobody really prepares you for 3.30pm...Over the summer, I shared a series ab...
03/09/2026

You prepared them for starting school. But nobody really prepares you for 3.30pm...

Over the summer, I shared a series about some of the things I'd be doing if my own child was starting school for the first time this September.

But the transition doesn't suddenly finish when they walk through the school gates.

Those first few weeks can take a lot out of a little person.

And sometimes the child who school tells you has had a perfectly lovely day is the same child who gets home and cries because their banana broke in half.

It doesn't necessarily mean that something is wrong or that they're unhappy at school.

They may simply have spent all day taking in new information, remembering new routines, navigating friendships, listening, concentrating, and working out what's expected of them.

And home is where they finally have the space to let some of that go.

So if September feels a little bumpier than you expected, give yourselves time. Keep life outside school manageable where you can, make room for rest and connection, and don't feel you need to fill every silence with questions about their day.

📌 Save this for the first few weeks of term (particularly for the afternoon when a broken banana feels like the end of the world).

And if you'd like some support as your family prepares for this next chapter, we're always here to help.

Our Starting School webinar is also available to watch on demand whenever it suits you. The webinar includes a 60-minute recorded session, a comprehensive PDF resource pack, and additional resources to support you throughout this transition.

You can sign up via the link in our bio.

—

🤝 Dr Lucy & Associates
🧠 Psychological Therapy & Assessment
💡 Consultation, Teaching & Training
📍 West Yorkshire

📩 [email protected]
📞 Book via our website (link in bio)

Have you heard this, too?I've heard it said many times that there's “no point” in having a private assessment because th...
01/09/2026

Have you heard this, too?

I've heard it said many times that there's “no point” in having a private assessment because the NHS won't accept it.

And I can understand why that would make families nervous about paying privately.

You want to know that an assessment has been carried out properly and that the report you're given will carry weight where it’s needed.

So I checked the local policies.

And what that confirmed is that a private assessment isn't rejected simply because it's private. It does, however, need to meet the required standards.

To be completely upfront, nobody can guarantee who will and won't accept their assessments (even Right To Choose assessments get rejected by services at times).

But that said, our autism and ADHD assessments are NICE-compliant, multidisciplinary, and not only meet but exceed the standards set out in West Yorkshire.

And if you’re considering an assessment for yourself or your child, I hope that gives you some reassurance when you’re deciding what to do.

But I also don't want the conversation about assessment quality to stop at whether somebody has ticked the necessary boxes.

I want you to come away feeling that we've taken the time to fully understand you or your child. That the conclusions make sense. That you've had space to ask questions. And that the report you receive is genuinely useful to you afterwards.

If you're considering a private assessment and you're unsure what you should be looking for in a provider, you're very welcome to ask us questions about our process before making any decisions.

📌 And perhaps save this one for the next time somebody tells you that a private assessment “won't count”.

—

🤝 Dr Lucy & Associates
🧠 Psychological Therapy & Assessment
💡 Consultation, Teaching & Training
📍 West Yorkshire

📩 [email protected]
📞 Book via our website (link in bio)

There can be a big difference between receiving an assessment outcome and making sense of it.By the time we reach the en...
28/08/2026

There can be a big difference between receiving an assessment outcome and making sense of it.

By the time we reach the end of an assessment, families are understandably keen for answers.

But I never want those answers to arrive as a report in your inbox that you're left to make sense of on your own.

For me, the feedback appointment is as much about listening as it is about explaining.

I want to know what makes sense to you, what surprises you, what questions the findings bring up and whether there's anything we need to think about differently before I complete the report.

Because although I've brought my clinical knowledge to the assessment, you're the expert on your own or your child's lived experience. That conversation matters when we're thinking about what the findings mean in real life and what recommendations will actually be useful.

And sometimes, you simply need a bit of space to take it all in.

That's why the feedback appointment isn't an optional extra in our assessment process. It's an important part of getting from having an outcome to understanding what that outcome means for you or your child.

📌 Save this if you're considering an assessment and would like to know what you can expect from our process.

And if there's anything you'd like to know before deciding whether an assessment feels right for you or your child, you're always welcome to get in touch.

—

🤝 Dr Lucy & Associates
🧠 Psychological Therapy & Assessment
💡 Consultation, Teaching & Training
📍 West Yorkshire

📩 [email protected]
📞 Book via our website (link in bio)

Apparently I'm fashionably late to this one...But I couldn't let the “kinda chic” trend disappear without giving it a Dr...
26/08/2026

Apparently I'm fashionably late to this one...

But I couldn't let the “kinda chic” trend disappear without giving it a Dr Lucy makeover.

Because there really is something lovely about watching someone begin to understand themselves differently.

To realise that some of the things they've spent years questioning or criticising themselves for might make a lot more sense than they thought.

I get to see some of those moments through my work, and they're one of my favourite parts of it.

So perhaps being late to the trend is rather appropriate...

Kinda chic to realise you're allowed to do things in your own time too 💁‍♀️

What would you add to the list?

—

🤝 Dr Lucy & Associates
🧠 Psychological Therapy & Assessment
💡 Consultation, Teaching & Training
📍 West Yorkshire

📩 [email protected]
📞 Book via our website (link in bio)

Parents often ask me how to approach and explain the assessment process.And the answer won't look exactly the same for e...
24/08/2026

Parents often ask me how to approach and explain the assessment process.

And the answer won't look exactly the same for every child.

A younger child may need something explained very simply. An older child might want much more information and have plenty of questions of their own.

Age is relevant, but what really matters is how much that individual young person is able to understand and weigh up for themselves. And that's an important part of how we think about consent.

This isn't simply a choice I've made about how I work. As an assessment provider, I have a legal responsibility to consider consent, as does any professional carrying out an assessment.

But beyond that responsibility, I also want children to feel part of the process rather than simply being carried along by something that's happening to them.

And that means including them in a way that makes sense for them, giving them opportunities to ask questions and making sure they know that what they think and feel matters too.

That doesn't mean you need to sit down for one big, serious conversation and find exactly the right words. You can talk about it gradually, answer questions as they come up and revisit things as their understanding develops.

📌 Save this if an assessment is something you're beginning to talk about as a family.

And if you're considering an assessment for your child and you're unsure how to approach those conversations, please do get in touch. We're always happy to help.

—

🤝 Dr Lucy & Associates
🧠 Psychological Therapy & Assessment
💡 Consultation, Teaching & Training
📍 West Yorkshire

📩 [email protected]
📞 Book via our website (link in bio)

21/08/2026

Diagnostic criteria | Part 3: When understanding moves on

Our understanding of autism and ADHD hasn't stood still just because the diagnostic manuals have.

As a Clinical Psychologist, I have to work within diagnostic criteria. But I can also bring everything we've learned since those words were written into how I listen, the questions I ask and the way I make sense of someone's experiences.

For me, those two things have to sit alongside each other.

👉 This is the final video in my three-part series. If you've missed Parts 1 & 2, you'll find them over on my page.

📌 Don’t forget to save this series if you'd like to come back to it.

And if you're considering an autism or ADHD assessment for yourself or your child and would like to understand more about how we approach assessment at Dr Lucy & Associates, please do get in touch.

—

🤝 Dr Lucy & Associates
🧠 Psychological Therapy & Assessment
💡 Consultation, Teaching & Training
📍 West Yorkshire

📩 [email protected]
📞 Book via our website (link in bio)

19/08/2026

Diagnostic criteria | Part 2: Where is masking?

Someone can look as though they're coping and be working incredibly hard underneath to make that happen.

That's why thinking about masking matters so much when I'm trying to understand someone's experiences.

People don't arrive for assessment as a list of behaviours neatly matching a set of criteria. They've spent years living in the world, adapting to it and, in some cases, becoming very good at hiding the things they find difficult.

For some people, that can make the journey towards understanding themselves much longer than it should be.

👉 This is Part 2 of three. If you missed my thoughts on deficit-based criteria, you'll find Part 1 over on my page.

And in the final part coming next, I’ll be looking at what happens when our understanding develops faster than the manuals we use.

🤔 If you’ve been through an assessment, did you feel the process picked up on the things other people might not see?

And if you're considering an autism or ADHD assessment for yourself or your child, you're always welcome to get in touch.

—

🤝 Dr Lucy & Associates
🧠 Psychological Therapy & Assessment
💡 Consultation, Teaching & Training
📍 West Yorkshire

📩 [email protected]
📞 Book via our website (link in bio)

Address

Leeds

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Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm

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