Ways to get in touch ....

Our Business Support Team are available Monday to Friday

9.30am to 4.30pm

what we offer

At Neurodiversity EmPOWERment, we specialize in offering psychotherapeutic support and therapy to clients dealing with symptoms related to severe trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and a variety of clinical and educational assessments. Our assessments cover areas such as autism (ASD), cognitive abilities, clinical needs, and ADHD for individuals of all ages, including young children, teenagers, and adults.

More about our services

CHILDCARE PROCEEDINGS & CHILD PROTECTION – ASSESSMENTS AND CONSULTING SERVICE

We provide comprehensive assessments and tailored consulting services, offering clinical support to professionals and foster carers involved with children in care. Our team includes carefully chosen psychologists known for their extensive experience and expertise. Each member possesses a minimum of 5 years of post-qualification experience in child protection, child welfare, and CAMHs settings.

Our assessments are accessible in person nationwide, and we also offer a comprehensive range of telehealth services.

Make A Referral

·Simply answer a referral form here

·We endeavour to respond to your referral request within 24 hours. In certain circumstances we may request additional information about the case in order to provide you with the most appropriate assessment package.

·Once we have received the referral form, we endeavour to provide you with a transparent quote, timeline and CV details regarding our proposed assessor(s) within 48 hours; where a matter is urgent it will be given priority 24 hour turnaround.

Parental Capacity Assessments / Reunification Viability Risk Assessments

Our experienced team of independent Psychologists are available for single discipline (Psychological) and multi-disciplinary Parenting Capacity Assessments.

Our customised, evidence-informed Parenting Capacity assessments can assist with complex decision-making in Child Care and child protection matters.

Our Assessment Framework is informed by:

· Assessment Framework of Children in Need and their Families (DOH, UK, 2001)

· Signs of Safety (Turnell)

· Fowler, J.; A Practitioner’s Tool for Child Protection and the Assessment of Parents.

· Lundy’s Model of Child Participation

· Budd, K (2001) Parenting Capacity assessment protocols.

· ‘APA Guidelines for Evaluation in Child Protection Cases’

· Statutory factors which define ‘Best Interests of the Child’ (per Guardianship of Infants Act (1964) as amended by Children and Family Relationships Act, 2015)

· Trauma-informed practice

Reunification Viability

Assessing the readiness of a child to return home to a parent’s care is a sensitive and detailed piece of assessment, which requires considerable clinical expertise. Our highly experienced consultants can greatly assist in planning and decision making in the best interests of the child having taken into account the child’s ascertainable views.

Our assessment approach is informed by the latest international research on attachment, resilience, and risk assessment. We are further informed by the NSPCC’s 2015 model; Reunification – An Evidence-informed Framework for Return Home Practice.

Section 20, Child Care Act, 1991

Where substantial safety and welfare concerns exist in private family law matters, the Court may require a social work assessment pursuant to Section 20 of the Child Care Act to determine if any further orders are required under the 1991 Act and inform the Court regarding any other actions needed for the child’s welfare.

We routinely provide independent Social Work assessments in these circumstances as agents of Tusla, the Child and Family Agency.

Social Care - Supervised Contact Service

We have a team of social care workers available for child and family support work and supervised contact.

Independent Case Reviews / Second opinion

We are available to conduct robust reviews on an independent basis for the Courts and Tusla, the Child and Family Agency.

Bespoke Clinical Guidance for your team

We can provide customized clinical guidance to Social Work teams, foster carers, and children’s residential care teams. The service is tailored to suit the needs of each case and can be delivered by one of our Senior Clinical, Counseling, or Forensic Psychologists. Multidisciplinary Team supports are also available on a conferencing basis or regular scheduled guidance basis.

Clinical Lead

Hugo has a Master’s in Clinical Psychologist and Counselling. He is a Chartered Psychologist with the Portuguese Statutory Psychologists Order (OPP), registered with the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI, were he is a board member in Division of Counselling Psychology), and British Psychologist Society (BPS, GChartered). He is also Registered with the American Psychological Association and has European Accreditation in Clinical and Health + Educational Psychology with Europsy. He specialised in several types of Assessment Protocols and Therapeutic approaches, such as Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Family Therapy, Person-Centred Therapy and Systemic Psychodynamic Therapy.

Along his academic path, he also achieved other postGraduate qualifications in Health and Safety, Health Psychology, among other qualifications such as Mental Health Court Expert for Assessments, Youth Care and PTSD, College Teacher, Trainer, Mediator, and Instructors and Validation Coordinator. Hugo has 23 years of experience working as a Psychologist and Psychotherapist in several clinical and therapeutic settings. He is experienced across clinical populations and presenting issues (assessment and intervention), including Adult Mental Health, Trauma, PTSD, OCD, Anxiety and Depressive disorders, Individual and Group Therapy, Family Therapy, Neurodiversity, Children and Adults with Disabilities and Special Needs, Addictions, Eating Disorders, Psychosomatic Disorders, Children and Adolescent Mental Health, Parental Practices and Behavioral Needs, and worked with and managed several mental health Assessment and Intervention teams, multidisciplinary teams, and Services.

Hugo worked for several years as Senior Psychologist and Clinical Director, presenting cases and information for courts in regard to the needs of Children in Care as for their Therapeutic Plan, Family Intervention and Assessments. Hugo provides in English, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Regarding my work and hopes for

Neurodiversity Empowerment

"I hope that we can provide the best support possible for anybody with a neurodiversity and that true our intervention during the assessment pathway, the results and all the supports that may follow, everybody can find their balance, value themselves, feel valued and better explore their full potential."

All our clinical practitioners have the required recognized qualifications, experience and registration to empower the therapy and assessments delivered in a valid and useful capacity.

Contacts

info@neurodiversityEmPOWERment.com

Our clinical practice is guided by the Principles and Values in accordance with the Code of Ethics of the Psychological Society of Ireland, the British Psychological Society, the Portuguese Psychologists Order and the American Psychological Association, were our clinicians are registered.