Staff profiles

Gráinne Parish

Gráinne is passionate about providing services not only to the individual, but also to families, schools and the community. As a Psychologist Practitioner, Gráinne specialises in the assessment of needs related to social communication and autism across the life span. 

Gráinne is a registered Psychologist with the Community Development Authority Dubai and the Health Care Professionals Council (UK). She is also a chartered psychologist of The British Psychological Society (CPsychol). In her spare time, she is a founding board member of All Children Included, a CDA registered non for profit agency supporting the inclusion of children of determination in our community. 

Jolene Palmer

Jolene has extensive experience in the administration of diagnostic psychological assessments for children, adolescents and adults with a wide range of neurodevelopmental differences including, but not limited to: intellectual disability, ADHD, specific learning difficulties (dyslexia, dyscalculia), executive function difficulties and learning difficulties associated with genetic disorders. 

In addition to stand alone psychological assessments, Jolene is also experienced in leading multi-disciplinary teams in exploring such diagnostic queries as: global developmental delay, developmental language disorder, autism, and developmental coordination disorder (dyspraxia).

Jolene is frequently asked to consult as a second clinical opinion for complex cases. She is also available for supervision of other psychologists specialising in psychological testing. In addition to her experience in administering and interpreting and wide range of standardised psychological assessments, she is a trained administrator of Griffiths-3, ADOS-2 and MIGDAS-2. 

As a counselling therapist, Jolene sees a small caseload of predominantly adolescent clients. She is an Internal Family Systems informed therapist and she also has specialist training in the implementation of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.

Sarah Wedel

In addition to her management duties, Sarah has a small caseload of clients for therapy and assessment. She works individually with clients and within a multidisciplinary team for autism assessments, psycho-educational assessments and developmental assessments. Sarah is an advocate for affirmative approaches to neurodiversity. 

Sarah’s clinical trainings include:

• Hanen ‘More than Words’
• SCERTS
• Michael Palin Stammering Training (school aged children)
• DIR Introduction to Floortime Therapy
• Auditory Processing Disorder
• Makaton
• Parent Child Interaction Therapy
• Social Thinking
• PECS
• ADOS - II
• MIGDAS-2

Natalie Reed

Natalie enjoys working within a multi-disciplinary team to provide bespoke, holistic assessment and intervention for children and adolescents. She is passionate about parent and caregiver involvement, education and empowerment and this is a key focus in her therapeutic approach. Her practice is client-directed and in addition to focusing on specific therapeutic goals, Natalie aims to unlock each individual’s intrinsic motivation, sense of achievement and enjoyment. She believes that growth and progress occur best when clients are engaged, having fun and presented with the ‘just-right’ challenge. Natalie holds the hearts of her clients and their families at the centre of her professional practice.

Areas of special interest include Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), executive function, emotional regulation, Dyspraxia and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Natalie’s clinical training includes:

• Ayres’ Sensory Integration
• The SCERTS Comprehensive Education Framework for Autism
• Griffiths III Scales of Child Development
• ADOS-2
• Social Thinking
• The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)
• Makaton
• Friends Resilience

Kelly Pugin

At present, Kelly is working solely on psychological assessments, and she is a trained administrator of a wide range of assessments including Developmental and Psycho-Educational assessments such as WPPSI-III, WISC-V, WAIS-IV, WIAT-3, CTOPP-2, BASC-3, Conners-2, Beery-VMI, ADOS-2 and Griffiths III among others. Assessments she offers are for psychological assessment of learning needs such as Developmental Delays, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dyspraxia, Dysgraphia, Autism, ADHD, executive function needs, Intellectual Disabilities and other neurodevelopmental learning profiles for ages ranging from early childhood through to adulthood.

Kelly is focused on providing comprehensive, thorough assessments in close collaboration with students, families and school support staff when appropriate. Through the assessment process, she aims to support, not only the family members and teachers, but also the person themselves, towards understanding their needs, but also their strengths and unique personal value. Her recommendations are personalised, honest and kindly delivered.

Dr Leanne O'Brien

At Insights, Dr. Leanne is an assessment specialist. The majority of her caseload consists of diagnostic psychological assessments for a wide range of neurodevelopmental differences including, but not limited to: ADHD, Autism, SPLDs (Dyslexia; Dyscalculia), Developmental Coordination Disorder (Dyspraxia), Developmental Language Disorder, and Global Developmental Delay. She is a trained administrator of a wide range of assessments including but not limited to WPPSI-III, WISC-V, WAIS-IV, WIAT-3, CTOPP-2, BASC-3, Conners-2, Beery-VMI, ADOS-2 and Griffiths III among others.

Dr. Leanne also sees a small caseload of clients for psychological therapy work. She specialises in harmful sexual behaviours and she has extensive experience in working with children and teenagers with behaviour difficulties that are supported through nuture group provision.

Drawing on her experience from working for local authorities in the UK, Dr. Leanne seeks to work collaboratively with families, schools, medical professionals and other referral sources that seek to support a person through either assessment and/or psychological therapy therapy.

Leanne’s work is underpinned by the BPS code of ethics and conduct with regard to respect, competence, responsibility and integrity which support the value, dignity and worth of all persons as well as being honest, clear and accurate in her delivery of information.

Jacqui Lawson

Over the last 17 years Jacqui has gained experience in a variety of settings including clinics, schools and hospitals.

Jacqui is registered with the British Psychological Society and the Australian Counselling Association.

She has helped clients of all ages, backgrounds and nationalities.

Jacqui has supported clients in a clinical setting, as well as via online therapy. Interventions have addressed different challenges such as anxiety, panic attacks, depression, ADHD, anger management, social communication difficulties, grief and learning difficulties. Having worked extensively in international schools, Jacqui also conducts psychological and educational assessments using tools such as the WISC-V, WIAT-III and WAIS IV. Jacqui uses an integrative approach to
counselling combining elements of Mindfulness – based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Acceptance and
Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Solution – Focused Therapy (SFT). Jacqui recognizes the individuality of each client and thus tailors therapeutic interventions to suit specific needs. She enjoys working with clients holistically and discovering their unique strengths.

In addition to counselling and assessment, Jacqui has offered staff training on a variety of mental
health topics, such as: anxiety and stress management, resilience, growth mindset, post traumatic growth, executive functioning skills and behavioural, social and emotional difficulties. As a mother of two, Jacqui also enjoys delivering workshops to parents and teachers, such as teaching children coping skills, self - regulation strategies and mindfulness.

Jacqui’s ultimate goal is to help her clients gain insight and to equip them with practical and necessary tools, to feel empowered to make their own choices and positive changes.

Ben Viljoen

He has worked at different levels of support provision on his journey to Insights, including working as a learning support teacher (both within a special educational needs center and mainstream school in Dubai), as a School Counselor, as a Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) and as an Educational Psychologist. All of these different roles have helped him to appreciate the nature of difficulties that children and young adults experience within their home, school and social systems and how these all interact to impact learning and behavior. Ben strongly believes in inclusion and the utilization of an eclectic approach in order to find solutions and methods that best support the individual.

Remo Poulsen

He has been providing services within the field of psychological assessments for the last three years, where he has been helping in diagnosing cognitive delays, specific learning disorders and
neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD and Autism Spectrum  Disorder. Remo has acquired experience in working with WISC-V,
WAIS-IV, WIAT-III, WPPSI IV, Conners-3rd edition, and ADOS-II. When doing assessments, he stays in close contact with parents and the academic system in order to ensure that the results of the assessments are well understood, and that the correct accommodations for the child’s needs are being met.

Remo also works psychotherapeutically with both children, teenagers and adults, and he has experience with a range of difficulties including,
but not limited to: emotional regulation difficulties, anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, trauma treatment and addiction. In the therapeutic work, Remo draws on techniques from a variety of theoretical directions including mindfulness based therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, prolonged exposure therapy and compassionate focused therapy. When working with the younger age groups, he routinely involves the parents in the treatment, in order to utilize their resources and make the wellbeing of the child a combined effort. Having lived and worked in the GCC for three years, Remo is experienced with, and sensitive to, working with individuals from a variety of cultural backgrounds.

Helen Douglas

Helen is a psychology assessment specialist that works exclusively online to meet the needs of children, adolescents and adults with assessment needs. She is trained and experienced in delivering standardised assessments via an online platform, making her a great fit for people that cannot make it to the clinic due to Covid-19 restrictions, or other barriers. She is a UK native, and registered practitioner psychologist with HCPC UK, which is an important consideration for assessment candidates potentially seeking exam access arrangements for formal exams, such as: iGCSE, A-Level, International Baccalaureate, and UK or International Universities. 

Drawing on her experience from working for local authorities in the UK, and as Head of Inclusion in various international schools in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, Helen seeks to work collaboratively and consultatively with families, schools, medical staff and other professionals to support a person through assessment.

Helen is trained and experienced in the online administration of a wide range of assessments including but not limited to: WISC-V, WAIS-IV, WIAT-3/4, CTOPP-2, BASC-3, Conners'-4, Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scales, and MIGDAS-2. She is competent in exploring such queries as: Specific learning difficulties (dyslexia and dyscalculia), ADHD, and Autism. Although some Autism assessments can be conducted online, for others, face to face services may be required. In such cases, Helen may suggest attending for face to face assessment using ADOS-2 with two colleagues at Insights clinic as part of a broader online assessment. 

Helen’s work is underpinned by the BPS code of ethics and conduct with regard to respect for confidentiality, competence in professional skills, responsibility for welfare and integrity in supporting the values of honesty, accuracy and clarity in her delivery of information. 

Dr Katie Kemp

Katie is experienced in completing psychological assessments for children, adolescents, and adults, which aim to be comprehensive, person-centred, and collaborative. Katie works together with individuals, parents, schools, and other professionals to ensure assessments are holistic, and to co-construct collaborative action plans.

Katie is trained in administering a range of developmental and psycho-educational assessment tools. The majority of her caseload consists of diagnostic psychological assessments for a wide range of neurodevelopmental differences including, but not limited to: ADHD, Autism, Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia; Dyscalculia), and developmental delays. She is a trained administrator of a wide range of assessments including but not limited to WPPSI-III, WISC-V, WAIS-IV, WIAT-4, CTOPP-2, BASC-3, Conners-4, Beery-VMI, and ADOS.

Katie’s work is underpinned by the four ethical principles within the BPS code of ethics and conduct. These include (i) respect for privacy and values, (ii) competence of professional knowledge and skills, (iii) responsibility and professional accountability, and (iv) integrity supporting the values of honesty, accuracy, clarity and fairness within her practice.

Leyli Afsari

When working with clients, she uses a Person-Centred approach to offer a warm, compassionate, and confidential space for people to explore their experiences without judgment. This promotes acceptance, respect, and individuality. It also enables clients to build self-understanding and awareness, thereby helping them develop healthier relationships and a better sense of self. She also draws from other approaches, such as: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Child-Centred Play Therapy, Circle of Security (Parenting), and Internal Family Systems.

At Insights Leyli often sees clients that consider themselves as Neurodivergent. She works affirmatively and systematically to support autistic people, ADHDers, and other differences. She has training in concepts such as Executive Function, Working with Hard to Reach Children, and Working with Autistic Adults. She has additional training and experience in working with individuals with trauma, abuse, anxiety, and other mental health needs.

When working with young people, Leyli uses a strengths-based approach, and she prefers to include parents and school professionals in the therapeutic process to help the child thrive. Through the counselling relationship, she hopes clients can discover their inner strength to be able to manage life’s challenges and reach their full potential.

Lindi Nhlapo

Lindi's interests including working with clients that present with mental health needs, including, but not limited to, the following presentations:

Anxiety and stress
Depression and low mood
Emotional regulation needs
Obsessional thoughts
Trauma
Grief
Challenges with self-esteem, self-confidence and executive function skills

Lindi is trained in Smart Choice Parenting, a course that has proved effective in addressing parent-child relationships. She has an interest in facilitating communication skills between parents and their children with an aim of equipping them with necessary parental skills to improve their relationship.

Lindi is experienced in working with adolescents and adults that consider themselves neurodiverse, in supporting their mental health needs. 

Muna Al Khezam

Muna is a passionate advocate for the delivery of high quality mental health services in the middle east. She has conducted extensive research in a wide range of therapeutic approaches including cognitive behaviour therapy, internal family systems, and psychodynamic approaches. Muna is the group therapy coordinator at Insights, and within this role she puts her excellent organisational skills and interpersonal skills to great use. 

Muna is also a trained psychometrician, and she works along side licensed psychologists in the administration of standardised assessments including WPPSI-IV, WISC-V, WAIS-IV, WIAT-3/4, CTOPP-2, BASC-3, Conners'-4, Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scales, and MIGDAS-2. She works within a multi-disciplinary team conducting autism assessments. She is a trained administrator for the ADOS-2 and MIGDAS-2. 

Muna speaks both English and Arabic at native level proficiency. 

Ann Irving

With over 30 years’ experience working with clients across the age range in United Kingdom and Dubai, Ann is a specialist in in autism diagnosis, intervention and support for children and adults.

Ann has worked in clinic and school settings both in mainstream and special education and is trained and experienced in a range of therapeutic interventions and approaches for children and adults with speech language and communication needs. 

Ann’s clinical trainings include:

Hanen ‘More than Words’

Learning Language and Loving It

Teacher Talk

Makaton

PECS

ADOS - II

Attention Autism

DIR Floor Time 

DISCO

Sensory Integration

SCERTS

Leah Karacinski

Leah has extensive experience in administering assessments and providing intervention to children with a wide range of diagnosis with varying levels of ability.  

To support each child in reaching their potential, Leah is a strong advocate of involving parents, caregivers and relevant professionals in the therapy process. She is passionate about providing training and collaborative working to achieve positive outcomes. 

Training includes:

Hanen - It Takes Two to Talk.

PROMPT

Lidcombe

PECS

DIR Floortime

Jazz Bumbra

Jazz is passionate about providing all children with a voice, and values collaborative working with parents and professionals to ensure that children with communication and speech difficulties are able to make the best possible progress in their learning. Jazz works by the ethos of “If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” (Ignacio Estrada)

Jazz is certified member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, and is currently registered by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA). She places importance on continually improving her skills as a practitioner, having attended training in Lidcombe Stammering therapy, PECS, DIR Floortime for Autism, Hanen, and Sensory Integration level 1. Jazz is a certified Elklan trainer and Makaton tutor.

Steph Love

Steph has a wealth of experience working in education, youth emotional health services and Great Ormond Street Hospital providing specialist neurodevelopmental assessments and therapy.  She focuses on the influence of communication on learning, emotions/wellbeing, relationships, and confidently completing day-to-day tasks.

She has researched, delivered presentations, and contributed to write-ups on language, autism, selective mutism, mental health and attachment and trauma.  As reflecting on clinical practice is important to Steph, she is keen to ensure active involvement and feedback of assessments and therapy so these are personalised, focus on strengths and are meaningful.

Her training includes:

-PECS
-Makaton
-ADOS-2
-Attention Autism
-Talking Mats
-Understanding attachment difficulties
-Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development

Swimmu Zacharias

Swimmu has been living in the UAE since 2014, and she has been working with Insights since August 2018. She is a friendly, approachable member of the Insights team. She works from Sunday to Thursday at the Insights office in Dome Tower, JLT. You can call her or visit reception with any enquiries, and she will always be willing to help.

She deals with new client enquiries, client relations, payments and insurance receipts. Swimmu speaks English, Hindi, Malayalam and Tamil. In her spare time, Swimmu is likes cooking, baking and keeping fit, always with a smile on her face.

Jeniffer Posas

She has been in UAE since 2012 and has been working with Insights since March 2020. She has worked as a customer service in her previous job and is confident to be able to deliver assistance to everyone with a smiling face. She mainly assists Psychologists at Insights and deals with Insurance forms, pre-approval letters and basic admin.

Whenever she is not working, she enjoys playing ukulele and guitar and watching movies/series.

Claude Elemos

Claude has been in the Middle East since 2015 and has been working for Insights since January 2021. She is primarily supporting the paediatric therapists’ appointments including – OT, SLT, CBT, and Group therapies. But along with the daily admin activities for the team, she also manages requests for insurance letters and forms.

In her free time, she enjoys trips to the beach and immersing herself in music and art.