Diona Zheng

I completed my Professional Doctorate in Educational Psychology in 2014 and I have been practising as a qualified Educational Psychologist with an Inner London Local Authority since then.

I am passionate about the use of Dynamic Assessment and mediated learning approaches to complement psychometric assessments and inform on appropriate interventions. I am also keen to encourage preventative interventions through multi-professional collaborations for educational settings and support for families. I value the importance of family based support around parenting skills, interactions and communication to help provide a secure base for children's well-being.

I am bilingual in English and Mandarin. I enjoy working independently as well as in multi-disciplinary teams. I have excellent writing and verbal communication skills. I am able to quickly establish rapport with others easily because of my excellent interpersonal skills. I am proficient in using a range of I.T. tools, including service delivery on an online platform as needed. I take pride in my excellent organizational skills and meticulous record keeping.

I have been working closely with a range of mainstream and specialist schools to support them in raising their curriculum standards, promote inclusion and enhance the social-emotional wellbeing of children and families. I regularly provide systemic consultation and training to school leaders and staff that is informed by careful needs analysis.

I am adept in using various consultation approaches and conducting culturally responsive psychological assessments around special educational needs and social-emotional and mental health difficulties to inform on case formulation and advise on the use of relevant evidence-based interventions.

I am an Accredited Video Interaction Guidance Practitioner and I'm also trained in delivering the Bright Start Cognitive Curriculum for Young Children, as well as Direct Instruction programmes.

I have been supervising Trainee Educational Psychologists since 2015 and more recently in the past year, I have also supervised and line managed Junior Educational Psychologists in the team. I am a key member of the senior management team to plan, implement and review service policies and procedures while delivering quality improvement projects to enhance our client services.

2014 - Professional Doctorate in Educational Psychology, Institute of Education, University of London, UK