Autism & ADHD Assessments in Kent: Expert Private Psychology Clinic

Autism & ADHD Assessments in Kent
Private Psychology and Therapy

Kent Psychologist

Autism Assessments Kent Psychologist Logo of tree

Parent / Carer Workshops

Dr Sirja van Zyl offers a range of free online talks, which  focus on providing information, practical tips and support.

Who may benefit from attending our talks: 

We cover a range of topics related to Autism and ADHD. New talks will be added regularly. All talks will be held online and tickets can be booked via our Eventbrite page. For further details please follow us on facebook or Eventbrite.

Dates for forthcoming talks are below:

2026:

  • 11th of February 2026 – Understanding Autism and ADHD Assessments – your questions answered. A friendly and informative talk by Dr Sirja van Zyl for adults, parents and carers who would like to find out more about accessing the right assessment for themselves or their child. Booking details are here. 
  • Understanding ARFID and eating difficulties in Neurodivergent children and young people. An introduction and practical strategies. Date and booking details will be added here shortly. Follow us on facebook and eventbrite to be notified of updates. 
  • Rethinking Autistic Burnout in children and young people. Date and booking details will be added here shortly. Follow us on facebook and eventbrite to be notified of updates. 

2025:

  • 24th of September and 1st of October – Understanding Neurodiversity – a talk for parents and carers of children at Claremont School. 
  • 17th of October – Dr Sirja van Zyl will be presenting two sessions at the ITL Conference at Sevenoaks School – ‘Celebrating Neurodiversity’ and ‘Supporting Neurodivergent Children in the Classroom.’ 
  • 26th of September – Rethinking Autistic Burnout and School attendance. Guest speaker at Together for SEND. 
  • 4th of November. Q&A and open session for parents who are members of the West Kent Autism Parent Support Society

 

Enquiries

Previous Workshops

  • 26th of March 2025 – Understanding SEN support for Autistic Children in school. This is a joint talk by Dr Sirja van Zyl and Louise Hickman from the Kent Autism Education Service. Booking details can be found here. 

 

  • 21st of May 2025 – Nurturing Young Minds – Celebrating Neurodiversity at home and beyond. A talk with Dr Sirja van Zyl  for parents, carers and anyone who would like to find out more about what celebrating neurodiversity means in practice. Further information and booking details are here. 

 

  • 4th of June 2025 –Understanding Autism and ADHD Assessments – your questions answered. A friendly and informative talk by Dr Sirja van Zyl for parents and carers who would like to find out more about accessing the right assessment for their young person. Booking details are here. 

 

Meet The Team

Picture of Dr Sirja van Zyl - Lead of the Neurodevelopmental Service and Clinical Psychologist

Dr Sirja van Zyl - Lead of the Neurodevelopmental Service and Clinical Psychologist

Sirja set up the Neurodevelopmental Service at Kent Psychologist in January 2019. Having worked with autistic and neurodivergent young people for over 25 years, she brings a wealth of expertise to the team. Sirja is personally involved in each assessment. She is supported by a team of highly experienced and caring colleagues who all strive to make the assessment process a positive turning point in young people’s lives. Sirja is continuously working on new ways of supporting neurodivergent young people and their families, including the recent introduction of parent workshops and resources. You can read more about Sirja’s experience here.

Picture of Dr Ruth Drake - Clinical Psychologist

Dr Ruth Drake - Clinical Psychologist

Ruth joins our autism assessments and meets with parents to gather the developmental history. Ruth has been working as a qualified clinical psychologist and systemic practitioner with children, young people and their families since 2003. She is passionate about privileging and championing the strengths, resources and abilities of children, young people and their parents or carers in her work. Ruth has worked in both paediatric and mental health NHS services for many years and has run her own private practice in Tonbridge since September 2018. She has extensive experience working with children and young people with physical health conditions as well as mental health challenges and neurodevelopmental conditions. She is passionate about ensuring children and young people are provided with the right support so that they can achieve their potential in all areas of their lives.

Picture of Alice Enfield - Speech and Language Therapist

Alice Enfield - Speech and Language Therapist

Alice joins Sirja to complete autism assessments with children and young people. She has been completing autism assessments since 2016. Alice hopes, along with the rest of the team, to make this process feel positive and comfortable for the people and families involved. Alice loves to learn about all things related to autism and has completed a variety of training within this field. She has found it extremely insightful to hear the perspectives of autistic people themselves. Alice is passionate about wanting the world to be a more accepting and inclusive place for all different types of people and hopes that we are working towards this in a small way through our assessment process.

Alice qualified as a speech and language therapist in 2009. Since that time she has enjoyed working with young people with autism, learning disabilities and their families. She has worked in a range of settings, including in schools and within the NHS. She has been lucky enough to work with lots of incredible young people and their families, who she continues to learn from.

Picture of Aeran Jones - Assistant Psychologist

Aeran Jones - Assistant Psychologist

Aeran supports the smooth running of our assessments and report preparation.
She is a Psychology Graduate and has a special interest in the mental health and wellbeing of children and adolescents. She is originally from South Africa and has both practical and research experience in supporting children and young people with additional needs. Aeran is hoping to become a Clinical Psychologist supporting people with neurodevelopmental differences.

Picture of Kayleigh Lang - Virtual Assistant

Kayleigh Lang - Virtual Assistant

Kayleigh is an experienced Administrator, PA and Medical Secretary. She supports the smooth running of our practice and liaises with schools and parents about all administrative aspects of the assessment process. Kayleigh is extremely passionate about dance and dance education, hoping to complete her Masters Degree in Dance Movement Psychotherapy.

Contact Us

For all enquires please fill out the contact form and we will get back to you as soon as possible, or email us at: