The Team /

Dr Rachel Lancaster

Background experience

I have worked in the NHS for around twenty years, and have been a practising Chartered Clinical Psychologist since completing my training in Bangor, North Wales. Although I am trained to work with individuals experiencing a range of mental health difficulties and difficulties coping across the lifespan, I work primarily with children from birth to age 18, particularly those with diagnoses of, or suspected diagnoses of learning disabilities and/or Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASDs), and the systems around them.

I generally work behaviourally using concepts such as reward and reinforcement, based on functional assessment and analysis, focusing on helping to shape a child’s behaviour and teach the child or young person new skills to replace his or her more challenging behaviour; use narrative approaches to help young people to understand their feelings and work towards shifting these; complete neuropsychological assessments to help develop an understanding of the child or young person, in order to inform therapy; and I am additionally a qualified cognitive therapist and EMDR therapist, using cognitive models, and adapted versions of these (for individuals with LDs and/or ASDs) to support young people in managing anxiety disorders and low mood.

My main areas of interest are challenging behaviour in individuals with learning disabilities, ASDs and child sleep problems. I am available to provide group work, training and consultation to children, families, schools and other professionals. I offer supervision to clinical psychologists and other mental health professionals. I additionally undertake medico-legal work.