Dr Leslie Valon-Szots

Dr Valon-Szots has been working since 2009 in the UK healthcare system and voluntary sector as a mental health professional (clinical psychologist). Prior to this, she also worked for four years as a mental health professional in the French health care system (psychologist) and had the opportunity to work for the Canadian healthcare system as part of an exchange programme during her French training.

She is currently a Principal Clinical Psychologist for a specialist family intervention service (SWIFT), where her role mainly includes assessing and treating parents involved in childcare proceedings. Prior to this, Dr ValonSzots worked at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust in Parental Mental health, in the Looked After Children CAMHS team and Gender Identity Development Service. She has worked in multi-agency teams based within children services for the past three years.

Dr Valon-Szots holds French and UK training in clinical psychology which enabled her to utilise various methods. She specialises in assessing and understanding complex families and designing treatment interventions and programmes to address intergenerational trauma and patterns of abuse. She has an interest in systemic work, identity and culture and longstanding emotional and relational difficulties and the impact on parenting. In addition to her clinical role, Dr Valon-Szots has conducted research projects and is involved in supervising research. She has been a visiting lecturer at the University of Essex in the areas of clinical psychology and has presented at local, national and international conferences on identity, parental mental health and gender identity.

AREAS OF SPECIALISM

• Psychological trauma
• Cognitive assessments
• Gender identity
• Family
• Transgenerational pattern
• Autism and neurodevelopmental difficulties
• Parental mental health
• Adult mental health
• Child development
• Looked after children
• Adoption

Profession: Psychologist

Courts or Tribunals: Adoption or Foster Care, Family Court, Occupational Health, Personal Injury

Age groups: Adolescent, Adult, Child

Psychological Specialisms: Adult Mental Health Problems, Autistic Spectum Disorder, Behavioural Difficulties, Child Mental Health, Domestic Abuse, Learning Difficulties, Mental Capacity, Neurological Disorder, Parent-Child Attachment, Parenting Problems, Personality Disorder, School Problems, Substance Misuse, Trauma and PTSD

Therapies offered: Psychodynamic, Systemic