Service categories: Counselling and therapies, Diagnosticians, Information, advice and advocacy

Service URL: https://www.rainbowpsychology.co.uk/

Rainbow Psychology team

We are a multi-disciplinary team of qualified clinicians comprising Clinical Psychologists, Specialist Speech and Language Therapists and a Specialist Occupational Therapist. Dr Sam Carruthers, Chartered Clinical Psychologist is Clinical Director. Between us, we have many years of experience in the assessment of autism and ADHD for children, young people and adults both in the NHS and independent practice.

Assessment methods

We are trained in the use of standardised best practice methods including the ADI-R, ADOS-2, DIVA-5, Young Diva, MIGDAS and QbCheck as recommended by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to explore neurodivergence using international diagnostic criteria (DSM-5). As a team, we have a special interest and expertise in the assessment of girls and women and also individuals seeking an assessment later in life.

Assessment process

Our assessment process is carried out in 2 stages. Stage 1 is our screening stage which requires completion of several standardised questionnaires followed by a 1-hour interview with a Clinical Psychologist. This stage means that individuals do not have to commit to a full assessment if this is not indicated by preliminary evidence. We will give you our clinical opinion at the end of Stage 1 whether early information is suggestive of neurodivergence (autism or ADHD) or might better be explained by something else. You may then choose whether to proceed to Stage 2 - full assessment but you are not obliged to do so if the advice given in Stage 1 feels validating enough.

Our approach

We are keen as a team to explore your neurodivergent profile rather than purely seeking a diagnostic label which we believe on its own is unhelpful and tells us little about an individual's life and what might be helpful. We take a neuroaffirmative approach to assessment and report writing which explores strengths as well as difficulties and differences. We will work with clients and families wherever possible to accommodate individual needs while following NICE assessment guidelines to ensure a thorough assessment approach. It is essential to us that clients have a good experience of being assessed and find the process flexible, easy to understand and above all else, compassionate. Previous client feedback has indicated that our assessment process can often feel therapeutic.

Referrals

We accept referrals for children over the age of 7 from anywhere in the UK, although we are based in Calderdale. We accept self-funding clients and those using health insurance (AXA PPP, Aviva, Vitality & Cigna). Please note that as a relatively small team, we are unfortunately unable to accept Right To Choose referrals from GP services as we do not have clinical capacity.

Other services

Dr Sam Carruthers, Clinical Director offers training, advice, consultation and clinical supervision on neurodivergence for individuals, schools, businesses or health professionals on request.

Aimed at: Adolescent , Adult , Adult sibling, Anyone with an Association to Autism, Businesses, Child , Child/adolescent sibling, Children under the age of 12 years, children with complex needs and their parents or carers, Parent or carer of under 18, Parent/carer of a child, Parent/carer of a young person, Parent/carer of an adult, Parents or carers, families, adults, Partner, Professional, School, Students, Volunteer, Young person

Referral Sources: Education, NHS and Private, NHS Consultant, Yourself

Specialisms: Autism and Neurodivergent

Other specialisms: Specialist interest and expertise in assessing neurodivergence in girls and women and those seeking late diagnosis.