Higher Education and Post-Graduate Studies

Michael is a qualified psychologist who is registered with the Health and Care Professions Council as entitled to practise as an educational and occupational psychologist (HCPC number 23504).  He certifies that his personally administered assessments and reports are conducted and written in accordance with: (a) JCQ's guidelines for access arrangements and reasonable adjustments, and (b) the SpLD Working Group 2005/DfES Guidelines for Assessment of SpLDs in Higher Education and subsequent updates. 

Do you need to apply for DSA?  Are you worried about getting through your university or post-graduate course?  Do you feel you might need one-to-one tuition, extra time in examinations or some form of technological assistance?  If so, this might be because you experience such difficulties as:

  • putting your ideas into words - getting your ideas into writing;
  • understanding lectures first time, taking notes during lectures, copying notes from slides;
  • over-reliance on YouTube;
  • having to re-read academic articles with a tendency to lose your place;
  • finding yourself disorganised;
  • problems with proof reading your work.

If these are the sort of problems you experience, an educational psychology assessment might prove to be very helpful.

Michael has previously been visiting educational psychologist to the following universities: Birmingham, Leicester, Loughborough, Nottingham and Nottingham Trent.  He has also assessed many other students from a wide range of universities as well as hundreds of doctors in post-graduate training.   Michael offers assessments at his offices in Long Eaton where he can provide an individualised service in a professional environment with excellent secretarial support.

Please watch the video to learn of Michael's current approach to the assessment of students about to embark on a period of study in further, higher or post-graduate education, or who are already engaged in those studies.  The assessment will enable Michael to determine whether you require reasonable adjustments and access arrangements (e.g. more time in examinations, study support or additional technological facilities).   

A standard assessment will involve a one-to-one meeting with Michael and the assessment itself will last about one and three quarter hours.  At the end of the assessment Michael will be in a position to offer a short debriefing. He will also provide a brief hand-written Interim Psychological Report outlining the main findings and Recommendations for action. A more detailed report, suitable for submission to the university or Student Finance England, follows approximately two weeks afterwards.

The cost of the assessment is £800, which is paid by bank transfer at the time of booking.  To book an appointment please contact Andrea Charlesworth via our telephone answering service on 0115 973 4888 or andrea.charlesworth@mlcp.co.uk.  In the meantime, please complete our Adult Student Questionnaire and the Mature Student Study Styles Questionnaire.  If appropriate, it might also be very helpful to invite your parents to provide us with developmental information by completing the Parental Questionnaire for Adult Students.  Please return these to us before your appointment.  

Please note that for FE students studying GCSE, BTEC and similar examinations the SENCo of the college must be consulted prior to the assessment and must provide Michael with key documents before you are assessed.  If this is not done, Michael's report cannot be used to process an application for access arrangements and reasonable adjustments in examinations.  It is also important to mention, so as to avoid disappointment, that Michael no longer undertakes adversarial, appeals-based, litigious or medico-­legal assignments.  He is unable to attend tribunals or enter into detailed post-assessment dialogue or correspondence about his findings in the context of a dispute with an employer or educational institution.

For students coming from Nottingham or Nottingham Trent University, we are on the Indigo bus route (Trent College bus stop).

If you are studying Medicine at post-graduate level, this link might prove helpful.