Dr Muireann McSwiney
Dr Muireann McSwiney
Senior Educational Psychologist specialising in Educational Psychology and ADHD assessments.
Originally from Ireland, Dr Muireann (pronounced Mor-reen) has nearly 20 years’ experience as a psychologist. She has worked across local authority, NHS CAMHS and independent settings, giving her a broad understanding of children and young people.
Muireann has extensive experience as an Educational Psychologist, including many years working within local authorities across inner and Greater London. She is highly experienced in carrying out detailed educational psychology assessments to understand a young person’s pattern of strengths and difficulties, identify barriers to learning and recommend the support and adjustments they may need to thrive.
Her assessment work has included contributing to Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) needs assessments and helping families and education settings understand the provision a child may require. She also has considerable experience advising schools, colleges and universities about appropriate educational adjustments, including access arrangements for examinations and other accommodations to support learning and participation.
Through this work, Muireann has developed an excellent understanding of the SEND system and the practical challenges families can encounter when seeking appropriate support. She was the lead psychologist on a major project to redesign SEND services within one of the UK’s largest county councils and has supported many families through the EHCP process, including complex applications and appeals.
Muireann is particularly comfortable working with complexity. Her assessments consider not only cognitive and learning needs, but also the impact that ADHD, autism, anxiety, emotional wellbeing and other mental health difficulties can have on a young person’s ability to learn and demonstrate their abilities. This means she is able to consider the whole picture when assessing a young person, rather than looking at learning difficulties in isolation.
Alongside her educational psychology experience, Muireann worked for many years within NHS CAMHS, providing family-based therapy and interventions for children and young people experiencing significant emotional distress, including those with neurodevelopmental differences. She devised and delivered community-based interventions, including multi-family groups, and later worked as a senior lead psychologist managing a team of mental health practitioners providing emotional wellbeing support to more than 10,000 college students.
Muireann’s reports are detailed, evidence-based and written with the practical needs of families and education settings in mind. Her recommendations are practical and clearly explained, so that families and education settings understand what support may be helpful in school, college or university. She is experienced in producing reports for schools, universities and local authorities, while maintaining a warm, supportive and strengths-based approach to the young person at the centre of the assessment.
Muireann completed her Doctorate in Educational and Child Psychology at the University of Southampton.
