Max Chamberlain
Qualifications and experience
I am a Practitioner Psychologist registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society.
I have over 25 years’ experience in the field of neurodivergence. I have worked for a range of organisations supporting neurodivergent people.
I am currently an Approved Assessor with the British Dyslexia Association.
I work to the rigorous codes of conduct of my professional organisations, as well as the practice guidelines of other, relevant organisations such as the SpLD Assessment Standards Committee (SASC).
I am active in my field and have stood on the British Psychological Society’s Standing Committee for Psychologists in Health and Social Care, Neurodiversity in Employment Working Group and am currently a member of the BPS Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Board.
I am Enhanced DBS checked and fully insured.
Client groups
I specialise in assessing individuals from the age of 16 upwards and have worked extensively with students in secondary, further, and higher education, as well as with employees and employers in both the private and public sectors.
Personal approach
As an occupational psychologist and neuropsychologist, I specialise in applying psychological principles to understanding the interaction between individual and environmental factors that affect performance and well-being to help an individual work at their best. The goal of my assessments is to help individuals better understand themselves and inform the most appropriate steps to maximize their strengths whilst addressing challenges.
I am committed to increasing understanding of neurodivergence and addressing the obstacles that neurodivergent people experience in education and employment. I am neurodivergent myself and take a neurodivergence-affirming approach to my work. I work from the neurodiversity model. This refers to the naturally-occurring range of thinking styles found in any population, all of which are equally valid. I also work from the social model of disability. This holds that the challenges experienced by neurodivergent and disabled people arise because we live in a world that is not designed for us.
For more information on the neurodiversity and social model approaches, please see What is neurodiversity?
I am thorough and rigorous and my website reflects this. There is a lot of information in here. However, it is all information that I feel could be useful to you. Please don’t be daunted. The information is divided up into bite-sized chunks. Please use the section headings to gather as much or as little information as you feel you need before requesting a service and don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. I will be happy to answer them.
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Education and experience
I am a graduate of Exeter University, with a first class degree in Psychology. I have a Master’s degree in Occupational Psychology from Birkbeck College, University of London and hold a Certificate of Competence in Occupational Testing (Level A). I am currently engaged in a Doctorate in Counselling Psychology in order to be able to extend the services that I can provide to my client groups by offering psychotherapy and counselling.
I was fortunate to start my career as a psychologist with the Disability Services of the Department for Work and Pensions. Here I received comprehensive training, supervision and experience in working with disabled jobseekers, employees and their employers. During my time with the DWP I developed a particular interest in working with the complex problems encountered by people with various aspects of neurodiversity. I went on to take clinical lead of a vocational rehabilitation centre for people with acquired brain injury. I set up in private practice in 2004 and continue to work in the field of neurodiversity, employment and education. I have also taught neuropsychology to undergraduates studying for a degree in psychology.
I have provided services to a range of public and private sector employers, including the Metropolitan Police Service, the BBC and Honda, as well as to providers of further and higher education. I worked for many years as an assessor for Dyslexia Action and am currently an approved assessor for the British Dyslexia Association.
Research interests
I have a passionate commitment to social justice and have a particular interest in the experiences of people with disabilities and differences living with minority stress. I have published research on the meaning of work for people with stigmatized identities.
Professional affiliations
The Division of Occupational Psychology of the British Psychological Society represents Occupational Psychologists in the UK and can tell you more about Occupational Psychologists and what they do. Click here to find out more.
The Division of Neuropsychology of the British Psychological Society represents Neuropsychologists in the UK and can tell you more about Neuropsychologists and what they do. Click here to find out more.
The Code of Professional Conduct for Psychologists of the British Psychological Society sets out the standards of conduct for Chartered Psychologists. Click here to find out more.
The standards of proficiency for practitioner psychologists of the HCPC set out professional and ethical standards for practitioner psychologists Click here to find out more.
