The Clinical Psychology Group (TCPG) provide psychological assessment and therapeutic interventions to children, adults and families.
About Me
Dr Natasha Holden
BSc (Hons) Psychology · D.Clin.Psych · HCPC Registered Clinical Psychologist (PYL30837)
Specialist in developmental trauma, neurodivergence, autism, and PDA profiles, with 11 years post-qualification experience and the lived experience of PDA parenting.
Hello
Thank you for taking the time to read my profile. I am an HCPC Registered Clinical Psychologist with 11 years post-qualification experience, specialising in developmental trauma, neurodivergence, autism, and Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) profiles. My work brings together clinical expertise and a genuine understanding of what neurodivergent family life actually looks and feels like from the inside.
"I bring both professional knowledge and the lived experience of raising a child with a PDA profile, which shapes everything I do."
One of my children has a PDA profile, and navigating the world alongside her has profoundly informed my practice. I understand that having professional knowledge does not make parenting a PDA child easier, and I bring that honesty to my work with families. My approach is compassionate, practical, and grounded in both the research evidence and the realities of what families are actually experiencing.
My clinical work spans psychological assessment and formulation-driven interventions for children and young people with complex neurodevelopmental presentations, expert witness reports for SEND tribunals, therapeutic parenting consultations, professional training, and multi-agency liaison across education, health, and social care.
My Approach
My work is trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming, and PDA-informed throughout. I understand PDA as a neurobiological threat response, not as defiance or anxiety, and I use this framing to help families and professionals see behaviour as communication rather than something to be managed or corrected.
I integrate a range of established psychological frameworks, drawing on whichever combination is most relevant to the individual, family, or situation I am working with.
Compassion-Focused Therapy
CFT
Building self-compassion and emotional regulation, particularly for parents carrying the weight of complex caregiving.
Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy
DDP
Attachment-focused therapeutic approach supporting children and families affected by trauma and relational difficulties.
Attachment Theory
Understanding how early relational experience shapes emotional development, behaviour, and the parent-child relationship.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
CBT
Evidence-based approaches to understanding the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviour.
Neurodevelopmental Approaches
Understanding how neurological differences shape a child's experience of the world and their responses to it.
I am a certified practitioner, trainer, and facilitator of Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) and Compassionate Mind Training (CMT), an 8-week programme designed to help individuals develop self-compassion and improved emotional wellbeing. I am passionate about expanding this work with parents and carers who are supporting neurodivergent children.
Areas of Clinical Expertise
Autism & PDA profiles
Autistic burnout
Anxiety-based school avoidance (EBSA)
Developmental & complex trauma
Attachment difficulties
Co-occurring ADHD
Sensory processing differences
Complex neurodevelopmental presentations
Psychological assessment & formulation
Psychological impact of unmet SEN
SEND tribunal expert witness
Looked after & adopted children
Psychosis
Bipolar disorder
Professional Journey
2005–2010
BSc (Hons) Psychology, University of Manchester (2005). Prior to doctoral training, gained substantial clinical and research experience including work in inpatient mental health services, early intervention in psychosis services, and as a research assistant on recovery in psychosis clinical trials.
2010–2014
Trainee Clinical Psychologist, University of Liverpool. NHS placements across CAMHS, adult community mental health, neuropsychology and acquired brain injury, and learning disability services.
2014–2020
D.Clin.Psych, University of Liverpool. Qualified as a Clinical Psychologist and joined the Psychosis Research Unit at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, delivering evidence-based psychological interventions within NHS clinical trials and supervising trainee therapists on the CBT for Psychosis Diploma.
2015
Founded The Clinical Psychology Group, establishing a specialist independent practice for children and families with developmental and complex trauma and neurodevelopmental presentations. This has grown into my primary focus, with a deepening specialism in PDA profiles and autistic burnout.
2020–2025
Engaged by the University of Lancaster as an independent facilitator on their Understanding Psychosis and Bipolar Disorder programme, commissioned and funded by NHS England. Delivered training to healthcare professionals across the North of England.
Now
Specialist independent practice through The Clinical Psychology Group, combining psychological assessment, expert witness work, consultation, therapy, professional training, and advocacy, working toward systemic change in how neurodivergent children are understood and supported.
Professional Credentials & Compliance
HCPC Registration
Registered Clinical Psychologist, PYL30837 · CPD Compliant
ACP-UK Member
Association of Clinical Psychologists UK
Professional Indemnity Insurance
Balens Limited / Zurich Insurance Company Ltd
Enhanced DBS
Enhanced DBS certificate with subscription to the DBS Update Service
What Guides Me
In both my personal and professional life, I am guided by a clear set of values. These are not just words, they shape every piece of work I do and every interaction I have.
Wellbeing matters
Yours, your child's, and mine. Sustainable support starts with compassion for ourselves.
Respect and boundaries
Honoured always, in how I work, how I communicate, and in the spaces I create.
Kindness at the core
Genuine kindness, to the families I work with, and to ourselves when things are hard.
Lifelong learning
Curiosity, exploration, and connection. I am always learning, from research, from families, and from lived experience.
Published Research
My academic work has contributed to the evidence base across clinical psychology, including cognitive behavioural approaches, compassion-focused interventions, and psychological therapies for psychosis. Selected publications are listed below.
2022
A psychological intervention for engaging dialogically with auditory hallucinations (Talking With Voices): A single-site, randomised controlled feasibility trial.
Psychosis, 14(2), 156–169.
doi.org/10.1080/17522439.2022.20490702018
Antipsychotic drugs versus cognitive behavioural therapy versus a combination of both in people with psychosis: a randomised controlled pilot and feasibility study.
Lancet Psychiatry, 5(5), 411–423.
doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30096-82018
Cognitive behavioural therapy in clozapine-resistant schizophrenia: The FOCUS trial.
Psychosis, 10(3), 215–227.
doi.org/10.1080/17522439.2017.13632762016
Emotional response to a therapeutic technique: The social broad minded affective coping.
Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 89(4), 451–466.
doi.org/10.1111/papt.120952014
The cognitive behavioural prevention of suicide in psychosis: A clinical trial.
Schizophrenia Research, 156(2), 204–210.
doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2014.04.029