Staff Profile

Following a period as a primary teacher, SENCo and advisory teacher for ICT and SEN, I trained to be an Educational Psychologist (EP) at Newcastle University in 1992/93. I worked as a main grade and Senior Educational Psychologist before eventually becoming Principal Educational Psychologist in Northumberland. I now work as an independent EP as well as within Local Authority EP Services.

I have a broad range of professional interests including literacy development and its implications into adulthood. I am also interested in social justice and ethical practice and how these both relate to developing the way EPs work at a range of levels including amongst communities and within schools. The whole area of leadership and what makes an effective team also fascinates me.

My preferred way of working is to engage at a systemic, whole organisation, school and community level to develop effective ways, with others, to bring about organisational change.

I use Solution-Oriented Models (O’Hanlon) in my work and have been involved in training many teams in this way. Appreciative Inquiry (Cooperrider) is another interest where I work with groups and organisations to help them bring about change.

The use of video to help build attuned relationships and interactions is a valued tool and I am looking to develop this work with colleagues both within and outside education. I am interested in supervision of professionals and the benefits this brings not only to the individual but to the broader organisation. Parental engagement is also important to me and seeing how working together can bring positive effects.  I have also recently become interested in the 16-25 developments and the role EPs have to play in this.

Generally I enjoy working alongside others and seeing them develop. I especially enjoy my work with Trainee Educational Psychologists and seeing how they develop into proficient applied psychologists.  Currently I have been first supervisor for 30 Doctoral theses (8 still in progress), Internal examiner for 14 Doctoral theses and an External examiner for a Doctoral thesis at the University of Manchester

Areas of special interest

• Supervision of Educational Psychologists

• Literacy development

• Systemic and Consultation Approaches to Educational Psychology

• 16-25 Preparation for Adulthood

• Educational Psychologist’s involvement in FE and HE

• Involving and Engaging Parents

• Solution Oriented working (especially within teams)

• Appreciative Inquiry

• Looked After CYP

• Social Media

• Managing Change

• Leadership development

• Barrow W, Gibbs S, Lumsdon D, Parker R, Peters B. Does it matter if psychologists are unrepresentative?. The Psychologist 2016, 29(2), 84-84.
• Riddick B, Wolfe J, Lumsdon DB. Dyslexia. A Practical Guide for Teachers and Parents. London: David Fulton, 2002. In Preparation.
• Dodds D, Lumsdon DB. Examining the Challenge: Preparing for Examinations. In: In Peer, L. & Reid, G. (eds), ed. Dyslexia – Successful Inclusion in the Secondary School. Lundon: David Fulton, 2001. In Preparation.