THERAPY AND
PSYCHOLOGY TEAM

Bryn Tirion Hall School has a dedicated Therapy and Psychology (TaP) team.

All members of the TaP team are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) or The United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP). They are committed to their own Professional Standards and Ethics, including further training and continued professional development.

The TaP team is integral to the wider multidisciplinary team at BTH School working collaboratively with school staff to implement whole school strategic development work and evidence-based programs, interventions and approaches which promote positive outcomes for all pupils and their families.

Speech and Language Therapist:  Jessica Matthews

Jessica is a Speech and Language Therapist at Bryn Tirion Hall. Jessica is qualified to support individuals with learning disabilities, complex communication needs, and speech and language disorders.

When a pupil arrives at Bryn Tirion Hall, their communication skills are screened. Jessica will then assess the pupil’s communication as needed and work with staff, families and carers to create and deliver individualised therapy plans. Jessica also promotes inclusive, communication-friendly environments with the aim of reducing barriers to communication, empowering pupils.

 If there are concerns regarding a pupil’s ability to swallow safely, Jessica will assess the swallow to identify whether the pupil has ‘dysphagia,’ (swallowing difficulty). If this is the case, a personalised care plan is created to minimise the risk of the pupil coughing/choking with food and/or drink.

Educational Psychologist:  Dr Dan Small

Dr Dan Small is an Educational Psychologist and part of the Bryn Tirion Hall School team since 2018.

Dan’s main role is to help adults to help children through training and consultation. Most of Dan’s work focuses on supporting the whole staff team and the wider school environment, helping to create the best possible conditions for pupils to learn and thrive. Dan also work directly with children and their families when needed, offering assessment and advice.

 Dan has delivered training on a range of topics including Autism, ADHD, attachment, trauma, and executive functioning in the classroom. His doctoral research focused on staff wellbeing, and he is passionate about using psychology to promote positive change and whole-school wellbeing.

Psychotherapeutic Counsellor:  David Taransaud

David is a UKCP registered psychotherapeutic counsellor, author and trainer with over 20 years experience working with vulnerable children and young people.

David joined Bryn Tirion Hall School in October 2018. In order to provide all the pupils in our care with a safe and therapeutic environment, David delivers a bespoke 12-day course to all of our staff (managers, teachers, LSAs, carers) on how to work therapeutically, empathically and creatively with emotionally wounded children and young people. He also works as a foreign consultant with ‘Alleviate Addiction Suffering’ in Karachi – Pakistan, and travelled to Kitgum – Uganda where he set up an Art Therapy centre in an orphanage for former child soldiers and young people affected by conflict and trauma.

He is the author of:

• You Think I’m Evil: practical strategies for working with rebellious and aggressive adolescents (Worth Publishing; 2011)
• I, Monster: positive ways of working with challenging teens through understanding the adolescent within us (Routledge; 2016)
• Furia e sopravvivenza / Fury and Survival (F. dei Seigni; 2021)

David has also written articles for:

• Attachment: New Directions in Psychotherapy and Relational Psychoanalysis
• Play Therapy Magazine
• Children and Young People Magazine