Module Leader – Senior Mental Health Leadership Advanced Award, Educational Psychologist
Dr Joanna Wood is a Senior Educational Psychologist at Real Training and leads a team of educational psychologists at our sister company, Real Psychology. She is also a module leader on our Senior Mental Health Lead Advanced Award.
Prior to becoming an Educational Psychologist, Joanna spent fifteen years teaching in London secondary schools, including as Head of Science in a PRU.
Her particular areas of interest include adolescence, school exclusion, mental health and staff supervision. She has published widely including articles in a Wellbeing Toolkit for Teens, (Nurture UK). She is also an Accredited Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) practitioner, and an Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) trainer and supervisor.
A short Q&A with Joanna
Q: Why study the Senior Mental Health Leadership Advanced Award?
Most delegates value the course’s ability to organise and structure their thinking and planning into meaningful strategic work. They like the library of resources, including around SEMH policy and organisational change tools. There is a big focus on systemic working in the course which grows delegates’ confidence as mental health leaders in their settings.
Q: What are the typical backgrounds of people who take the course?
Most are in senior leadership positions. Many are Heads, SENCOs and DSLs. Some are Executive Heads.
Q: What can someone who has taken this course offer?
They will end the course with a wealth of resources, a detailed audit of their setting, and a live, detailed action plan to improve SEMH in their settings. Delegates report increased confidence in the role and in their leadership abilities.
Publications:
“Moving Forwards Programme” intervention for survivors of Child Sexual Exploitation, with Jody Walshe (2017).
“The Wellbeing Toolkit for Teens Resource Pack” contribution (published by Nurture UK).
“The Wellbeing Toolkit for Mental Health Leads” with Tina Rae and Amy Such (publisher Hinton House, 2020).