About us

We are a group of HPC Registered and Chartered Practitioners in Educational and Occupational Psychology.

We are based in East Anglia and currently work in Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk, Bedfordshire, Lincolnshire, Hertfordshire, Rutland, Derbyshire and Leicestershire.

We have been in independent practice since 1990, initially in Derbyshire and the Midlands and then, from 2001, in Norfolk. Our business has grown over the years. We currently have over 1000 clients per year.

The service was started by Isobel Pilkington, who has worked as an educational psychologist in the West Riding of Yorkshire, City of Sheffield, and Metropolitan Boroughs of Bury and Oldham.  Isobel became a principal Educational Psychologist and Advisor for Special Education during her career in local Government. 

On leaving local Government in 1990, she re-trained at the Sheffield Business School and obtained further qualifications in Organisational Development and Change Management within organisations.

In the 1990’s she trained and worked as an Inspector of Schools with OFSTED, reporting on special needs provision, and also continued to work with individual children, schools and families as an educational psychologist.

Isobel coordinates the work of the associate psychologists who are in two teams, one for ages up to 18 and one for ages 18+.

Hester Howells, Isobel’s daughter, coordinates the work of the occupational psychologists in the team.

After completing her degrees (BSc Honours Psychology, University of Leicester, MSc Occupational Psychology, University of Hull) Hester worked as a Psychologist in the Prison Service, training Young Offenders and those with drug dependency, and has also worked with large companies as a researcher, developing a workplace - based assessment tool for use by HR managers and Occupational Psychologists.  Before taking a career break while her children were small, Hester qualified as a test user (BPS Level A Certificate of Competence in Testing).  She is a Member of the British Psychological Society Division of Occupational Psychology. Many of her clients have disadvantages (such as low self esteem) associated with previously undiagnosed specific learning difficulties.