Zahra Ahmed

Academic and Professional Tutor

Zahra is an Academic and Professional Tutor on the Child, Community & Educational Psychology doctoral programme. Her doctoral thesis was on experiences of racism in secondary schools, influenced by her drive to promote anti-racist and culturally responsive practice throughout her work with children and families, schools and the systems they interact with. She has published work on projective techniques in assessment, culturally responsive practice in consultation and has presented at both national and international conference on supervision and multi-agency working. Zahra currently works as an Educational Psychologist in an inner London borough and a local Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) team.

Qualifications

• Doctorate in Child, Community and Educational Psychology (D.Ed.Ch.Psych) – Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust / University of Essex
• MSc Child and Adolescent Mental Health – University College London
• BSc Psychology – Queen Mary University of London

Membership of professional bodies

• Registered Practitioner Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
• Chartered Psychologist – British Psychological Society (BPS)

Teaching roles

• Personal supervisor
• Lecturing on the Psychological Frameworks and CHAI modules in the first and second years of the programme

Research interests

• Anti-discriminatory and culturally sensitive/responsive practice
• Exploring the EP role in mental health, community or CAMHs settings
• Working or consultation in/with multi-agency groups
• Use of projective assessments 
• Exploring the use of reflective practice / supervision groups in schools
• Lived experienced and participatory based research

Recent research projects

Doctoral thesis: Can we talk about racism in schools? An IPA exploration of students’ experiences of racial and cultural discrimination. 

Selected publications

Ni Chinneide, E.K., Ahmed, Z., Reynolds, A., & Canagaratnam, M. (2023). Making sense of experience: tools for collaboration with children and young people with social, emotional and mental health needs at points of school transition. Pastoral Care in Education. 42.

Sakata, E. Ahmed, Z., & Ni Chinneide, E.K.. (2024). Promoting self-reflection and cultural attunement in culturally responsive consultation: the development of a tool for practice. Educational Psychology Research and Practice 10 (1).