About

Nice to Meet You 🫶

Hi 👋I'm Lorraine, Your Child Psychologist

I am so happy to meet you. I am a mom of 2 kids, living in a neurodiverse family.

I have spent my adult life working alongside, supporting and advocating for children, teenagers and parents - first as a primary school teacher, and now, as a Chartered Child Educational Psychologist C.Psychol., Ps.S.I. M6672C.

One of my core beliefs, what really motivates me is knowing that understanding a child's brain-body combination can truly transform a child's life, which in turn, can transform the life of an entire family.

I use my understanding of children's psychological, emotional and sensory development, and my passion for enabling children to reach their full potential, to empower families to live authentically and positively.

Myself and my team can help your child achieve brain - body balance, enabling you, as their parent, to enjoy family life a little more.

Top Achievements:

Chartered Child Educational Psychologist and Clinical Director of EPT Clinic
2022 Recipient of the “Contribution to Professional Practice” award from the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI)
Current Chair of the PSI’s Special Interest Group in Neurodiversity
Psychology Traumatologist and Attachment Specialist
Member of the Special Interest Group in Autism PSI
Published research author

Publications:

Ruqia Zafeer

Chartered Clinical Psychologist, C.Psychol., Ps.S.I. M14560C

Hi! I am so happy to meet you. I am a Chartered Clinical Psychologist with the Psychological Society of Ireland, with over six years of experience working with children, adolescents, and families across clinical, educational, and international settings.

I was born and raised in Pakistan, where I completed my academic training, including a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Psychology (2011–2015) and a professional Master of Science in Clinical Psychology (2015–2018). My professional qualifications and supervised clinical experience have since been formally recognised by the Psychological Society of Ireland as meeting the full standard for Chartered Clinical Psychologist, reflecting a high level of clinical competence within Irish professional frameworks.

I am also a full member of the Division of Clinical Psychology within the Psychological Society of Ireland, supporting my ongoing engagement with clinical standards, research, and best practice within the field. I began my career in 2019, working in a renowned psychiatric and drug rehabilitation service in Pakistan, supporting both inpatient and outpatient mental health clients. It was challenging and deeply rewarding work that taught me the power of compassion, resilience, and seeing the person beyond their difficulties.

As my career developed, I found myself increasingly drawn to supporting children and young people. As an Educational Psychologist in APSACs Westridge III, Pakistan(2019-2021), a leading school setting, I provided counselling, worked closely with families, and helped teachers create supportive learning environments. It was here that I witnessed firsthand how transformative the right support can be when children, parents, and professionals work together. Alongside my clinical work, I developed a passion for teaching and training future psychologists. This led me into academic leadership as Psychology Department Coordinator at a university, where I combined clinical expertise with teaching, supervision, and programme development. In 2021, I relocated to the Maldives, where I continued teaching psychology at undergraduate level while working with students from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Although I enjoyed academia, my passion for clinical practice, particularly in child and adolescent mental health and neurodevelopment, continued to grow. I returned fully to practice as a Licensed Psychologist with Maldives Allied Health Council (2023-2026), working across specialist services providing psychological assessment, therapy, parent support, and consultation for children, adolescents, and adults. Throughout this time, I continued lecturing part-time, ensuring my clinical work remained informed by current research and best practice.

Today, one of my specialist areas is Neurodevelopmental Assessment. I have extensive experience supporting neurodivergent children, young people, and their families, and have conducted formal autism assessments using a variety of standardised tools, including the ADOS-2. I work closely with speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, educators, and medical professionals to build a comprehensive understanding of each child's strengths, differences, and support needs.

In addition to my PSI Clinical Psychology Chartered status, I hold multiple international professional registrations, including:

Licensed Psychologist with the Maldives Allied Health Council (since 2023)
International Affiliate of the American Psychological Association
Life Member of the Pakistan Psychological Association

Through specialist training in autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, psychometric assessment, and neurodevelopmental assessment, I aim to provide evidence-based, compassionate, and clinically robust care.

Now, as part of the multidisciplinary team at EPT Clinic in Ireland, I bring together my clinical, educational, and international experience to provide neurodiversity-affirming assessments and support for children and their families. Above all, what matters most to me is helping families move from uncertainty to understanding. I believe every child has their own unique way of experiencing the world, and my goal is to help families recognise, understand, and celebrate those differences while finding practical ways to support growth, wellbeing, and confidence. Whether through assessment, therapy, consultation, or parent guidance, I strive to create a warm and welcoming space where every child and family feels heard, respected, and supported.

I look forward to being part of your family's journey.

Empowerment Through Understanding

Our team are passionate about providing tools & knowledge to understand children’s unique brains and bodies to help them thrive.

Holistic Family Support

Offering practical, flexible support for the entire family, so that families can achieve balance and harmony at home, in school and in day to day life.

Celebrating Neurodiversity

Myself and our team focus on the beauty of diverse brain-body experiences and promote a positive, affirming perspective on neurodivergence.

Lorraine Madden, Chartered Educational Psychologist

EPT Clinic's Involvement with the Psychological Society of Ireland and the HSE

Our team have always been passionate about supporting children's development and wellbeing. We work alongside families, professionals and young people to advocate and support young people. This includes our roles within EPT Clinic, and also the work we complete with the Psychological Society of Ireland. Lorraine worked for 3 years on the Professional Practice Guidelines for the Assessment, Formulation, and Diagnosis of Autism in Children and Adolescents, 2nd Edition and has been appointed Chair of the Special Interest Group in Neurodiversity since 2024. In this role, Lorraine and the Committee advocate for inclusion and ethical best practice on behalf of the PSI.

Bringing all of this experience together, one of the team's proudest accomplishments has been developing a psychological appraoch which we call Neurodiversity Essentials. We use this parenting, learning and assessment approaach to support parents, children, teachers and healthcare professionals who are supporting young people who are developing outside of the ordinary.

Through this brain-body framework, our transdisciplinary team help children achieve brain-body balance. We see neurodiversity as a central part of a young person’s identity.

Lorraine's Personal Story

I have always interested in learning because, from a very young age, I realised that I found learning harder than some of the other people in my class, but at the same time, I knew I was quite capable. Years later, I realised I was dyslexic.

Then, when I went into secondary school, I noticed I had a lot more energy than some of my friends and rarely sat still! This has served me well in life because my parents helped me to channel it. But as a teenager, I could see how people had different brain-body preferences. I knew early on that this was going to be my passion...

This led me to choose education and psychology as my undergraduate degree. After working as a teacher for four years, I completed postgraduate studies in Inclusive Education at Queen’s University Belfast. After that, I returned to university full-time to qualify as an educational psychologist.

After qualifying, I worked in public service with the HSE in Early Intervention Services. I learnt so much from my colleagues. I also got married and had my own two children. When I returned to the HSE, it was to a different team, and I didn’t feel the service aligned with my core beliefs. So, after lots of late-night discussions with my family, I made the big decision to transition from a permanent and pensionable job to starting my own business! It has been a steep learning curve, but I can honestly say that I wouldn’t do anything differently.