Dr Amy Kilbane

Across 15 years of NHS experience, I have had the privilege of supporting many adults in both community and inpatient settings on their journey to psychological well-being and recovery. I have worked with individuals in relation to a wide range of needs including chronic low mood and suicidality, anxiety and arousal dysregulation, interpersonal difficulties, self harm, addiction, obsessions and compulsions and complex trauma. Working together to develop a shared understanding of these experiences guides which blend of evidence based therapeutic approaches will be most beneficial. These may include Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Schema Therapy, Mindfulness, Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) informed approaches.

Through this an individual can make sense of their core emotional needs and develop adaptive ways to meet them. In many cases my role has also been to support the systems around that individual to create a person-centered environment in which they can recover and thrive.

From 2013 to 2022, I was the Principal Clinical Psychologist for NHS Tayside’s specialist adult autism team. Within this role I led on the delivery of specialist Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) diagnostic and psychological needs assessment. These assessments were used to plan post diagnostic interventions and supports, but also often informed wider processes such as legal proceedings, local authority assessments and interventions and reasonable adjustments in educational and occupational settings. A key aspect of my role was the provision of expert consultation to other services and agencies. I have also been directly involved in the provision of consultation to the Scottish Government (Scottish Strategy for Autism Review 2013/2014) and in the development of the NHS Education for Scotland training framework for Autism Spectrum Conditions (2014).

A core passion within my own therapeutic work is working with adults with neurodiversity who have experienced trauma. This work requires the creation of an optimally enabling therapeutic environment for that individual, with particular consideration of the transactional relationship between trauma and neurodiversity across an individual’s lifetime. I am also passionate about working with adults following late diagnosis of an ASC. Many of these individuals may have had a complex and sometimes traumatising pathway through services. Working therapeutically to process and re-narrate these life experiences whilst validating their ASC needs and promoting adaptive ways of having these needs met can support the development of a more secure and coherent sense of self. The overall aim being a greater sense of psychological well-being and wider functioning. It is my strong belief that a collaborative and compassionate approach to ASC diagnostic assessment can in itself be a therapeutic and healing process, and seek to provide that experience in the work I do.