Profile
Marianna K
My CV
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Education:
My undergraduate degree was from the University of Sussex.
I went to secondary school in South East London. -
Qualifications:
Age 19-23: Psychology with a Professional Placement Year BSc (Hons.) – First Class.
Age 17-19: A-Levels in English Lit., Religion and Philosophy and Psychology.
Age 16-17: AS Level Classical Civilisations.
Age 16: 10 GCSEs. -
Work History:
– Healthcare assistant at a mental health hospital for teenagers.
– Community development worker in an addiction charity.
– Internship in an adult NHS mental health service.
– I’ve had a number of voluntary roles in mental health charities and at an elderly care home.
– I’ve had some temporary jobs in festival catering. -
Current Job:
Assistant psychologist in a young people’s neurodevelopmental service.
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About Me:
I work as an Assistant Psychologist in the NHS. I’m obsessed with autism and improving diversity in the field of psychology!
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- I moved to Kent to live with my mum and cat during lockdown, before that I lived in a house with 10 of my friends in Brighton.
- My main hobbies are sewing and weaving (though I barely ever get round to finishing my projects).
- I developed Tourette’s Syndrome a few years ago. This causes me to have the urge to shout random words, jump and scrunch up my face a lot of the time. I’m also autistic.
- I am a semi-fluent Greek speaker.
- My pronouns are she/her.
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What is Autism?
Autism is a lifelong neurological difference associated with the following traits:
- Difficulties understanding social situations and communicating.
- Over or under sensitivity to sensory input (i.e. sound and touch).
- Restricted interests (intense fascination with specific topics).
- Preference for sameness (routine, dislike uncertainty).
Every autistic person is different: some autistic people’s traits may make them seem very different to non-autistic people, whereas others may blend in socially. Many autistic people are highly academic, others may have a learning disability.
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My Typical Day:
Due to Covid-19, I’m mainly working from home which suits me very well. I’m involved in autism assessments (see above), I attend lots of meetings which are about ensuring that the assessments we are doing are of a good quality.
I ring up parents and young people on the waiting list to do risk assessments and have quite a lot of admin, too.
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What does my role involve?
Diagnoses of autism are given by a qualified psychologists. In order to help them make a decision, I am involved in the assessment process. This involves gathering the following evidence:
- Speaking to parents/carers to find out about the young person’s early development.
- Scoring questionnaires filled out by a young person’s school teachers and parents.
- Speaking to young people themselves to find out whether they think autism makes sense for them.
- Observing how young people behave during an assessment which involves a series of tasks (some of these are a little random, like playing Jenga). Due to Covid-19, these assessments now happen over video call.
Autism isn’t something that can or should be cured. Therefore, we do not offer treatment for autism itself. However, we run events for families to help them understand autism better. We offer support for difficulties that often occur alongside autism such as anxiety. I help write reports which include recommendations for ongoing support.
The waiting lists for our service are unfortunately quite long, so I ring up families who are on our waiting list to find out whether they are doing OK. I also help with admin tasks which keep the services running.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
Develop a project/ campaign to support neurodivergent pupils (autistic or have ADHD, dyslexia, Tourette’s etc) who are interested in studying or pursuing a career in the field of psychology.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Introvert, nerdy, caring
What did you want to be after you left school?
FREE!
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Yes, I was very disorganised!
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Björk
What's your favourite food?
Tortellini
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
1) I'd like there to be more money in services so that children and families wouldn't have to wait so long. 2) I wish that everyone could be kinder and ensure that everyone feels included. 3) I wish that I was naturally good at ICT, or that ICT systems would be less complicated!
Tell us a joke.
Three Freudians go into a bar. The bartender asks for some id.
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