Attuned Psychology and Psychiatry is a practice set up by Dr Monika Mastalerz and Dr Rowan Reiss, a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and a Clinical Psychologist, to provide comprehensive assessments and therapy attuned to the needs, contexts and experiences of the people we work with.
Attunement - our ability to be present to, and with, another’s expression of their experience, enables understanding and connecting. Attunement might look like an adult seeing a baby crying, recognizing that the baby is hungry, and then picking up the baby to feed her. In an adult relationship, it might be an adult who knows that “I’m fine” doesn’t actually mean that, and digs a little deeper to find out what’s going on. "When we attune with others we allow our own internal state to shift, to come to resonate with the inner world of another. This resonance is at the heart of the important sense of “feeling felt” that emerges in close relationships." (Dr. Dan Siegel). Children need attunement to feel secure and to develop well, and throughout our lives we need it to feel close and connected.
We realise that seeking therapy or an assessment can be daunting and it is our aim to support you through each step of the process. Our therapy is grounded in compassion, and in the importance of developing a shared a understanding of your experiences and needs to help find a path out of your struggles. Our comprehensive assessments with children and young people, look at social communication (Autism Spectrum Disorder), cognition (thinking), learning (e.g. dyslexia), and attention (e.g. ADHD).
In all of our provision and approaches, we are passionate about attuning to the adults, children and families we work with.
Dr Monika Mastalerz is a consultant in Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist with 15 years’ experience, specialising in children and young people up to 18 years old with a variety of mental health difficulties. Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists are trained to provide a multifaceted approach to treatment, taking into account family dynamics, child development patterns, behaviour and psychological wellbeing. As a result, they are able to provide treatment for a number of difficulties with varying complexity. Her special interests are around trauma and neurodiversity. She is trained to deliver gold standard assessment tools for assessment of ASD and ADHD. In addition to her diagnostic and prescribing skills Monika is trained in EMDR and trauma – focussed CBT.
Monika is passionate about working with children and their family, supporting them in a compassionate, friendly and confidential way. She continues to work in the NHS as a consultant in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in London.
Office Manager
Dr Rowan Reiss is an HCPC registered Clinical Psychologist who has worked in the NHS for 18 years. She is accredited to undertake assessments utilising gold standard autism assessment tools, and is experienced in administering a range of cognitive and neuropsychological assessments, following National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
She has extensive experience of working with adults, young adults and adolescents who are affected by depression and anxiety, as well as difficulties including OCD, self-harm, suicidality, psychosis, PTSD and complex trauma resulting in intense and overwhelming emotions.
Alongside her private work with adults, adolescents and children, She continues to work in the NHS as a Clinical Psychologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children.
Rowan is trained in Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), in narrative and systemic approaches and in trauma-informed approaches such as EMDR. As advocated within both Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) approaches, Rowan maintains her own daily mindfulness practice.
Dr Reiss is committed to enabling people to access therapy in an attuned way, at a pace they are comfortable with, offering a safe, non-judgemental space to support people with any difficulties they may be experiencing.