A little about me

I'm Leishan, a registered psychologist and the psychologist behind Pace Ahead Psychology.

I have worked with children, adolescents and families for many years, with experience across both psychological therapy and assessment. Over time, I have developed a particular interest in psychological assessment and the process of understanding the different factors that can contribute to a child's learning, behaviour, emotions and development.

For me, a good assessment is about much more than administering tests or arriving at a diagnosis. Children are complex, and the same difficulty can have many possible explanations. I take a broad approach to assessment, bringing together information about the whole child before narrowing in on areas that may require further exploration.

My approach to assessment

I want children and young people to feel comfortable being themselves during assessment. While psychological testing is structured, the experience doesn't need to feel overly clinical or intimidating.

I take a warm, relaxed and child-focused approach and adapt sessions to the individual child wherever possible. I also pay close attention to how a child approaches tasks, communicates, responds to challenges and interacts throughout the assessment — not simply the scores they achieve.

Once the assessment is complete, my role is to bring all of that information together and make sense of it.

I aim for families to leave the process with a clearer understanding of their child's individual strengths and challenges, why certain things may be difficult for them, and what can practically be done to support them moving forward.