Your questions, answered

Dr. Pierre Court holds a BSc and a Doctorate in Educational, Child and Community Psychology (D.Ed.Psych). He is a Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol), an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society (AFBPsS), and a Diploma holder in Hypnotherapy (DipHyp). Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a Practitioner Psychologist and a member of the Association of Educational Psychologists, Dr. Court has over 15 years of experience across the education and psychology sectors.

Compass Educational Psychology is based in Somerset and works directly with schools and families across the South West of England, including Devon, Dorset, Bristol and beyond. Dr Pierre Court regularly travels across the region to carry out assessments, consultations and training in person.

For schools and families across the wider United Kingdom, we are happy to travel nationally for assessments and whole-school training where needed. Virtual appointments are also available to clients anywhere in the country, making specialist educational psychology support accessible wherever you are.

For international requests, whether from families based abroad or organisations seeking specialist input — we are happy to discuss travel and remote options. Please get in touch via our Contact page to discuss your location and requirements.

Educational Psychologists work with children and young people aged between 0 and 25 years who are experiencing difficulties or differences that affect their learning, behaviour or participation in education and other activities. An Educational Psychologist is trained to understand the psychology behind how young people learn, behave and thrive.

There are many reasons a child or young person might benefit from seeing an Educational Psychologist. These include difficulties with language acquisition, learning independence skills, accessing a curriculum, managing emotions, challenging behaviour, or signs of a learning or emotional difficulty that needs further investigation.

Each assessment is tailored to the individual child or young person. Depending on age and need, this may include observation, consultation with parents and teachers, informal conversation, play-based activities, drawing and games, and standardised assessment tools such as cognitive assessments. Dr Court will always work collaboratively with the people who know the child best to build as full a picture as possible.

This varies depending on the age and needs of the child and the complexity of the assessment required. We will discuss expected timescales with you before any work begins.

Most assessments take place in the child’s school, college or university, as this allows us to support the family and education setting in working together. Where this is not possible, alternative arrangements can be discussed.

Following an assessment, a detailed written report is produced. This clearly identifies the child’s strengths, needs and barriers to learning, and provides practical strategies and recommendations for parents and schools to support the child’s progress and wellbeing.

No. Compass Educational Psychology accepts direct referrals from families. You do not need a referral from a school or GP to get in touch with us. We are happy to have an informal conversation before any commitment is made to help you decide whether an independent assessment is the right step.

Nearly every school has access to a Local Authority Educational Psychologist, and these psychologists can offer excellent support. An independent assessment is a separate option for families who would like an additional, in-depth assessment — for example where a family wishes to seek further support or to make a request to the Local Authority for an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA). If an independent assessment is not the most appropriate option for your situation, we will tell you honestly and point you in the right direction.

We offer a wide range of support to maintained and independent schools, including individual psychological assessments, consultation and collaborative problem solving, support for children with complex needs, psychological supervision for senior leaders and support staff, staff wellbeing support, and training and CPD. Please visit our [Services page] for more detail.

Yes. In addition to mainstream schools, we work with a range of alternative education settings and can tailor our support to suit the context.

Yes. Dr Court provides psychological supervision for senior leaders, teachers, counsellors and support workers. This is available to schools on an ongoing or ad hoc basis.

Yes. Dr Court is available as a guest speaker and to deliver training and CPD, including his highly regarded full-day course on the Psychology of Social Media for Adolescents. Please get in touch via our Contact page to discuss your requirements and availability.

Counselling at Compass is provided by Faye Court, Lead Therapist and Co-Director, who holds a BSc in Psychology and Counselling and a CPCAB Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling. Faye offers a warm, person-centred approach supporting those experiencing anxiety, stress and life transitions, with a particular interest in women’s mental health and self-care.

Where an Educational Psychology perspective would be beneficial, Dr Pierre Court may also provide psychologically informed therapeutic support. Dr Court holds qualifications in Counselling, Psychotherapy and Hypnotherapy and is trained to deliver Single Session Therapy.

Counselling at Compass is available to individuals, families and school staff. It can be particularly helpful for those experiencing anxiety, stress, burnout, low mood, or significant life transitions. For children and young people, counselling may be appropriate where emotional wellbeing, learning, behaviour, relationships or access to education are closely connected. If you’re unsure whether counselling is right for you, we’re happy to have an informal chat before any commitment is made.

Simply fill in the contact form on our counselling page and we’ll be in touch as soon as possible. Your first session is a relaxed, no-pressure opportunity to get to know your Compass practitioner and share what’s brought you here — there’s no agenda, just a conversation at a pace that works for you.

Yes. Dr Court is the author of Psychologist’s Guide to Adolescents and Social Media, published by Elsevier in 2021. The book explores the psychology of social media use among young people — both positive and negative — and includes resources for professionals working with young people. It is available from Waterstones, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Elsevier. Please visit our Publications page for more information.

Dr Court’s social media training has been delivered to a wide range of schools and has received excellent feedback from teachers, DSLs, heads of year and support staff alike. It is particularly relevant for those working with young people from upper Key Stage 2 onwards. Please get in touch via our Contact page to find out more.

Fees vary depending on the nature and scope of the work required. Please get in touch via our Contact page and we will be happy to discuss your needs and provide a clear outline of costs before any commitment is made.

Yes. All information shared with Compass Educational Psychology is treated as confidential and handled in accordance with our professional obligations and our Privacy Policy. There are limited circumstances in which confidentiality may need to be overridden — for example in safeguarding situations — and we will always explain this to you clearly at the outset.