Leadership Team
Dr. K.A H Mirza, Consultant Psychiatrist and Hon Senior Lecturer MBBS, DPM, FRCPsych, DPMRCPI (Dublin), FRCP (Canada) FRCPCH (Edin) Executive Director
Dr. Mirza is an eminent psychiatrist, researcher and academic with over thirty years of experience in the assessment and treatment of children, young people and adults with psychiatric disorders and substance misuse across four different countries including Ireland, India, Canada and the UK. After qualifying in Medicine in 1982, he has worked in General Adult Psychiatry and Addiction Sciences for a decade before specializing in Child and adolescent psychiatry at the Maudsley Hospital, London and University of Cambridge, UK. He has held senior academic and clinical positions in major universities across the world including University of Cambridge, UK, Dalhousie University Canada, and Institute of psychiatry, Kings College, London.
Currently he works as a consultant psychiatrist and lead for ADHD in East Hertfordshire, and Honorary senior Lecturer at University of Hertfordshire. Dr. Mirza has specialist expertise in the assessment and treatment of ADHD across the life span. He has been seen by his patients as a warm, compassionate and caring psychiatrist, who uses a holistic approach to address their difficulties.
Dr. Mirza has in-depth experience of the full spectrum of mental health difficulties including depression, anxiety, impact of trauma, personality difficulties, OCD, phobias, psychosis, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, self-harm, sexual health problems, sleep disorders, eating disorders, alcohol and substance misuse, and impact of stress on health and well being. He also works with couples to address difficulties in relationships.
Dr. Mirza provides training to consultant colleagues nationally and internationally in the assessment and treatment of ADHD across the life span, psychopharmacology, substance misuse and psychological therapies. He has also written numerous articles, books and book chapters on ADHD, substance misuse, PTSD and psychopharmacology. He is a senior researcher involved in a number of projects including the impact of traumatic events on the developing brain. Dr. Mirza has presented workshops and symposia at international conferences and is a visiting lecturer at universities in Japan, Ireland and India.Dr. Mirza has specialist expertise in the field of medication treatment, has conducted clinical trials of medications in children and was a member of the Drugs and Therapeutic committee at the Maudsley Hospital, which publishes the influential Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines.
Dr. Mirza is formally trained in psychotherapies including Systemic therapy, CBT, Mindfulness and other third wave psychotherapies. He tends to follow a holistic approach to treatment, which includes life style changes, talking treatments and medication. He has pioneered development of evidence based talking therapies in the field of Adolescent substance misuse and ADHD. Having had a life-long interest in Arts and Literature, he firmly believes in the power of the narrative to change the lives of his patients. Currently Mirza is the chair of the Special interest group of Adolescent Substance misuse at the Royal College of Psychiatrists and played a key role in publishing the Department of Health, UK/ Royal College of Psychiatrists Guidelines for the assessment and treatment of young people with substance misuse in the UK. He is a member on the advisory board of the Centre for Mindfulness.
Dr. Pavlo Kanellakis, CPsychol, CSci, FBPsS Honorary Life Time President
Pavlo Kanellakis is a very warm and understanding psychologist, with a strong commitment to providing the best care for each of his patients. He has over twenty years of experience in the assessment and treatment of children, adolescents and adults with complex mental health and neurodevelopmental disabilities which impact on the educational functioning of the sufferers.
He has been honoured as the Chair of the International Conference of Education and Educational Psychology with delegates from over 70 counties and the International Congress of Clinical and Counselling Psychology. He also received an International Scholar Award by the American Psychological Association and he has been recognized for “outstanding contribution” to psychology by the British Psychological Society. He was also a member of the National Implementation Reference Group of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE); part of the Topic Specific Reference Groups regarding the Commissioning Guides for CBT and Psychological Therapies for Common Mental Health Problems and acted as a Psychology Expert for the Efficacy & Mechanism Evaluation College of Experts & Health Technology Assessment Programme at the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and Medical Research Council. He is a Lead National Assessor for the appointment of Consultant Psychologists in Health and Social Care (under the auspices of the British Psychological Society).
Prof. Sudeshni Mirza, MBBS, MD (Forensic Medicine) DPM (Dublin) Manging Director
Dr. Mirza has over twenty-five years of experience in the assessment and treatment of adults with psychiatric disorders across different cultures and continents. After qualifying in Medicine and completing a postgraduate degree in forensic Medicine, she has worked in General Adult Psychiatry and Forensic Psychiatry in the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. She has held senior academic and clinical positions in a number of Universities, and has recently taken a sabbatical from the position of Professor and Head of the department of Forensic Medicine at DM Wayanad Institute of Medical Sciences, Kerala, India. She is the director of Hopes and Dreams London, an independent organisation in the UK providing assessment and treatment of psychiatric disorders and substance misuse.
Dr. Mirza has specialist experience and expertise in managing large scale research projects and clinical services in different parts of the world. She was instrumental in setting up and running academic departments in three different medical schools and oversaw many changes to the organisations. She successfully led a voluntary organisation working in the field of child mental health in India and engaged in collaborative research with Kings College, London.
Dr. Mirza has written a number of articles, books and book chapters on ADHD, Substance misuse, and PTSD. She has meticulous organisational skills and helped organise a number of international conferences and workshops in the UK. She has a wealth of experience in teaching undergraduate and postgraduate trainees and colleagues and has been regarded very highly for her innovative teaching skills.
Dr. Mirza combines rigorous work ethics and professionalism with sunny optimism, humility and an appreciative stance that brings out the best in people working with her.