Dr Melita Ash - Percuro Psychology

Dr Melita Ash - Percuro Psychology Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Dr Melita Ash - Percuro Psychology, Psychologist, Huntbridge Hall, Matlock Grn, Matlock, DE4 3BX, Matlock.

Consultant Clinical Psychologist

đź’« Specialist in anxiety & school avoidance in teens | Parenting support | Assessments | Therapy | Workshops
👤 Derbyshire & online
👇 Parent webinars

Email admin@percuropsychology.co.uk
Tel 07754 439891

We talk a lot about helping young people “cope”.But far less about what they are actually coping with.Because if the env...
19/03/2026

We talk a lot about helping young people “cope”.
But far less about what they are actually coping with.

Because if the environment still feels overwhelming,
no amount of strategies will override a nervous system in threat mode.

And this is where I see things get stuck.

The focus stays on the young person:
👉 manage your anxiety
👉 use your skills
👉 push through

Without fully understanding the demands being placed on them.

And when that doesn’t work, the pressure doesn’t disappear.

It just shifts.

Onto the young person.
And onto parents.

This isn’t about lowering expectations.

It’s about asking a better question:
What is this young person’s nervous system responding to right now?

Because when we start there,
we move away from blame…
and towards something that actually helps.

I see you ❤️
17/03/2026

I see you ❤️

Recent comments from Uta Frith suggesting that the autism spectrum may have become “too broad” have sparked a lot of dis...
12/03/2026

Recent comments from Uta Frith suggesting that the autism spectrum may have become “too broad” have sparked a lot of discussion.

As a clinical psychologist working with adolescents, I find myself reflecting on this from the perspective of the families I meet every week.

For many years, autism research was built around a relatively narrow profile - largely boys with more externally visible presentations. That early model shaped how autism was recognised, diagnosed and understood.

What we are seeing now is not the spectrum becoming diluted. It is the field beginning to recognise the diversity of autistic experiences that were always there but often overlooked.

Many teenagers I work with managed to hold things together in primary school. When adolescence arrives, with its increased social complexity, sensory load and academic pressure,the coping strategies that once worked can become much harder to sustain.

From this perspective, the increase in identification doesn’t mean the spectrum has become “too broad”.
It means our understanding is evolving.

For many families, the issue has never been over-identification.

It has been years of their child struggling before anyone fully understood why.

One of the things I notice when working with parents of neurodivergent teenagers is the invisible workload they carry.No...
11/03/2026

One of the things I notice when working with parents of neurodivergent teenagers is the invisible workload they carry.

Not just the emotional side of supporting a struggling child.

But the administrative weight that quietly sits alongside it.

Emails.
Forms.
Meetings.
Reports.
Waiting lists.
Phone calls.
Advocating.
Explaining the same things again and again.

Many parents tell me they never imagined parenting would involve this level of coordination.

And yet they keep showing up.

Not because they chose this role.

But because they love their child.

If you’re a parent reading this, please know this:

The effort you put in behind the scenes matters more than you probably realise.

Even on the days it feels like you’re pushing against systems that move very slowly.

You’re doing important work.

Many support plans for anxious teenagers include phrases like:“Needs to learn coping strategies.”“Needs to manage their ...
07/03/2026

Many support plans for anxious teenagers include phrases like:
“Needs to learn coping strategies.”
“Needs to manage their emotions independently.”

But many of the teenagers I meet are already trying incredibly hard to cope.

They are masking distress, pushing through sensory overwhelm and trying to meet expectations that stretch their nervous system far beyond its limits.

Many young people I see are simply exhausted.

For autistic teenagers or those with ADHD, the demands of adolescence and school environments can create even greater strain.

This is why my work rarely focuses on the teenager in isolation.
Instead, I often sit in the space between families and schools: helping both understand what is happening beneath the anxiety and how environments can be adjusted to reduce overwhelm rather than increase it.

Because teen anxiety rarely exists in isolation.

And when we begin to understand that bigger picture, the focus shifts from trying to “fix” the teenager to creating conditions where they can actually thrive.

When your teenager is struggling but therapy isn’t the right thing at the moment for whatever reason, it can leave paren...
06/03/2026

When your teenager is struggling but therapy isn’t the right thing at the moment for whatever reason, it can leave parents feeling stuck and unsure what to do next.

This is one of the most common situations parents contact me about.

A Parent Power Hour offers a space to step back and make sense of what’s going on with the guidance of a clinical psychologist. Together we look at the bigger picture and identify ways you can support your teenager without increasing pressure or conflict.

You’ll complete a questionnaire beforehand so we can use the time thoughtfully, and afterwards I send a personalised written summary with guidance and next steps.

Sometimes what parents need most is not more advice, but a clearer compass.

If this resonates, you can find more information via my website (link in bio) or DM me and I’ll send you the info 👍

If you have a Year 11 at home right now, you can probably feel the tension building.Not because they don’t care.But beca...
26/02/2026

If you have a Year 11 at home right now, you can probably feel the tension building.

Not because they don’t care.

But because they care and the stakes feel enormous.

As a clinical psychologist, what I often see during GCSE season is nervous systems tipping into overload.

The exam system requires sustained executive functioning, future planning, emotional regulation and performance under pressure, from brains that are still developing those exact capacities.

This doesn’t mean exams are wrong.

It does mean we need to understand what we are asking of adolescents.

When schools interpret overwhelm as disengagement, we miss the developmental picture.

When we respond to overload with more pressure, we often get less access to the very skills we’re trying to strengthen.

Teenagers do better when we scaffold.

When we reduce cognitive load.

When we protect sleep.

When we regulate before we reason.

This is not about lowering expectations.
It’s about aligning them with neuroscience.

If this season feels intense in your house, that makes sense.

You are parenting within a system that doesn’t always reflect how adolescent brains actually work.

And that is hard.

On the outside, everything looks fine.But what people don’t see is what happens after 3.30pm.The shutdown.The snapping.T...
25/02/2026

On the outside, everything looks fine.

But what people don’t see is what happens after 3.30pm.

The shutdown.
The snapping.
The tears over something “small.”
The constant reassurance.
The exhaustion.

And slowly, almost imperceptibly, your confidence has started to erode.

You used to trust your instincts.
Now you analyse every tone of voice.
You replay conversations in your head.
You wonder if you caused this.

Here’s something I say often in clinic:

When a child works incredibly hard to hold it together all day, home is where the nervous system lets go.
That doesn’t mean you’re getting it wrong.
It often means you are the safest place.

And being the safe place can feel very lonely.

If this resonates, you are exactly the kind of parent I work with - thoughtful, reflective, wanting to understand.

You are not overreacting.
You are noticing.
And noticing matters.

If you want support that includes you, not just your teen, my Parent Power Hours are designed for this exact space. A focused, psychologically grounded session where we slow things down and make sense of what’s happening.

Visit my website for further info (link in bio).

You don’t have to carry it quietly.

Recently listened to an episode of Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal featuring Steven Bartlett.He spoke about being expelled for...
22/02/2026

Recently listened to an episode of Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal featuring Steven Bartlett.

He spoke about being expelled for attendance and later dropping out of university and how deeply he loves learning when it aligns with his interests.

As a psychologist working with families of anxious and neurodivergent teens, I think this is such an important distinction:

School ≠ intelligence.
Struggle ≠ lack of future.

This isn’t about dismissing education.
It’s about widening our understanding of what it can look like.

If school isn’t going well for your teen right now, that doesn’t mean their future is closed.

There are different paths.
Different nervous systems.
Different ways to thrive.

The proposal to review EHCPs at the point of secondary transition is being framed as a way to ensure support is “appropr...
20/02/2026

The proposal to review EHCPs at the point of secondary transition is being framed as a way to ensure support is “appropriate.”

But when nearly 1 in 5 plans are issued at this exact age, we have to ask why.

From a developmental and neuropsychological perspective, secondary school significantly increases environmental demand socially, cognitively and sensorily.

Stability in a supportive primary setting does not automatically mean support is no longer required.

Transition is not a neutral moment.

If you’re navigating this right now, I’d genuinely value hearing what transition has looked like in your family.

I see so many capable, reflective women slowly shrinking under the weight of worry.Not dramatic.Not falling apart.Just… ...
19/02/2026

I see so many capable, reflective women slowly shrinking under the weight of worry.

Not dramatic.
Not falling apart.
Just… braced.

When your teen is anxious, hypervigilance feels responsible.
But over time it erodes you.

And the guilt about doing anything for yourself becomes another layer of strain.

If this is you, I want you to hear this gently:
You have not lost yourself.
You have been protecting someone you love.

But protection doesn’t have to mean disappearance.

What’s one small thing you used to do that felt like you?

Not a grand reinvention.
Just a thread.

If you’re new here, welcome 🤍Parents in this space are thoughtful, loving people who feel like they’ve somehow lost thei...
16/02/2026

If you’re new here, welcome 🤍

Parents in this space are thoughtful, loving people who feel like they’ve somehow lost their footing in adolescence.

They often say:
“I used to feel like a good parent… now I feel like I’m constantly firefighting.”

Teen anxiety, EBSA, autism and ADHD don’t just affect the young person.

They impact the whole family system.

My work is about restoring Compassion, Connection and Confidence, not quick fixes, not blame.
If that resonates, you’re in the right place.

Melita x

ClinicalPsychologistUK

Address

Huntbridge Hall, Matlock Grn, Matlock, DE4 3BX
Matlock
DE43FD

Opening Hours

Monday 4pm - 7pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 8pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+447754439891

Website

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