Leny Thomas

Leny was attracted to study at Waikato due to the reputation of the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences' School of Psychology and in particular the Applied Behaviour Analysis programme.

After securing an internship with the Ministry of Education straight out of university, he worked for Intellectual Disability and Empowerment Action (IDEA/IHC). Leny is now working with Intensive Wrap Around Service at Ministry of Education as a registered Psychologist.

"As part of my job I provide specialist psychological services to children and young people, their families/whanau, educational providers and other agencies. I support the team to develop a robust assessment and intervention plan to address the child's and family's needs across different domains such as home, school and in the community who have significant learning and/or behavioural challenges. A typical day would involve writing reports, completing risk assessments, psychometric assessments, training staff and facilitating meetings."

This is Leny's third job as a Psychologist and he is happy to be part of a national team which provides ecological support for children and their families, not only at school but also at home and in the community.