Meet Our Team

Professor Dr Debora Elijah

Founder & CEO of The Elijah Centre
Founder of PROSCIG© Developmental Delay
BSc Psychology (Honours), Frenando Pesso University
Educational Psychologist
Neuropsychologist
TEEACH licenced programme

As CEO of the Elijah Centre and founder of the PROSCIG© (2013) programme for children and adults aged 18 months to 25 years, intervention, I have experience for over 30 years in this field and am internationally renowned, belonging to the Top 10 Doctors in the UK. I am passionate about pioneering effective strategies that impact and promote holistic development and well-being among young minds with positive results. With scientific evidence, I know that PROSCIG© is an effective intervention that improves psychosocial skills, communication skills and motor skills, which diminishes and reduces unexpected behaviours and sensory issues. Leading both roles, I spearhead initiatives that blend PROSCIG© and innovative methodologies with compassionate care, ensuring each child receives tailored support to thrive socially, culturally, emotionally, and cognitively through group and when necessary, individual interventions. My role and commitment extend beyond managerial duties to actively shaping programs that empower children and their families, fostering a brighter future for our community locally and internationally. “I believe we can fire and rewire the social-semantic network in the brain, using and developing the plasticity, enabling neurodiversity individuals at The Elijah Centre to be socially responsible and understand their own emotions, to calibrate and regulate them”.

Nivin Jaber

Director of The Elijah Centre
Clinical Pharmacologist, Neuropharmacology
PROSCIG© Practitioner Accredited

As the Director of the Elijah Social Cognitive Skills Centre, I oversee innovative intervention programs that enhance children’s social and cognitive development, guiding a team of experts dedicated to nurturing each child’s growth. Concurrently, as the Director of our centre, I drive strategic initiatives, including fostering collaborative partnerships with schools, local authorities, different agencies and professionals. Ensuring our services align with our mission to make a meaningful impact on children, families and the community. My dual roles reflect a commitment to excellence and a holistic approach to supporting children and families. I have been working with Professor Dr. Elijah for a decade, having started off as an intern at the Elijah Centre. This experience has given me a deep appreciation for the transformative impact of our programs on children’s lives.

Zuwena Mohammed

Clinical Manager of PROSICG© Intervention
Assistant Clinical Psychologist
PROSCIG© Practitioner Accredited
MSc Clinical Health Psychology

As the Manager at the Elijah Centre and Assistant Clinical Psychologist, I oversee the centre’s operations and staff to ensure the highest standards of care and efficiency. My responsibilities include supervising and mentoring therapists and interns, conducting performance evaluations, and managing various administrative tasks, such as scheduling. I also develop and implement clinical programmes and services tailored to our clients’ specific needs, providing direct patient care through assessment, diagnosis, and therapy to support each individual. Having worked at the centre for eight years, starting as an intern, I bring extensive experience and a deep commitment to the Elijah Centre’s mission. Throughout my journey, I have grown significantly as a clinician, and I appreciate the centre’s multicultural and neurodivergent environment, which enriches our approach to care.

Trayanka Tranulova

Head of Education
BSc Psychology, MSc Applied Psychology, SEND Diploma

At the Elijah Social Cognitive Skills Centre, my role involves combining various therapeutic strategies to address the challenges faced by neurodivergent individuals, particularly within the education sector. I focus on developing tailored interventions that enable children to access the national curriculum by using adaptable materials and diverse approaches. This ensures that each child’s unique needs are met effectively, allowing them to succeed in their learning environment.

Flower Samual

Family Counselling Services

As the Head of Family Support Services and a dedicated Family Dynamics, I bring a deep commitment to helping families navigate challenges, strengthen relationships, and create supportive environments. With extensive experience and a compassionate approach, I am passionate about empowering families to thrive together.

Phoebe Bolger

Assistant Psychologist
PROSCIG© Social Language Coordinator
Training Program Coordinator
MSc Psychologist – Developmental Psychology and Psychopathology

I am part of the school observation group, responsible for gathering evidence for the ECHP and monitoring whether children are successfully transferring the skills they learn at the Elijah Centre into the classroom setting. I also participate in initial consultation observations to collect information and evidence for assessments and reports.

As the PROSCIG© Social Language Coordinator and Training Coordinator, I oversee the Social Language Programme, focusing on developing children’s expressive language skills to improve their communication within social groups and foster peer acceptance. Additionally, I manage the training programme for new starters, ensuring that every new team member at the Elijah Centre is equipped to deliver high-quality therapy and embody the Centre’s core values in supporting children’s social and cognitive development.

Skye Hadwin

Assistant Psychologist
PECs Certified Implementer
Executive Functioning Coordinator
MSc Psychologist – Cognitive Neuroscience

I deliver PROSCIG© intervention across prelinguistic, advanced intervention, and secondary-sixth-form-aged groups and 1:1.

The PROSCIG© prelinguistic programme involves developing joint attention, the pre-basic skills for a child to speak, enhancing pre-oral and motor skills, play skills, imitation, listening skills and maintain eye contact/visual contact with object/picture/person.

My role at the Elijah Centre is the Self-Regulation and Executive Functioning coordinator. Within my groups, I focus on how we can recognise, label emotions and potential triggers, and learn strategies to improve emotional regulation. This builds skills of resilience, social communication capabilities, and holistic strength in navigating life.

The Executive Functioning group has been a great successful in terms of results. Parents and school are satisfied the way their children became more organise with their equipment’s, schedules for learning and exams. Time management, organisation skills and task initiation are the foundation on my work for these children to access the curriculum and to be prepare for independent life.

My second role as a certified PECS© (Picture Exchange Communication System) instructor involves nurturing and building communication skills for verbal and non-verbal learners. This empowers individuals with the skills to make their needs known. I collaborate with families, carers, and schools to develop communication methods that the child feels safe to use wherever they are.

Abdullah Al Zahem

Early Childhood Development Practitioner student / BSc
Data Assistant

My focus is on early childhood development, and I deliver the PROSCIG© program, which emphasises self-care, independent skills, and life skills. For the past two years, I have been part of Professor Dr. Elijah’s research team, where I contribute through data analysis to advance research in this field.

Thais Ribeiro

Assistant Psychologist
Social Problem-Solving Coordinator
Assistant Psychologist
BSc Psychology

I am the Social Problem-Solving Coordinator, working towards enhancing conversation skills, including initiating, maintaining, and repairing conversations, as well as teaching how to solve and prevent problems and avoid conflicts during discussions. My group also focuses on helping children navigate themselves on the playground by playing games, staying safe, respecting personal space, and learning how to transition smoothly into the next activity.

Kane Rayment

Assistant Psychologist
Early Years Foundation Coordinator
BSc Psychology

As the Coordinator of Early Years Foundation Coordinator, I oversee the development and implementation of Individual PROSCIG© programmes, supporting behaviour and self-emotional regulation for students transitioning to mainstream schools.

My role with the PROSCIG© programme involves proactive strategies to support children with neurotypical learning and behaviour. In 1-1 sessions, I use a holistic and individualised approach based on three key models of PROSCIG© to foster a social learning environment. This helps children develop skills in executive functioning, social interactions, social-emotional growth, behaviour awareness, and critical thinking.

I also conduct school observations to ensure that the children are transferring the skills they are learning at the Elijah centre to the classroom environment.

Harry May

Assistant Psychologist
Technological Advisor
Coordinator of Early Intervention
BSc Psychology

As an assistant psychologist working in PROSCIG© early intervention, I provide support for developmental delays using proactive strategies aimed at enhancing learning and improving overall outcomes for children. Additionally, my intention is to enhance the Elijah Centre’s social media presence to reach a wider audience and educate parents, guardians, and schools about our work, as well as what PROSCIG© is, ultimately helping children who are neurodiverse.

Talia Spitz

Assistant Psychologist