Nikola Blair
ASD Specialist
Certified ADHD and ASD Assessor (ADOS-2, ADI-R, DSM) | NHS Band 8b Clinical Psychological Therapist and Service Manager |
Nikola Blair is an excellent communicator and opens her clinic to support her clients with her profession and yet warm encouraging and supportive approach in all her work.
Nikola is accomplished NHS Operational Consultant and Clinical Service Director, specialising in neurodivergence, mental health, and healthcare service transformation. With over 25 years of clinical, managerial, and strategic leadership experience across NHS, social care, forensic, and international healthcare systems, Nikola is a recognised leader in developing integrated pathways, service quality improvements, and evidence-based patient outcomes.
As a certified ADHD and ASD assessor (ADOS-2, ADI-R, DSM), Nikola has extensive expertise in neurodevelopmental assessments, triage, complex risk assessment, safeguarding, and multidisciplinary team (MDT) management. Her clinical portfolio spans CAMHS, adult mental health, forensic services, learning disability, crisis intervention, A&E duty, and high-risk case management, including eating disorders, self-harm, and suicidal ideation.
Nikola is currently an NHS Band 8b Clinical Psychological Therapist and Service Manager leading LDND Neurodiverse services and overseeing assessment and intervention pathways for children, adolescents, and adults. She has also served as a Clinical Mental Health Team Lead, Social Care Auditing Officer, and Specialist Therapist in CAMHS, forensic settings, and residential secure services. .
Her leadership has driven service redesign, commissioning panel decisions, safeguarding practice, and policy development, working collaboratively with government departments, ministerial bodies, and international healthcare providers** in the UK and Canada. Nikola has successfully delivered strategic quality improvement frameworks, ensuring compliance, patient safety, and improved access to care.
Specialist Expertise
- Neurodevelopmental & Mental Health Assessments – ADHD, ASD, Fragile X, FND, OCD, dementia, psychotic and depressive disorders.
- Safeguarding & Risk Management– MARAC, MAC, child protection, forensic family processes, LAC, complex case oversight.
- Clinical Leadership & Change Management– NHS Tier 2–4 services, commissioning, policy development, cross-sector integration.
- Therapeutic Practice– CBT family therapy, psychological therapy, trauma-informed care, EHCP planning, allied health education.
- Service Transformation – Quality assurance, social care auditing, outcome-focused redesign, public health policy alignment.
Nikola is widely recognised as a transformational leader in neurodivergent healthcare services. combining frontline expertise with senior operational strategy. Her career is defined by a commitment to improving patient pathways, safeguarding vulnerable populations, and driving innovation in mental health and neurodevelopmental care.
Nikola core profession is in Drama Therapy and enjoys working with a variety of resources to support her clients communicate process and reflect on past trauma. She enjoys the creative process in supporting clients who are diagnosed with MLD, PLD and non verbal using PEC picture Exchange Communication.