Meet the Educational Psychology Team

Emma Powell is the Principal Educational Psychologist of Aberdeen City's EPS. As well as leading the team she is a practising psychologist. Emma Powell works within the West Locality. Emma’s passion is for delivering training and facilitation that helps builds capacity in schools and empowers practitioners to support learners. Person Centred Planning, Coaching and Narrative approaches are key interests of practice for her.

Emma is really proud to implement and embed the Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) Programme in Aberdeen City, the first local authority in Scotland to do so. Emma is excited to see how our new ASN ELSA programme impacts support staff and pupils in those settings.

Emma has carried out research into Working on What Works (WOWW); National Action Enquiry Projects with Education Scotland for Numeracy & seeking young persons views in GIRFEC, and is currently evaluating the impact of ELSA.

Emma previously worked with children and schools in her career as a Children’s Bookseller, was a judge for the inaugural Children’s Laureate in 2001, and her passion for children’s literacy remains.

Jayne MacDonald is an Educational Psychologist who currently works in the Dee Locality. She is passionate about working creatively with learners and families to gather their views and share these through Consultation. Jayne is dedicated to supporting trainee Educational Psychologists in their development and is one of the Service’s British Psychological Society accredited supervisors. She aims to use consultation and coaching to empower others across her work – building in fun and enthusiasm as she does so.

Jayne is also the service lead for the Coaching and Spotlight working groups, and she is building her practice in Dynamic Assessment and Mediated Learning to support development of these skills across her team.

Before joining the Educational Psychology team in Aberdeen, Jayne worked as a primary school teacher in Aberdeen City schools and trained in counselling skills. 

In her free time Jayne enjoys being outdoors with her family, who are exploring as many of the Scottish Islands as they can. She enjoys being surrounded by greenery and grows plants and flowers in her home and garden. She is an avid Vintie and loves finding unique and unusual items here. Reading has been a favourite hobby since she was a child, and Jayne always welcomes any book recommendations.

Melissa Whiston is an Educational Psychologist who works in the Dee Locality. Melissa is a Solution Oriented Practitioner who enjoys building relationships with schools and families. Melissa is very child-centred and strives to ensure the best outcomes for all.  She is part of the ELSA training team. Melissa has worked in Aberdeen City for several years and works full-time.

Fiona Nicol is an Educational Psychologist who works full-time. She is currently working in the Don Locality, although has worked across most areas of Aberdeen city. Fiona is a solution oriented practitioner who enjoys building relationships with schools and families to improve outcomes for children and young people. 

Fiona is part of several working groups including ELSA, ASN ELSA and Trauma Informed Approaches. She is also developing her practice in using SCERTS to support assessment and planning for individuals with a range of additional support needs

Nic Chapman has been a fully qualified EP since 2014. Nic now works Part-Time and was based in the Don Locality. Nic is currently on Maternity Leave. 

Nic is interested in supporting pupils with their mental well-being, emotional literacy and growth mindset work. Nic enjoys supporting schools with emotion coaching and is interested in neuropsychology and trauma-informed approaches. 

Nic and her husband love the sea. They live in a coastal town and love beach walks with their dog Fergus. They got married on a small Scottish island and got a boat to their ceremony. Nic loves escapism through films and books, and once walked round St Andrew’s golf course despite having no interest in watching golf, just so she could meet Bill Murray!

Gemma Gilchrist is a Part Time Senior Educational Psychologist who is currently working with the West Locality. She is passionate about Attachment, Nurture, Bereavement and Loss and is a Seasons for Growth trainer.  

She is most proud of bringing Seasons for Growth to the North East and developing the Bereavement and Loss Guidelines in collaboration with Child Bereavement UK, the North East Bereavement Network and Head Teachers. This has been updated and will be launched in 2025. Gemma was part of the EBSNA group who have developed digital online training. This year she is excited to be part new working groups such as the Families working group looking to develop our offer to parents, carers and families.  

She was a Research Assistant prior to becoming an EP and worked in both Glasgow and North Lanarkshire.

Outside of work Gemma is a mum to two children and enjoys watching live music, visiting beaches in all weathers, knitting and cooking and eating all different kinds of foods. Gemma is beginning to get back to attending music festivals now that the kids are older.  

Maggie Eggeling is an Educational Psychologist working in the West Locality Group and has worked in education roles in business, higher education, and schools.  This included researching how partnership working between business, schools, universities, and colleges could be used to provide a wider range of learning opportunities for children and young people.  

Maggie also taught in a number of secondary schools in Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire as a Maths and Support for Learning teacher.  

Maggie is passionate about research and reflecting on the changing attitudes, beliefs, and approaches that enhance development and wellbeing.  She currently works full-time and is a member of strategic groups promoting inclusive approaches and increasing awareness of how we can work alongside refugees and displaced families in Aberdeen.

Grant Murray is an Educational Psychologist in Training who currently works in the West Locality. Grant is interested in a wide variety of areas within psychology, including areas involving multi-disciplinary collaboration and exploring topics from a variety of different angles. Prior to joining Aberdeen City, Grant was a Research Assistant working across several different local authority areas.

In his free time, Grant enjoys a mix of running and swimming.