Summary
Oxford CBT Consultant Paediatrician Dr Susanne Friess brings over 30 years of experience supporting children, young people, and families, including more than 15 years specialising in autism and ADHD assessments.
Susanne trained in Human Medicine in Germany before moving to the UK in 1993, where she completed her paediatric training and has since worked as a Consultant in Paediatric Neurodisability in Community Paediatrics, supporting children and young people from birth to age 19. In 2007 she completed a Master’s in Psychoanalytical Observational Studies in Children — a qualification that deepens her understanding of how children develop and communicate beyond what standardised assessment tools alone can reveal.
She is a member of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, holds full GMC registration, and is trained in NICE-recommended assessment frameworks.
At Oxford CBT, Susanne is part of the multidisciplinary neurodevelopmental team delivering comprehensive ADHD and autism assessments for children and young people.
Experience
Since 2008, Susanne has specialised in the assessment and care of children and young people aged 2–18 for autism and ADHD, completing additional training in NICE-recommended assessment tools at Trinity College Dublin. She has contributed to international research, including presenting at the ADHD Panhellenic Congress in Greece, and has been instrumental in developing NHS services for children with neurodevelopmental difficulties — giving her a deep understanding of what families need and where support too often falls short.
Approach
Susanne takes a holistic, curiosity-led approach to every assessment. Rather than focusing solely on whether a child meets criteria for a specific diagnosis, she explores the full picture — their history, development, environment, and how their difficulties present across different areas of daily life.
Her expertise in differential diagnosis means she is particularly skilled at recognising when more than one thing is going on, because in her experience, it almost always is. Autism and ADHD rarely present in isolation, and identifying what sits alongside them is often the difference between a report that truly helps and one that leaves families with more questions than answers.
Susanne’s style is collaborative and engaging. Families often describe feeling more informed, reassured, and empowered after working with her. She sees assessment as more than a diagnostic process — it is an opportunity to help children, young people, and parents better understand themselves, recognise strengths, and feel clearer about the next steps. Families consistently describe working with Susanne as the first time everything has finally made sense — not just the diagnosis, but their child.
Interesting Facts
Susanne has a passion for travelling and over the last 2 years has developed a close relationship and friendship with a small Maasai community in Kenya. She is supporting the community to seek opportunities and to find their way into the future.
Assessments
Autism – Children & Young People
ADHD – Children & Young People
What families say
“Thank you for your sensitive and conscientious approach — the assessment was both revealing and reassuring for our child and for us as parents. She now looks forward to embracing life, feeling better equipped to face any challenges ahead.”
— Parent of a young person assessed by Dr Friess
