ABOUT
RaiseYourIQ was born out of a passion for helping children to thrive, particularly those facing learning difficulties and perhaps behavioral challenges resulting from frustration with learning, school, and a lack of academic progress. For us, this meant designing innovative, evidence-based tools, and providing wide access to world-class resources for parents and professionals to assist those who need it. RaiseYourIQ was built to help children exceed their expectations, break boundaries in attainment at school and work, and improve their confidence and comfort in learning environments.
In a time in which there is growing discussion about the development of artificial intelligence, it is important not to forget something far more critical – something we call Original Intelligence or OI. At RaiseYourIQ we are in the business of nurturing and enhancing Original Intelligence so that each user reaches their true intellectual potential.
Hi! We’re Dr. Bryan Roche and Dr. Sarah Cassidy, scientific researchers and the co-developers and founders of RaiseYourIQ brain training software based on our own SMART method. We are so fortunate that we can dedicate our careers and energy to the Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences and related therapies, and in so doing, develop truly cutting edge, scientifically-backed tools that can change the opportunities, realize the aspirations and therefore change the lives of countless people.
Dr. Bryan Roche,
Co-founder, Ph.D., PsyD (Hon. Causa), C.Psychol., AFBPsS
Dr. Bryan Roche is a tenured University Professor at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth where he conducts research into human language and cognitive development. He is a highly published author of scientific research and an expert on Relational Frame Theory (RFT), which provides the scientific basis for SMART training used in RaiseYourIQ. He has received an additional honorary doctorate for his outreach work providing free access to the RaiseYourIQ SMART method for charitable and research purposes. He has served on the editorial boards of leading scientific journals in the field, and has graduated dozens of PhD and Masters research students as a leading academic expert on human cognition. Bryan collaborates with leading researchers in the field of relational learning and was a co-editor of the seminal text on Relational Frame Theory published in 2001.
Dr. Sarah Cassidy,
Co-founder, B.S. (Hons), Ph.D. Psych Sc., Cert. CBT, Adv. Cert. ACT & MBI
Dr. Cassidy is an Educational, Child and Adolescent Psychologist. She is the Founder and Director at The Smithsfield Clinic, where she specializes in the assessment and treatment of learning and emotional & behavioral difficulties with clinical populations and in the assessment of neurodevelopmental differences. She is also the co-founder of the New England Centre for OCD and Anxiety, Irish Midlands. She is passionate about advocacy, about supporting children and families in whatever setting they are in, with compassion and respect, using entirely neuro affirmative practices. Sarah has also lectured and researched at Maynooth University, Ireland and other third level professional settings. She is also a peer reviewed ACT trainer, a mentor to many trainee psychologists and therapists, an author of many articles and books, including being the author of the first empirical demonstration of the positive effects of intensive skill interventions on intelligence (Cassidy, Roche & Hayes, 2011). Finally, Sarah is a long time member of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science and currently serves on the council of the Psychological Society of Ireland.
Dr. Elle Kirsten,
CEO, PhD, BCBA, LBA
Dr. Elle Kirsten is a board-certified and licensed applied behavior analyst. She is the founder and director of Compassionate Behavior Analysis, PLLC, where she specializes in designing and testing relational frame theory-based language assessments and training protocols, and assessing and training functional language in children struggling with language development and comprehension. Elle also works for the New England Centre for OCD and Anxiety, Irish Midlands, and the New England Centre for OCD and Anxiety, New York. Elle has presented her clinical work and academic research at numerous conferences, and she has published several articles and book chapters about RFT and complex language development.
Following a meeting with Dr. Sarah Cassidy at an academic conference in 2018 at which they discussed the potential of the SMART method, Dr. Kirsten went on to lead the reconfiguration of our company, the securing of inward investment, a rebranding exercise, and the design of our first mobile app. She joined RaiseYourIQ and was named director and CEO in 2022.
Dr. Sarah Cassidy, working alongside Prof. Bryan Roche, conducts doctoral research that leads to the identification of the SMART method for teaching relational skills to children.
RaiseYourIQ co-founders, in collaboration with Prof. Steven C. Hayes from the University of Nevada, Reno (the creator of ACT therapy), publish the first scientific study demonstrating empirical evidence of IQ improvements resulting from the SMART method.
Seed funding secured to develop an online SMART training prototype called RaiseYourIQ. Campus company formed at Maynooth University to make SMART available to schools, research laboratories and individuals for research and development.
Dozens of independent studies conducted worldwide consistently validate the effectiveness of SMART, with governments, clinics, and schools adopting these methods in educational and clinical trials. Several independent reviews and one systematic review confirm SMART's unique ability to raise IQ, a result unparalleled by any other approach.
RaiseYourIQ tools continue to evolve and improve, driven by scientific advancements and valuable user feedback.
Significant investment is secured to fully develop and market the comprehensive RaiseYourIQ suite of tools, including the now empirically validated SMART method. Dr. Elle Kirsten, an expert in the field, joins the Board of Directors of a new company dedicated to the development and management of SMART delivery through mobile apps and enhanced web-based applications.