As part of the NHS response to Coronavirus (COVID-19), we have made changes to the services we provide
The Forensic Psychological Service is part of the Forensic Directorate within the Specialist Care Group of Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
The team consists of qualified Clinical and Forensic Psychologists, Specialist Practitioners, Assistant Psychologists, Senior Support Workers (Psychology) and Trainee Clinical and Forensic Psychologists on placement from local universities.
As part of the Forensic Directorate the team provides local, high quality, specialised and comprehensive mental health and learning disability services for offenders with mental health needs and others who may benefit from such services. Members of the team work in medium and low secure inpatient; community forensic, Offender Personality Disorder and Community Sentence Treatment Requirement services. The team also support local Liaison and Diversion teams and Forensic Liaison schemes in Wolverhampton and Shropshire.
Meet The Team
Dr Amanda McGowan
Professional Lead for the Forensic Psychological Service
Consultant Clinical Psychologist
Dr Chris Davis
Consultant Clinical Psychologist
Dr Melanie Davies
Consultant Clinical Psychologist
Dr Rachel Toole
Principal Psychologist (Clinical / Forensic)
Dr Sally Rudge
Principal Psychologist (Clinical)
Dr Ruth Wilkins
Principal Psychologist (Forensic)
Dr Nina Vass
Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist
Dr Susan Ruggeri
Highly Specialist Counselling Psychologist
Dr Natalie Southall
Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist
Dr Natalie Byrne
Specialist Clinical Psychologist
Dr Clare Passey
Specialist Clinical Psychologist
Dr Sophie Sutherland
Specialist Clinical Psychologist
Dr Joanne Robinson
Specialist Forensic Psychologist
Jack Hewston
Specialist Group Worker
Bonnie Mafu
Assistant Psychologist
Kate Cudmore
Assistant Psychologist
Olivia Massey
Assistant Psychologist
Carrie John
Assistant Psychologist
Megan Bennett
Assistant Psychologist
Jade Pritchard
Senior Support Worker (Psychology)
Rhea Asfaw
Senior Support Worker (Psychology)
Amy Coop
Senior Support Worker (Psychology)
Kate Baxter
Senior Support Worker (Psychology)
Where We Work
The Forensic Psychological Service works across multiple localities across the Trust, both for inpatients and Service Users in the Community, these include: -
- The Hatherton Centre – Medium Secure Inpatient Service, Stafford
- Ellesmere House - Low Secure Inpatient Learning Disability Service, Stafford
- The Redwoods Centre - Low Secure Inpatient Service, Shrewsbury
- The Forensic Intensive Recovery and Support Team (FIRST) - community mental health service for those who are discharged from forensic services
- Community Offender Personality Disorder Services in West Mercia, Staffordshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire
- Staffordshire Community Sentence Treatment Requirement
- There are also two multidisciplinary Forensic Liaison Schemes (serving Wolverhampton and Shropshire)
Assessment and Formulation
Assessment
What do we assess?
All service users in our inpatient services will have a psychological assessment completed within the first 12 weeks of their admission. The assessment is a collaborative process. The purpose of this is to assess the service user’s circumstances and needs in relation to both their mental/emotional health and behaviour.
The initial assessment may identify areas where further specialist assessment is required. For example, in relation to mental and emotional health difficulties, personality, cognitive functioning, social functioning and behavioural difficulties.
Risk assessments are completed to ensure that service users and those around them are kept safe. The assessments completed will depend on the service users individual needs and will be reviewed and updated as required. The risk assessments can cover all areas of risk, including risk of harm to others, risk to self and risk of harm from others and will be used to inform risk management plans.
What can assessments involve?
- Interviews with service users
- Reviewing documentary information
- Information gathered from family, carers and staff teams
- Questionnaires
- Task based assessments
Formulation
The assessments completed will inform a psychological formulation. A formulation is a way of making sense of a person’s difficulties and how these difficulties have developed. A formulation is useful for both the service user and those working with them. It also considers the service user's strengths and protective factors.
Formulations are completed collaboratively with service users and inform treatment planning. Formulations can change over time and are therefore updated as required.
Psychological Interventions
The Forensic Psychological Service offers a range of psychological interventions that are delivered on a group or individual basis depending on the specific needs of the service user.
These include:
- Social and Emotional Skills
- Mindfulness and Relaxation Skills
- Coping Skills
- Assertiveness
- Hearing Voices
- Interpersonal Awareness
- Problem Solving
- Collaborative Safety Planning
- Self-Esteem
- Introduction to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
- Mental Health Awareness
- Stress Management
- Problematic Substance Use
- Men’s Trauma Recovery and Empowerment Model Programme
- Specific Offence and Risk Related Programmes
- Reasoning and Rehabilitation 2
- Violence Reduction Treatment Programme
Members of our team are trained in a number of therapeutic approaches, such as:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
- Cognitive Analytic Therapy
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Mentalisation Based Therapy
- Compassion Focussed Therapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Professional Bodies
Professional Bodies
All qualified Applied Psychologists are registered with and regulated by The Health & Care Professions Council.
There are a variety of other professional bodies that Psychologists and Psychological Practitioners may be members of, such as the British Psychological Society (including the Division of Clinical Psychology and/or the Division of Forensic Psychology.
Forensic Mental Health Contact Details
The Hatherton Centre
St George's Hospital
Corporation Street
Stafford
Staffordshire
ST16 3SR