Forensic Psychological Services

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)

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

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.     

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

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.