The Forensic Directorate 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, Forensic and Counselling Psychologists, Specialist Practitioners, Trainee Clinical Associates in Psychology, Assistant Psychologists, Senior Support Workers in 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 and community forensic services. The team also support Forensic Liaison schemes in Wolverhampton and Shropshire.

Dr Chris Davis

Professional Lead for the Forensic Directorate Psychological Service

Consultant Clinical Psychologist

Dr Natalie Southall

Principal Clinical Psychologist

Dr Anna Griffiths

Principal Forensic Psychologist

Dr Susan Ruggeri

Senior Counselling Psychologist

Dr Victoria Pointon

Senior Forensic Psychologist

Karen Stewart

Senior Forensic Psychologist

 

Dr Jagjit Sandhu

Senior Forensic Psychologist

Richard Crisp

Forensic Psychologist

Dr Rebecca Shinton

Clinical Psychologist

Dr Alan Waite

Principal Counselling Psychologist

Jack Hewston

Specialist Group Worker

Charlotte Wood

Trainee Clinical Associate in Psychology

Hannah Wardall

Trainee Clinical Associate in Psychology

Rebekah Mackriel

Assistant Psychologist

James Potts

Assistant Psychologist

Nathan Da Cruz

Assistant Psychologist

Kia Johnson

Assistant Psychologist

Charlotte Smith

Assistant Psychologist

Ellie Tovey

Assistant Psychologist

Sophie Hurst

Assistant Psychologist

 

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The Forensic Psychological Service works across multiple localities across the Trust, both for inpatients and Service Users in the Community, these include:

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 user’s 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

· Life Minus Violence (Enhanced) 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

· Schema Therapy

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).


Back to Forensic Mental Health

Forensic Mental Health Contact Details

The Hatherton Centre


St George's Hospital,
Corporation Street,
Stafford,
Staffordshire,
ST16 3SR