Expert Psychological Services and their associates provide medicolegal assessments across the UK. Expert Psychological Services are based in East Sussex and provide a nationwide service.
Expert Psychological Services and their associates ensure they engage in defensible and ethical practice, and have a strong commitment to Continuing Professional Development.
We also recognise the importance of sensitivity relating to information and are registered under the Data Protection Act with the Information Commissioners Office.
Associates of Expert Psychological Services are qualified and experienced Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) Registered Psychologists, or supervised by Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) Registered Psychologists.
Our Services
Expert Psychological Services and their associates provide a range of psychological assessment services including the provision of expert witness services and medicolegal reports to solicitors and their clients for the Criminal Courts, Prison Law and Family Law proceedings, in Asylum and Immigration Law and the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Lisa Davies has been a Chartered and Registered Forensic Psychologist since 2004, gaining Consultant status in 2011.
Lisa Davies has been working full time in private practice since 2012, having worked in prisons and secure hospitals.
Ms. Davies has worked in low, medium and secure psychiatric services. She was the treatment manager for a violent treatment programme when working for HM Prison Service and has over twenty years of clinical experience of assessing risk of reoffending and the mental health and treatment needs in offenders.
Ms. Davies has developed specialism in the assessment of risk in individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions and in the assessment of risk in victims of human trafficking and modern slavery.
Ms. Davies is a trained Dialectical Behaviour Therapist and is associated with Phoenix Therapy Practice CIC in Hove, East Sussex and a founding member of DBT Sussex.
Our Team
Lisa Davies
Director, Consultant Forensic Psychologist
Ms. Davies is a Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) Registered Forensic Psychologist and the Director of Expert Psychological Services Ltd. Ms. Davies obtained her undergraduate degree (an upper second-class honours in Cognitive Science) from The University of Westminster in 1995. She obtained a Masters Degree in Forensic Psychology in 1999. Ms. Davies has previously worked for HM Prison Service providing psychological assessments and treatment to Determinate and Indeterminate Sentenced Prisoners and has experience of working within secure settings with individuals detained under the Mental Health Act.
Ms. Davies has over fourteen years of experience preparing reports and giving evidence in Asylum and Immigration Tribunals and have had written and verbal evidence accepted by the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal. Ms. Davies has considerable experience of assessing victims of trauma in the last twenty years and has over five years of experience assessing victims of trafficking. Ms. Davies is listed in the Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery Directory of Experts.
Ms. Davies is a full member of the British Psychological Society (BPS), registered as a Chartered Forensic Psychologist with The BPS and registered with, and listed in, the BPS Directory of Expert Witnesses. Ms. Davies is an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. She is registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council. Ms. Davies is registered as a Chartered Scientist with the Science Council. Ms. Davies acts in accordance with the professional and ethical guidelines of her governing bodies, the British Psychological Society and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Dr Laura West
Forensic Psychologist
Dr. Laura West is a Chartered and Registered Practitioner Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), specialising in Forensic Psychology; and an accredited member of the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy (BABCP). Dr. West has membership of the BPS Register of Qualifications in Test Use (RQTU) having qualified in forensic test use. Her qualifications consist of a Doctorate in Forensic Psychology, Master of Science degree in Forensic Psychology, undergraduate Bachelor of Science Degree, and a Diploma in Psychological Therapies (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy). Dr. West abides by the Code of Conduct set by her professional regulatory body, the HCPC.
Dr Anna Preston
Clinical & Forensic Psychologist
Dr. Anna Preston is a Clinical HCPC Registered Psychologist, and Chartered Consultant Clinical Psychologist, also registered with the British Psychological Society. Dr. Preston is an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. She obtained her Undergraduate Psychology (Hons) degree in 2003, and Clinical Psychology Doctorate in 2009. Dr. Preston is currently working full time in Private Practice, having previously worked within the NHS. Dr. Preston has experience of providing medico-legal reports to the Parole Board, Family Courts and Immigration Tribunals. Dr. Preston acts in accordance with the professional and ethical guidelines of her professional governing bodies; the BPS and the HCPC.
Jane Roberts
HCPC Registered Forensic Psychologist
Jane Roberts is a Forensic Psychologist with over 10 years of post-qualifying experience. She is registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), chartered with the British Psychological Society (BPS), is a full member of the Division of Forensic Psychology and is an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society.. She is also on the Register of Qualified Test Users (RQTU) and the Register of Applied Psychology Practice Supervisors (RAPPS).
Jane has experience of working in HM Prison Service, low and medium secure forensic inpatient services, and community settings, including working within immigration law. As such, she has expertise in working with people with a range of offences and a variety of mental health presentations. She has had several years’ experience of working as an expert witness at Parole Board hearings.
In addition to working in private practice, Jane is currently working as a Consultant Forensic Psychologist in a secure inpatient service where she leads a Psychology and Psychological Therapies team, provides assessments and therapies for service users, and consultancy to other professionals. Jane also provides training, most recently in the HCR-20. She particularly promotes service user involvement and co-production.
Jane is trained and experienced in a wide range of psychological assessments and tests, both with a forensic focus and with a mental health focus.
Jane has particular interests in people who attract a diagnosis of personality disorder, and is interested in third wave CBT approaches in particular schema therapy and DBT. She values a strengths-based and collaborative approach.
Amit Jotangia
Forensic Psychologist
Mr. Amit Jotangia is a Registered Practitioner Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), specialising in Forensic Psychology; a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society (BPS); and a full member of the Division of Forensic Psychology (DFP). He has been working in forensic settings since 2004, and during that period he has worked in court, prison, probation, and secure hospital settings. He has written risk assessments reports and presented them in formal settings including parole boards and mental health tribunals. He is experienced in the use of structured professional judgment tools assessing the risk of violence and other risk behaviours. He also has experience of providing interventions to offenders in prison, hospital, and probation settings. This includes high intensity interventions such as Dialectical Behavioural Therapy and Mentalisation Based Therapy. He is currently employed as the Head of Psychology in a private forensic mental health setting. Mr. Jotangia acts in accordance with the professional and ethical guidelines of his governing bodies, the British Psychological Society and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Dr. Jack Hollingdale
Clinical Psychologist,
Neurodevelopmental Specialist
Dr. Jack Hollingdale is a HCPC Registered Clinical Psychologist, currently a Senior Clinical Psychologist and Director of Compass Psychological Services, working full time in private practice with a specialism in neurodevelopmental conditions. Until July 2020 Dr. Hollingdale was employed full time by the Michael Rutter Centre. The Michael Rutter Centre is a Tier 4 National and Specialist Service for Complex Autism & Associated Neurodevelopmental Disorders (SCAAND). Dr. Hollingdale is experienced in the administration and interpretation of structured risk assessment as well as being experienced in the assessment of autism, ADHD/ADD and other neurodevelopmental conditions.
Emma Woodhouse
Neurodevelopmental Specialist
Ms. Emma Woodhouse is a Neurodevelopmental Specialist who has worked at The Maudsley Adult Outpatient ASC/ADHD service, The National Autism (inpatient) Unit at The Bethlem Hospital and The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London. She is an experienced trainer in the ADOS-2 and ADI-R and has completed over 1,000 ADOS-2 and ADI-R assessments, which includes high profile medico-legal work. Ms. Woodhouse is listed in The National Autistic Society's Autism Services Directory.
Hannah Hayward
Neurodevelopmental Specialist
Ms. Hayward is a neurodevelopmental specialist, currently employed by the Institute of Psychiatry, London. Ms. Hayward has extensive experience of assessing for autism and has undertaken assessments in forensic settings. Ms. Hayward is currently undertaking a PhD in Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science Research at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London exploring Sex differences in the autism profile focusing on social cognition and the clinical phenotype.
Professor Clare Allely
Professor of Forensic Psychology
Dr Allely is a Reader (Associate Professor) in Forensic Psychology at the University of Salford in Manchester, England. Dr. Allely holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Manchester and previously graduated with an MA (hons.) in Psychology from the University of Glasgow, an MRes in Psychological Research Methods from the University of Strathclyde and an MSc in Forensic Psychology from Glasgow Caledonian University. Dr. Allely is an Honorary Research Fellow in the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences affiliated to the Institute of Health and Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow. Dr. Allely is an affiliate member of the Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre at Gothenburg University, Sweden. Dr. Allely is a Chartered Member of the British Psychological Society and an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. Dr. Allely is an Associate of the Centre for Youth and Criminal Justice (CYCJ) at the University of Strathclyde.
Dr. John Cordwell
BPS Chartered Forensic Psychologist &
HCPC Registered Practitioner Psychologist
CV available upon request
Dr. Vicky Hoggard
Clinical Psychologist &
HCPC Registered Psychologist
CV available upon request
Rosalie Schulz
HCPC Registered and BPS Chartered Forensic Psychologist
Rosalie Schulz BSc, Grad Dip, MSc, CPsychol, AFBPsS
HCPC Registered and BPS chartered Forensic Psychologist
Rosalie is a HCPC Registered Psychologist and BPS Chartered Forensic Psychologist with over 18 years experience of working for Psychological Services within HM Prison Services. Ms. Schulz provides expert witness reports for the Parole Board and Asylum and Immigration Tribunals. she is experienced in the assessment of risk of reoffending. Ms. Schulz is experienced in completing psychological assessments and giving evidence at oral hearings. She has received training in a diverse range of professional risk assessments tools including violence, sexual violence, stalking, protective factors, suicide and self injury, intimate partner violence etc Ms. Schulz has experience completing psychological risk assessments on offenders that have a complex presentation and needs, for example, personality disorder, psychopathy, learning difficulties, intellectual impairment, autism and ADHD.
- Qualification in Forensic Psychology (Stage 2, BPS) (2018).
- MSc Forensic Psychology, Surrey University, United Kingdom (September 2003 – August 2004).
- Graduate Diploma in Psychology, University of Westminster, United Kingdom (January 2002 – January 2003).
- Introduction to Psychology, Open University, United Kingdom (July 2001).
- Graduate Diploma in Paediatric Nursing, University of Technology, NSW, Sydney, Australia (April 1998).
- Bachelor of Nursing, University of Technology, NSW, Sydney, Australia (April 1995)
Sosa Henkoma
Expert By Experience, Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery.
Sosa provides training on Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery with and on behalf of Expert Psychological Services. Sosa draws on his own personal experience of child criminal exploitation to provide expertise and guidance to a range of anti-trafficking services and organisations. He is a Lived Experience Advisory Panel Consultant for the Human Trafficking Foundation. He designs and delivers impactful training on Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery, bringing his lived experience to help improve understanding, attitudes and services. He consults on policy and guidance to critically identify the gaps, challenges and opportunities for progress in the current response to child criminal exploitation, such as the Birmingham City Council Pre-NRM Casework Toolkit and of the Human Trafficking Foundation report entitled ‘Child Criminal Exploitation and the Need for Consistency. He is also currently working with Dignifi delivering trauma recovery and positive relationship training to local probation and YOT services in Manchester and supports young people at Unique Talent as a youth mentor.
What We do
Medicolegal Reports
- Immigration
- Courts
- Parole Board
- Neurodevelopmental Assessments (Autism and ADHD)
- Trauma Assessments
- Assessment of Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery
- Risk Assessment
- Psychological Assessments
- Cognitive and Memory Assessments
EPS provide expert witness psychological assessment reports that may be used in:
- Prison Law
- Criminal Law
- Immigration Law
- Mental Health Law
- Family Law
- Disclosure and Barring Service – Appeals
EPS provide evidence based expert witness reports nationwide, predominantly with Legal Aid Authority (LAA) funding but also for privately funded cases (with instructions from the legal representative). Fees charged are determined by rates set by the LAA.
When making a referral you will receive a full estimate of costs, including a breakdown of professional time, travel time, mileage, and expenses for overnight stays if applicable.
Timescales for completion are discussed in advance and the referrer is kept informed regarding progress.
EPS also provide ongoing consultancy regarding cases prior to and following completion of an assessment.
All assessment reports are evidence based, quality assured, and peer reviewed.
Common types of assessments requested, and assessment tools used are detailed below:
Violence Risk – HCR-20V3, SAVRY, FAM
Sexual Violence – RM2000, RSVP, SVR-20V2,
Intimate Partner Violence – SARAV3, B-SAFER
Violent Extremism – VERA-2R
Stalking – SAM
Psychopathy – PCL-R, CAPP
Personality Disorder – IPDE, PAI
Cognitive Ability – WAIS-IV, WMS, MMSE, TOMM
Adaptive Functioning – ABAS, Vineland
Executive Functioning – Hayling and Brixton
Adult ADHD –DIVA-5, ACE+
Autism Spectrum Conditions – ADOS-2, ADI-R, SRS-2, SCQ
Trauma / Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Complex PTSD – TSI, DAPS, CAPS
Emotional wellbeing – Beck Inventories, GAD-7, PHQ-9
Suicide Risk
Malingering
Anger
Protective Factors – SAPROF
Risk of Reoffending – LS-CMI, IORNS
Assessment of Fire Setting Risk
EPS specialise in prison law, and have significant experience in assessing determinate and indeterminate sentenced prisoners providing an opinion on their risk of reoffending, risk of serious harm, suitability for progression, treatment need and suitability for accredited interventions. EPS and their associates also undertake a wide range of psychological assessments to assist with treatment planning and sentence plans, and assessments of suitability for interventions.
EPS and their associates also have considerable experience in immigration law cases providing an opinion on the client’s risk of reoffending and risk of serious harm, and the potential impact of removal from the UK. EPS and their associates assess individuals both in the UK and following removal from the UK. EPS and their associates adhere to British Psychological Society guidelines for working with interpreters in health settings.
Therapy, Training, Consultancy and Supervision
EPS provide clinical supervision to qualified and in-training psychologists, healthcare professionals and individuals working within the Criminal Justice System.
HCPC Registered Forensic Psychologists on the Register of Applied Psychology Practice Supervisors (RAPPS) provide supervision to in-training psychologists working towards being chartered and the British Psychological Society Diploma in Forensic Psychology.
- Working with Individuals with Personality Disorder
- DBT informed interventions
- Trafficking and Modern Slavery – Psychological Trauma
- Autism and Risk in Forensic Contexts
- Autism and Psychopathy – Differential Diagnosis