Child & Family Psychology

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Dr Mari Aldridge

Dr Mari Aldridge is a Chartered Clinical and Forensic Psychologist. She provides expert witness testimony to the Courts for public and private family proceedings. She has extensive experience in undertaking parenting assessments and psychological assessments, which include assessments of personality functioning, cognitive assessments, risk assessment (including domestic violence, general violence, psychopathy and personality disorder) and capacity to protect. Dr Aldridge has previously worked for the Prison Service and in a residential assessment centre, undertaking parenting capacity assessment, including the impact of substance misuse, mental health problems, non-accidental injury, emotional abuse and neglect, and physical abuse along with attachment assessments. Dr Aldridge provides therapy drawing on a wide range of psychological theories, including CBT and EMDR to address trauma.

Dr Arabella Bowen

Dr Arabella Bowen is a Chartered Counselling Psychologist. Arabella offers expert witness assessments for court, parenting assessments, attachment assessments, mental health assessments and personal injury assessments. Arabella has expertise in working with children and young people who have experienced abuse, and has previously worked in specialist residential adolescent services and mother and baby assessment settings. She specialises in working with severe and long standing mental health difficulties, personality difficulties, difficult family dynamics and the psychological consequences of abuse and trauma. Arabella has recently joined Psychology Associates,having spent 10 years working clinically within community and inpatient NHS mental health teams. Arabella has maintained her expertise in individual, couple and family therapy through private practice since 2003 and provides individually tailored interventions drawing on models of CBT, narrative, systemic and psychodynamic practice. She provides supervision/consultation for psychologists in training and more experienced practitioners.

Dr Emily Brooks

Dr Emily Brooks provides psychological assessments and psychological therapy for adolescents and adults. Assessments provided include expert witness assessments for Court, parenting assessments, mental health assessments and personal injury assessments. Emily worked for a number of years in the NHS in adult mental health and early intervention in psychosis services. She specialises in working with severe and long standing mental health difficulties, personality difficulties, and the psychological consequences of abuse and trauma. Emily has worked with Psychology Associates since 2008 and has recently joined the practice full time.

Dr Sue Candy

Dr Sue Candy is the founder and Managing Director of Psychology Associates. Sue provides expert witness testimony to the Courts. She specialises in assessments of parenting capacity and attachment. She previously worked for many years in the National Health Service providing therapy, assessment and research in obstetrics and gynaecology, learning disability, mental health and parenting. Sue has extensive experience of providing expert psychological evidence to the Courts. She will accept referrals in childcare proceedings, fitness to plead or capacity assessments and complex personal injury cases. She provides training to other professionals in Court report writing and skills. She has an interest in training Clinical Psychologists and was formerly Admissions and Examinations Tutor at Plymouth University on the South West Clinical Psychology Training Scheme. She offers supervision to other psychologists working within Psychology Associates.

Dr Alison Carr

Dr Alison Carr offers expert witness assessments for court, parenting assessments, mental health assessments and personal injury assessments. Alison has worked in mental health services within the NHS for 11 years. She has worked predominantly within adult mental health services, and has a long-standing interest in family assessment and therapy. She has previously worked in specialist Mother and Baby services and with vulnerable women and their children, assessing complex issues of mental health, substance abuse, domestic violence and capacity to parent. Alison has maintained her expertise in individual and family psychotherapy through private practice since 2007 and she has been linked with Psychology Associates since 2009.

Dr Madeleine Dunham

Madeleine Dunham has 25 years experience in the assessment and treatment of children, adolescents and their families in the NHS and is now in full time independent practice. She provides reports for the Courts in public and private childcare disputes and personal injury, specialising in assessment of parents attributes and parenting abilities, children’s needs, attachment issues, domestic abuse, substance misuse, learning difficulties and mental health issues. She has been providing reports to the Courts for over 20 years and has given evidence in Court on numerous occasions. She also maintains a family therapeutic practice and works with collaborative lawyers in relation to divorce and contact.

Dr Eliza Harris

Eliza Harris provides psycho-legal assessments for civil, criminal and family court proceedings. She has extensive experience in the assessment of risk for violence, sexual offending (against both children and adults) and arson.  Eliza utilizes a wide range of structured, empirically-based clinical judgment tools and psychometrics within her practice.  She is also trained and experienced in the assessment of cognitive functioning and personality disorder, including psychopathy.  Eliza also provides cognitive behavioural interventions (e.g. stress/anxiety management, anger management, relationship skills, relapse prevention), and is currently expanding into coaching psychology with both individuals and organizations.  Eliza has previously worked for 16 years in HM Prison Service and is an appointed member of the Parole Board for England and Wales. 

Dr Dionne Joseph

I am a experienced Clinical Psychologist and I work with both adults and children.  I am particularly skilled in working with families of African and African-Caribbean background. I have good understanding and experience of different cultural practices in respect of child-rearing beliefs and customs, the impact of different spiritual belief systems and how parental attitudes expectations and behaviour may differ from Western European norms. 

I have worked extensively with refugees and asylum-seekers in respect of assessing functioning and psychological trauma (eg when individuals are from war-torn countries) and in cases where residency status is disputed. I have specialist training in working through interpreters. I am also able to conduct assessments of cognitive functioning where the individual speaks no English.

I am a Certified Expert Witness. I am experienced in giving evidence in Court.  I am reliable and work quickly and efficiently.  I keep an up-to-date and comprehensive library of psychometric assessment tools.

I have prepared more than 170 reports for the family courts.

Dr Louise Nokes

Dr Louise Nokes provides psychological assessments of working age adults and children, assessments of capacity to parent and assessment of the nature and quality of attachment relationships.  She also provides assessments of psychological status for a range of expert witness reports.  Louise provides trauma based psychological therapy including EMDR and has a special interest in therapy underpinned by attachment theory for parents struggling with their own attachment trauma.  Louise has worked for Psychology Associates for the past 4 years. 

Dr Lucie Robinson

Lucie provides developmental and psychological assessments of children (0-18), parenting assessments, therapeutic work, consultation to children’s services and families.  Expert witness assessments and reports for courts are also provided.  Lucie has an expertise in working with children who are developmentally delayed and has worked within a Community Child Psychology Service for children with learning disabilities and their families for the past 5 years.  Lucie has recently joined Psychology Associates, having spent 6 years working clinically in NHS and Social Care Child and Family Services, and 2 years working clinically for Action for Children.

Dr Helen Rowe

Helen worked in children’s services for the NHS from 2001 to 2010, providing psychological assessment, therapy, training and consultation in child physical health and child mental health services. She now works in adult health psychology, and as an independent clinical psychologist carrying out psychological assessments of adults and children, developmental and cognitive assessments, parenting and attachment assessments, therapeutic work with children or adults, including expert witness work. Helen has special interests in parenting attachment, developmental difficulties, adults and children with long term health problems, and in infant mental health.

Dr Vicky Sutton

Dr Maxine Tostevin

Dr Maxine Tostevin is our Clinical Director for Child and Parenting Services.  Maxine provides developmental and psychological assessments of children (0-18), parenting assessments, attachment assessment, therapeutic work, and consultation to children’s services and families.  Expert witness assessments and reports for courts are regularly completed.  Maxine has an expertise in working with children who have experienced abuse and trauma.   She has worked within statutory Children in Care services for over 6 six years and has specialised in working with children and families over the last 12 years, since qualifying.

Dr Joanne Weston

Dr Joanne Weston

Dr Joanne Weston provides psychological assessment and therapy to adults. She has particular experience of working in adult mental health settings with people with emotional and mental health problems of varying severity. This includes anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress reactions, work-related difficulties, and adjustment to and managing health conditions. Her career includes working in primary care settings (e.g. GP surgeries) for three years, providing brief therapy for people with common emotional difficulties. Joanne uses a range of therapeutic approaches, including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Psychodynamic, Systemic and Brief Solution-Focused approaches. These are tailored to the client’s needs and drawn from the current research evidence base.

Dr Vicky Wheeler

Dr Vicky Wheeler is a Clinical Psychologist providing expert witness services to the courts in criminal, civil and family cases. Dr Wheeler is skilled at working with emotionally distressed children and families and can complete attachment and parenting assessments.  She has a special interest in paediatric psychology and has considerable experience in this area. Dr Wheeler also specialises in forensic cases, providing assessments of risk for violence and sexual offending, personality disorder, psychopathy, mental health difficulties and substance misuse. Dr Wheeler has worked extensively within the court system, providing written and verbal reports and participated regularly in multi-agency public protection arrangement panels.

Mrs Arabella Whitehead

Mrs Arabella Whitehead provides developmental and psychological assessments of children (0-18), full psychological assessment of adults, predominantly parents, including learning disability, autism, assessments of parenting and attachment, mental health and associated difficulties such as drug and alcohol problems, therapeutic work and consultation to children and adult/family services; additionally, she will undertake personal injury assessments.  Expert witness assessments and reports for Court are also provided.  Arabella's clinical experience spans 23 years of working in the NHS and she has been working with Psychology Associates since 2007.