Services
Expert witness work
Typical assessments include, but are not limited to, adults presenting with:
- Addiction
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Autism
- Cognitive functioning
- Mental health conditions
- Trauma including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and complex trauma
- Offending and risk, including violence and contact/ non-contact sexual offending
- Parenting and attachment style
- Personality traits that lead to risk and contribute to difficulties
Focus of reports often include:
- Diagnosis and formulation
- Structured risk assessment and suitability on prison release or progression
- Treatment need and risk management recommendations
- Fitness to plead
- Culpability
- Compliance and suggestibility
- Psychological therapy recommendations
- Risk management recommendations
Typically requests for expert witness reports come from legal representatives in criminal, prison and family law, probation services, specialist NHS services and individuals (via their legal representatives). The context tends to be the provision of evidence in Court, Parole Board hearings or tribunals. We accept Legal Aid and privately funded instructions referred via a solicitor.
Assessment & formulation
KVG Psychology offers psychological assessments for personal development and to support people to get unstuck from familiar yet problematic life-patterns. An in-depth interview is held as a conversation to better understand emotional wellbeing and interpersonal dynamics. Such specialist assessments are available to anyone.
Following an assessment, a formulation is provided. This is a psychological understanding of a person’s unique strengths, challenges and interpersonal patterns that have led to emotional difficulties such as stress, anger, PTSD, addiction, depression and/ or anxiety. Developing a formulation is a collaborative process, seeking to connect the individual’s experience with emotions, behaviours, physiological responses and personality traits.
At the end of the assessment and formulation sessions, which typically involve up to four one hour sessions, KVG Psychology will provide a confidential report written in a professional manner sensitised to the individual.
Assessments of autism, ADHD or intellectual functioning
KVG Psychology offers in depth diagnostic assessment reports on autism, ADHD and intellectual functioning. These neurodevelopmental conditions can impact on the individual’s ability to engage with mainstream education or occupational settings; or in the context of criminal justice, comply with the prison regime or community orders and license conditions. Assessments lead to tailored recommendations, highlighting reasonable adjustments for the educational setting, the workplace or other community/ institutional settings. Further consultations and reviews can be included.
Clinical supervision, reflective practice and consultation
“The way we experience the world around us is a direct reflection of the world within us.” G. Bernstein.
Clinical supervision
KVG Psychology offers clinical supervision to qualified psychologists, psychology trainees, assistant psychologists and other professions in mental health, criminal justice and the field of addiction. KVG Psychology encourages the supervisee to augment their own authentic therapeutic style and explore their barriers to progress. Supervision style is shaped by psychological models and therapies including:
- Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
- Mentalisation Based Therapy
- Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
- Schema Therapy
- Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR)
Reflective practice
KVG Psychology offers reflective practice to individuals and teams. Our experience is within NHS, prison, probation and voluntary sector services but we are available to facilitate this in almost any occupational setting. Reflective practice:
- Enables teams to continually improve the quality of care they provide
- Fosters an open and compassionate culture where individuals thrive
- Develops the individual’s and organisation’s capacity to think creatively about problem solving and challenges in the work place that ordinarily can lead to burn-out, conflict, avoidance and staff attrition
- Improves connection and acts as the anti-thesis to impasse, vicarious trauma and fatigue
- Removes barriers to learning and development
Consultation
KVG Psychology offers specialised consultations to individuals, teams and organisations. The aim of these consultations is to move beyond impasse, using psychological theories to increase understanding of the complexities inherent in the management and support of care, resettlement and risk.
Whilst complex trauma may be rooted in the individual’s life story, the effects of trauma can seep in to staff and organisations, initially unnoticed, and undermine attempts to help or intervene. Symptoms surface as splits in the team and high levels of staff stress and burn out, alongside subconscious re-enactments where some adopt the role of victim whilst others seek retribution. This is highly complex work.
KVG Psychology has a wealth of experience working within systems, including probation, prison, mental health, social care and housing, where despite resources and good intentions collaboration and ‘solution mindsets’ are undermined. An independent and impartial consultation can help redirect efforts and energies back to the source, foster a common understanding of the complexity without judgement or blame, and re-focus on priorities with a greater sense of togetherness and hope.
Consultations are flexible and adaptable to the unique needs of each organisation.
