Psychological Assessment
Oxford Forensic Psychology offers a range of psychological assessment services, including the provision of expert witness services to solicitors and their clients. We work with solicitors practicing within Criminal and Prison Law, Mental Health Law, and within Asylum and Immigration Law.
Alongside this we also offer a collaborative and bespoke assessment, treatment planning and treatment services with individual clients to help them to understand their treatment needs and possible treatment pathways.
A psychological assessment can often take place within a single assessment session, but can often take more than one appointment. These assessments aim to explore a psychological formulation to the individuals’ needs, and will often include clients being asked to complete a number of standardised psychometric questionnaires which aid in understanding their psychological difficulties.Through an assessment process our Psychologists will help to identify an individual’s emotional and cognitive understanding of themselves and the world to develop a formulation-led pathway of their distressing or problematic behaviours, for example offending thoughts / behaviours.
Although we can often help to understand potential future risks and needs that can act as factors underpinning future problematic thoughts and emotions, our psychological assessments are always responsive, needs-led and future orientated. We believe it is imperative to take a strength-based approach to understanding any potential likelihood of further offending or risk of harm, and we always aim to provide recommendations relating to suitable treatment pathways or risk management strategies.
Oxford Forensic Psychology offers bespoke psychological assessments based upon individual client needs, and may include assessments of;
- Personality and interpersonal difficulties, e.g. IPDE
- Assessment of psychopathy, e.g. PCL-R
- Assessment of psychological functioning and mental health needs, e.g. depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety and trauma-related issues
- Cognitive Functioning, e.g. WAIS-IV and WMS-IV
- Violence Risk, e.g. HCR20 V3
- Sexual Offending Risk and Need, e.g. RM2000, RSVP, SVR-20, SARN-R
- Domestic Violence Risk Assessment, e.g. SARA
- Assessment of substance abuse and dependence in a forensic context
Examples of recent assessment include;
- Assessment of suitability for treatment, e.g. risk, need and responsivity
- Risk management, e.g.sentencing recommendations, Parole Board Review and
Re-categorisation Hearings - Fitness to plead/stand trial, e.g. assessment of capacity to participate in proceedings
- Assessment of anger traits and anger management skills within domestic settings
Oxford Forensic Psychology has a growing number of Associates. Our Psychologists are either British Psychological Society Registered Forensic or Clinical Psychologists as well as being registered Practitioner Psychologists with the Health and Care Professions Council. We have an established and extensive experience in Criminal Justice, Mental Health and Immigration settings, as well as within Parole Board Review Hearings and Category A Review Hearings. We provide a high quality, reliable and efficient service and promise to deliver well structured, evidence based clinical practice that adhere to professional and ethical guidelines.
