I am a BPS Chartered and HCPC Registered Forensic Psychologist, having worked in the field of psychology for 20+ years.

Aside from my professional career as a psychologist, I am a mother of 2 amazing children. Through my parenting journey, I have lived experience of trauma, complex behavioural, medical and neurodivergent needs. This means I know just how important it is to get the right support, at the right time, from the right person, for you or your loved one.

My experience of EMDR therapy is a good example of the kind of support that has really helped me – so much so that I later trained to become qualified to provide EMDR therapy to my own clients. For more details of my journey – follow this link to a blog I have recently written for Affinity Hub. EMDR blog

In my private practice I complete regular expert witness work, providing comprehensive and robust psychological risk assessments, in addition to giving oral evidence as an expert witness. I provide regular therapy for self-funded clients online and face to face in Ashford, Kent, in addition to providing face to face therapy as a Priory Health Professional, at the Priory Well-Being Clinic in Canterbury, Kent. I also maintain work within the field of academia, as a visiting lecturer, on an ad hoc basis, for a University Master’s Course in Forensic Psychology, in addition to being an academic supervisor on a regular basis, for Forensic Psychologists in Training, studying at Cardiff Metropolitan University.

Prior to setting up my private practice, I worked in a Category B male prison as a registered and chartered psychologist for 5 years, with 3 of these years holding a Senior Psychologist post. This provided me with valuable experience in forensic risk assessments, including general violence and intimate partner violence, sexual offending, extremism and fire setting. I also held oversight of key business strands within the psychology department, such as clinical oversight of the Reintegration and Segregation Unit, as well as line management and supervision responsibility for a number of trainee psychologists.

Before I qualified, I worked as a trainee forensic psychologist for 6 years and assistant psychologist for 2 years within an adolescent secure unit, as part of a multi-disciplinary team. During my time at the secure unit I held responsibility for triaging and directing resources for specialist intervention. I also held a regular therapeutic case load, facilitating bespoke individual therapy, in addition to group interventions, covering areas of need, such as anger, aggression and violence, bereavement, low mood, trauma, anxiety and coping strategies such as substance abuse and deliberate self-injury, as well as offending behaviours, such as sexually harmful behaviour and fire setting. I also developed bespoke training packages and facilitated regular training for non-psychological staff throughout my time at the secure unit, making psychological concepts relevant, accessible and interesting for other professionals.

Louisa has been a registered and chartered psychologist since 2015. Prior to qualifying, she worked as a psychology assistant and trainee forensic psychologist for just under 10 years.

Throughout her career, Louisa has gained many years of experience in psychological therapies, models, theories and approaches. This allows her to utilise an integrative treatment style, which means that rather than relying on one method, she is able to draw on various evidence-based psychological models and approaches.

Louisa’s aim is to help clients explore and build upon their understanding of how their difficulties emerged, what is maintaining these difficulties, and work with them to develop alternative coping strategies that make sense to them. Louisa’s work is formulation-driven, meaning that she will develop a psychological understanding of your difficulties with you, which ensures that your therapy is personalised to you.

Louisa specialises in working with the impacts of trauma, including problematic coping behaviours that may be causing people difficulties, such as deliberate self-injury, substance abuse, aggression and violence. Louisa has helped many young people and adults explore how past trauma, unhealthy relationship styles and/or personality difficulties may link to problematic thinking styles and unhelpful safety / coping behaviours, that negatively impacted their ability to function at home, school, work and within relationships. Louisa also has experience of supporting clients with bereavement and loss, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (CPTSD), including dissociation.

Louisa’s therapeutic style is down-to-earth, open and genuine. She is dedicated to creating a warm, collaborate space. Louisa is experienced in working with complex presentations and prides herself on her ability to provide a sense of containment, safety and support to her clients. She values collaboration and will work alongside you at a pace that suits you, to support autonomy in your therapy journey.

“Whether I am completing an assessment or ongoing therapy, I prioritise a responsive, non-judgemental and neuro affirming approach to client relationships. I value collaboration and aim to help people develop a sense of autonomy, whilst recognising the need for safety and containment within a therapeutic dynamic. My aim is to help people explore and build upon their understanding of how their difficulties emerged, what is maintaining these difficulties, and work with them to develop alternative coping strategies, that make sense to them“. 

“Over the years I have received training in a number of psychological assessment tools, models, theories and approaches. For example, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Attachment Theory, Good Lives Model, Polyvagal Theory, Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) and Trauma Informed approaches, such as Narrative Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR) and Cognitive Processing Therapy. This allows me to utilise an integrative treatment style, which means that rather than relying on one method, I am able to draw upon a number of different psychological approaches, ensuring the therapy style is a good fit for the person”

Chartered status with the British Psychological Society: 246880

Registered status with the Health and Care Professions Council: PYL32064

Qualification in Forensic Psychology (stage 2) The British Psychological Society Doctoral level qualification

MSc in Forensic Psychology (distinction) – University of Kent

BSc in Psychology (hons) – University of Kent

Enhanced level DBS checked to work with both children and adults

• Depression
• Anxiety 
• Anger
• Grief and Loss
• Low Self Esteem or Low Confidence
• Assertiveness Difficulties 
• Relationships and Family Differences
• Trauma-Related Issues Including Sexual, Physical and Emotional Abuse and Neglect
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Complex Post Traumatic Stress, Including Dissociation
• Personality Disorders
• Deliberate Self Injury, Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviours
• Addiction Difficulties
• Identity Difficulties
• Offending Behaviours such as, General Violence, Interpersonal Violence, Sexually Inappropriate Behaviour, Extremism and Fire Setting