Division of Forensic Psychology

We welcome nominations from or on behalf of Forensic Psychologists who have demonstrated excellence in forensic psychology practice.

Entry criteria

• Nominations can be made either by or on behalf of a psychologist who is or has been Forensic Psychologist practitioner
• The nominee must be a member of the Division of Forensic Psychology (DFP) and an HCPC registered psychologist
• The nominator should be a Member of the Division of Forensic Psychology.

Assessment criteria

We will be assessing the extent to which the nominee has demonstrated excellence in Forensic Psychology Practice against the following areas:

Context: Considerations of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and how the impact the work has made in this area.

Evidence base: Quality of gathered information (theoretical / methodological basis / stakeholders / practitioners / organisational data).

Impact: The extent to which their work has had an impact on individuals, organisations and stakeholders (for example contribution to learning and/or policy and practice).

Visibility: The extent to which their work illustrates the value of Forensic Psychology.

Each criteria will be rated on a scale from 1-7 and a minimum of 16 points must be achieved in order to receive the award.

If no submissions of sufficient merit are received, no award will be made.

Guidance for nominations

You will need the following information:

Nominee information

(Q1) Nominee name

(Q2) Nominee BPS number

(Q3) Nominee institution

Nominator information

(Q4) Nominator name

(Q5) Nominator institution

(Q6) Nominator contact email address

You will also be asked to provide information in relation to the following questions:

(Q7) Please provide a summary of the nominee's work (max 300 words)

(Q8) Please describe how the work was influenced by or has impacted upon issues of equality, diversity and inclusion. (max 300 words)

(Q9) Please provide details of how they have developed the evidence for their approach (including theoretical or research basis, methodology, ethics) and how this demonstrates excellence in practice (max 300 words)

(Q10) Please provide details of how they delivered the project (including overcoming challenges, innovative practice) (max 300 words)

(Q11) Please outline the impact on the work (for example benefits for clients, end users, contribution to individual and organisational learning etc.) and how this has been evaluated (max 300 words)

How to apply

Nominations will close on 31 January 2025 at midnight.

Submit a nomination

Judging process

Awards will be judged by a panel of Forensic Psychologists from the Division of Forensic Psychology Committee.

The Award

The winners of these awards will be invited to attend the DFP2025 conference and receive their award in person.

They will also receive a certificate for their achievement.

We would like to welcome nominations for exceptional research which has had a significant impact in the field of Forensic Psychology, for example further research, practice and policy.

Please note that applicants within five years of their Doctorate Level research should consider the Excellence in Forensic Psychology Practice/Research (Early Career) Award.

Entry criteria

Nominations can be made either by or on behalf of an academic psychologist who undertakes Forensic Psychology research.

• The nominee must be a member of the Division of Forensic Psychology. 
• The nominator can be anyone.

Assessment criteria

We will be assessing the extent to which the nominee has demonstrated excellence in Forensic Psychology research against the following areas:

People, culture and context: The extent to which the work includes considerations of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and how their impact the work has made an impact in this area.  Co-creation/co-produced work is included here as is the reach of the research; national, international, world leading etc.

Contribution to knowledge and understanding in forensic psychology: details of the approach, robust design, quality research and how the work has extended the boundaries of knowledge and /or practice in forensic psychology.

Engagement and impact: The consequences of the research to real life experiences of people connected with forensic psychology and the impact of the work (national, international, global impact). Each will be rated on a scale from 1-7 and a minimum of 16 points must be achieved in order to receive the award. If no submissions of sufficient merit are received, no award will be made.

Guidance for nominations

You will need the following information:

Nominee information

(Q1) Nominee name

(Q2) Nominee BPS number

(Q3) Nominee institution

Nominator information

(Q4) Nominator name

(Q5) Nominator institution

(Q6) Nominator contact email address

You will also be asked to provide information in relation to the following questions:

(Q7) Please provide an overview of the research undertaken (including scope, topics etc.) (max 300 words)

(Q8) Please provide details of the considerations of people, culture and context of the research; including considerations of co-creation, the context within which the research has been undertaken and considerations of applicability and generalisability along with the reach of the research in terms described above (max 500 words)

(Q9) Please provide details as to how the research had stretched the boundaries of forensic psychology knowledge or practice.  Include here also details about the rigour or robust design, quality and approach (max 500 words)

(Q10) Please provide details about the engagement and impact of this work to the real-life experiences of forensic psychology populations, practice or knowledge, including the range of impact (national, international, world-leading) (max 500 words)

How to apply

Nominations will close on 31 January 2025 at midnight.

Submit a nomination

Judging process

Awards will be judged by a panel of Forensic Psychologists from the Division of Forensic Psychology Committee.

The Award

The winners of these awards will be invited to attend the DFP2025 conference and receive their award in person.

They will also receive a certificate for their achievement.

The Excellence in Forensic Psychology - Early Career Award celebrates the work of those who have qualified more recently.

We welcome nominations from or on behalf of Forensic Psychologists who have demonstrated excellence in practice or research early within their career.

Early career in the context of this award means within 5 years of HCPC qualification or a PhD or equivalent if the award relates to research activity.

Entry criteria

Nominations can be made either by or on behalf of a Forensic Psychologist who has engaged in Forensic Psychology Practice or has undertaken Forensic Psychology research.

• The nominee must be a member of the Division of Forensic Psychology
• The nominator should be a Member of the BPS

Assessment criteria

We will be assessing the extent to which the nominee has demonstrated excellence in Forensic Psychology Practice or Research against the areas outlined below. As an early career award, it will be evaluated in this context.

Context: Considerations of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and how the impact the work has made in this area.

Impact: The extent to which their practice/ research has had an impact on individuals, organisations, policy or stakeholders.

Science: The extent to which this person has produced robust, quality forensic practice or research.

Visibility: The extent to which their practice illustrates the value of Forensic Psychology or the extent to which their research has been disseminated to those within the field and outside of this (for example publishing record, conference or public presentations).

Each will be rated on a scale from 1-7 and a minimum of 16 points must be achieved in order to receive the award.

If no submissions of sufficient merit are received, no award will be made.

Guidance for nominations

You will need the following information:

Nominee information

(Q1) Nominee name

(Q2) Nominee BPS membership number

(Q3) Nominee institution

Nominator information

(Q4) Nominator name

(Q5) Nominator institution

(Q6) Nominator contact email address

You will also be asked to provide information in relation to the following:

(Q7) Please provide a summary of the nominee's work (max 300 words)

(Q8) Please describe how the work was influenced by or has impacted upon issues of equality, diversity and inclusion (max 300 words)

(Q9) Please provide details of how they have developed the evidence for their approach (including theoretical or research basis, methodology, ethics) and how this demonstrates excellence in practice/ research (max 300 words)

(Q10) Please outline the impact on the work (for example benefits for clients, end users, contribution to individual and organisational learning etc.) and how this has been evaluated (max 300 words)

(Q11) Please provide a summary of the nominee's visibility in disseminating, influencing, and advancing the field of forensic psychology, as well as their efforts in making it accessible and useful to both professionals and the public (max 300 words)

How to apply

Nominations will close on 31 January 2025 at midnight.

Submit a nomination

Judging process

Awards will be judged by a panel of Forensic Psychologists from the Division of Forensic Psychology Committee.

The Award

The winners of these awards will be invited to attend the DFP2025 conference and receive their award in person.

They will also receive a certificate for their achievement.

We welcome nominations on behalf of Forensic Psychologists and academic psychologists who conduct Forensic Psychology research and who have made an outstanding and sustained contribution professionally?

This might be through work which has had a significant impact on the public, in developing our understanding of forensic psychology in work contexts or who has made? a substantial contribution to the Division.

Entry criteria

Nominations can only be made by DFP members. 

The nominee must:

• Be a member of The Division of Forensic Psychology (DFP)
• Have made a significant and profound impact in the field of forensic psychology
• Have TWO nominators - one of whom should be a Member of the DFP, the other a BPS Member 
• Broadening participation in Forensic Psychology
• Contributed to a change in government policy
• Contributed to a societal change
• Contributed to raising professional standards
• Raising the profile of Forensic Psychology
• Significant and substantial contribution to the understanding of an area of Forensic psychology research/practice.
• Significant contribution to the BPS in a leadership role (e.g. trustee or committee leadership)
• Significant contribution to the DFP in a leadership role

Assessment criteria

We will be assessing the extent to which the nominee has made an outstanding and sustained contribution professionally. They may have demonstrated leadership in professional Society roles or within an academic or practice setting. Their impact may have been within the profession or across society and in government.

The following are examples of contexts in which you may have made a substantial contribution. These are not intended to be exhaustive or restrictive.

Nominees will be assessed against the following criteria:

Competence: The extent to which this person's work ensured that new and existing members of the profession have the required skill sets to function effectively in their roles/ensured standards of practice of those using Forensic Psychology methods.

Employability: The extent to which this person has promoted opportunities for the employment of Forensic psychologists within diverse organisations.

Influence: The extent to which this person has impacted guidance and insight for policy makers, organisations, individuals, and stakeholders when making policy decisions that is informed by Forensic psychology.

Science: The extent to which this person has advanced knowledge or practice.

Visibility: The extent to which this person has increased the visibility of Forensic Psychology and raised public awareness of its contribution to society.

Each will be rated on a scale from 1-7 and a minimum of 20 points must be achieved in order to receive the award. If no submissions of sufficient merit are received, no award will be made.

Guidance for nominations

You will need the following information:

Nominee information

(Q1) Nominee name

(Q2) Nominee BPS number

(Q3) Please provide details on how the nominee/lead has achieved an advanced stage in their career or details if the nominee\lead has retired from such role (max 300 words)

Nominator 1 & 2 information

(Q4) Nominator name

(Q5) Nominator institution

(Q6) Nominator contact email address

You will also be asked to provide information in relation to the following questions:

(Q7) Please provide an overview of the contexts in which the nominee has made an outstanding contribution (max 300 words)

(Q8) Please provide details of what was done/achieved to make an outstanding contribution (max 300 words)

(Q9) Please provide an explanation of the impact of the work (max 300 words)

(Q10) Please provide a summary of how the nominee has increased the visibility of Forensic Psychology and raised public awareness of its contribution to society (max 300 words)

How to apply

Nominations will close on 31 January 2025 at midnight.

Submit a nomination

Judging process

Awards will be judged by a panel of Forensic Psychologists from the Division of Forensic Psychology Committee.

The Award

The winners of these awards will be invited to attend the DFP2025 conference and receive their award in person. 

They will also receive a certificate for their achievement.

The Student Prize for Excellence in Forensic Psychology recognises postgraduate and doctoral level projects that have made a valuable contribution and / or potential real world impact to the field of Forensic Psychology.

Entry criteria

Nominations can be made either by or on behalf of an individual engaging in research as part of their postgraduate level study.  

The nominee must:

1. Be a member of Division of Forensic Psychology (DFP) and 
2. Be on a BPS or HCPC accredited course
3. Be registered at a UK institution on a postgraduate course related to Forensic Psychology (including a Stage 2 accredited course) or have graduated within the last two years

The nominator can be anyone who knows the student's work well.

Assessment criteria

• Competence: The extent to which this person's work has demonstrated excellence in research methodology (for example using innovative techniques)
• Influence: The extent to which this person's research has contributed to knowledge, practice or policy
• Science: The extent to which this person has produced quality research (for example gaining quality samples, addressing real world problems etc.)
• Visibility: The extent to which this person's research has demonstrated the value of Forensic Psychology

Guidance for nominations

You will need the following information:

Nominee information

• (Q1*) Nominee name
• (Q2*) Nominee institution
• (Q3*) Nominee BPS number
• (Q4*) Nominee course title
• (Q5*) Please select one:
  1. Currently a postgraduate student on an accredited course of study
  2. Currently undertaking a BPS of HCPC Stage 2 qualification
  3. Graduated
• (Q6*) When did the nominee graduate?

Nominator information 

• (Q7*) Nominator name
• (Q8*) Nominator institution
• (Q9*) Nominator contact email address

You will also be asked to provide information in relation to the following questions:

• (Q10*) Project Supervisor name
• (Q11*) Project Supervisor position / title
• (Q12*) Project Supervisor academic institution
• (Q13*) Project Supervisor email address
• (Q14*) Please provide details of:
  1. Name of project
  2. Date project was completed
  3. Institution where research was conducted
• (Q15*) Please upload the project information (max 500 words). Project information should cover the following areas:
  - An overview of the project conducted
  - An overview of the results found and the implications of these
  - How the nominee dealt with ethical issues in their project
  - The contribution provided to the field of Forensic psychology / potential real-world impact
  - The methodology adopted and the rationale underpinning this decision 
  - The theory underlining your project

How to apply

Nominations will close at midnight on Friday 31 January 2025.

Submit a nomination

Awards will be judged by a panel of Forensic Psychologists from the Division of Forensic Psychology Committee. 

The presentation ceremony will be held at the Division of Forensic Psychology Annual Conference.

The winner will:

1. Be invited to submit a poster or give a presentation on their work at the DFP conference and will receive a certificate

Award Winner: Excellence in Forensic Psychology – Early Career (Emily Jones)

Award Winner: Excellence in Forensic Psychology – Practice (Dr Brendan O'Mahony)

Award Winners: Excellence in Forensic Psychology Research Award (Dr Helen Wakeling & Dr Georgia Barnett)

DFP Excellence in Forensic Psychology Practice or Research - Early Career Award 2020

Caitlin Brown 

DFP Excellence in Forensic Psychology Practice Award  

Kerensa Hocken

DFP Excellence in Forensic Psychology Practice Award  

Siobhan Keating

Lifetime Achievement Award 

Adrian Needs 
Linda Blud

Excellence in Forensic Psychology – Research

Rebecca Milne

Student Prize for Excellence in Forensic Psychology 

2019: Veronica Warn

Excellence in Forensic Psychology Practice or Research - Early Career Award

2019: Tamsin Higgs

Excellence in Forensic Psychology Practice Award

2019: Claire Bainbridge

Lifetime Contribution to Forensic Psychology

2019: Theresa Gannon

Excellence in Forensic Psychology Research Award

2019: Kevin Browne

Award for Distinguished Contributions to Academic Knowledge in Forensic Psychology

2015: Graham Towl

Award for Distinguished Contributions to Professional Practice in Forensic Psychology

2018: Geraldine Akerman

2017: Ruby Bell

2016: Dawn Fisher

2015: Roisin Hall

2014: Jacqueline Bates-Gaston

Junior Award in Forensic Psychology for work of outstanding quality and innovation

2018: Louise Carter

2017: Helen Thomas

2016: Juliane Kloess

2015: Jennifer Bamford

2014: Jamie Walton

Sally is currently employed by HMPPS and located in the Midlands region. 

She has been a Chartered and Forensic Psychologist since 2001 and have over 21 years of experience working in forensic settings.

Her work settings include prisons, developing programmes for juveniles and adults, and training forensic practitioners in the UK and USA.  

Sally's areas of specialist interest are rehabilitative custodial environments, fire-setting and forensic risk assessment. 

Nic is a forensic psychologist and has experience working clinically with people who have committed serious offences.  Her specialism and research interests focus on criminal violence and the prevention of, treatment of and management of violence.

Nic's research was accepted within the Research Excellence Framework (REF), 2014 and the most recent REF of 2021. This means that at least 50% of her work was assessed as and judged to be either 'Internationally Excellent' or 'World Leading' and none of her work was rated as less than 'Internationally Recognised'.  

Nic has experience in directing clinical trials, in challenging environments (e.g. [prison settings) and undertaking some health economic outcomes (e.g. Bowes et al. 2014).  She works extensively with external partners to ensure her research is applied and has the potential to impact both policy and practice. 

She has undertaken more than 14 Knowledge Transfer projects which have provided several research (e.g. Bowes et al. 2012; McCarthy et al. 2011) and enterprise funding. Nic has successfully applied for various European funding applications, including a Horizon 2020 funded project which aimed to support young people and reduce the incidence of domestic violence in teenage relationships (www.lights4violence.eu). 

Nic has over 20 years experience of clinical experience, working with adults and young people who have committed serious violent offences. Many of the people Nic works with have experienced multiple Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and been exposed to traumatic events and these experiences are often functionally linked with their use of violence and aggression. 

As a result, people may present with a range of mental health difficulties, mental disorders, misuse substances, commit crimes and find it difficult to engage with services designed to support them.  Nic has extensive experience of working to overcome barriers to engagement and undertaken research in difficult environments in order to guide practitioners to work with those who most need the support of forensic psychology services.

Hon Professor Dr. Geraldine Akerman is a Consultant Chartered and Registered Forensic Psychologist. Geraldine has been worked in the Prison Service since 1998, largely for HMPPS and more recently for the NHS.

Geraldine has worked on the DFP committee as previous Editor and current reviewer of Forensic Update, Conference Lead, Chair and now Deputy Chair.

Geraldine has publications in the areas of sexual offending, father's in prison, therapeutic communities, mental health in prison, and compassion focussed the trauma informed practice.

Geraldine is Co-Editor of the Issue in Forensic Psychology book series. Geraldine is a visiting Lecturer at Cardiff Metropolitan University and the University of Birmingham.  

Jackie Bates-Gaston is a Chartered and Registered Forensic Psychologist and has been an active member of the NIBPS since her undergraduate days. She has served on many BPS committees including the NIBPS, Professional Practice Board (PPB), Expert Witness and various working groups. She is a Member and Past Chair of the DFPNI and Treasurer for DFPNI and the DFP. 

Jackie is the former Chief Psychologist and Head of Psychology (23 years) in prisons in NI where she was responsible for the development of services for offenders and mental health support for staff. During that time she created and implemented a strategy for the training and professional development of a significant number of forensic psychologists in the Northern Ireland Prison Service which now has teams working in all Establishments.  

She was employed with the Parole Board in England and Wales for eight years and has publications in treatment interventions, rehabilitation, terrorism and acquired brain injury in forensic settings. Previously she worked as a research assistant to the Head of Psychology at Queens University Belfast, was a Senior Occupational Psychologist in Government, eleven years as a Senior Lecturer in Applied Psychology at the University of Ulster and was an Honorary Professor in Psychology at Herriot Watt University in Edinburgh for 10 years. 

During her academic career, she also pursued research in women's health and well-being during pregnancy, menstruation, menopause and work. She is an experienced psycho-dynamic therapist and an EMDR practitioner. She received the DFP Excellence in Practice and the PPB Practice Awards.

Karen Howell, C. Psychol. AFBPsS, CMger, is a Chartered Forensic Psychologist and an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. She is also a Chartered Manager and a Fellow with the Chartered Management Institute.

Karen has worked as Head of Psychology and a member of the Senior Management Team at Chadwick Lodge Hospital for  over 10 years and worked as a Regional Psychologists for part of this period.

Karen has also worked as a Clinical Director for Psychology Projects, with a focus on recruitment, retention and professional development initiatives around the psychology professions. 

Karen has over 25 years' experience working in psychology and is a committee member of the Division of Forensic Psychology within the British Psychological Society.

She has clinical interests in personality disorder, managing challenging presentations including violence, sexual offending and arson, suicide awareness and prevention and has been a DBT team leader.

She has delivered masterclasses and university lectures on deliberate firesetting, personality disorder, sexual offending, suicide awareness and risk assessments amongst others. 

Traci Tracy is a Registered Chartered Forensic Psychologist who has worked for HM Prison and Probation Service for almost 20 years. During this time, Traci has worked at the East of England Regional Office and within the Adult Male Estate, predominantly in the area of sexual and violent offending. 

Traci's background is in the delivery and supervision of offending behaviour programmes (OBPs). Traci provides clinical oversight for OBPs delivered at her establishment as well as psychological risk assessments to advise the parole board and consultancy for complex cases through the Offender Personality Disorder pathway. 

Traci is a trained Negotiator Advisor; offering advice and support during and after hostage situations/incidents at height/concerted indiscipline etc. within custody. Traci supervises and line manages a number of Trainee Forensic Psychologists on the route to qualification.

Traci is a doctoral student at Nottingham Trent University. Her research interest is exploring the introduction of compassionate focused therapy approaches with those living with an offence related sexual interest.

Traci is due to move to Bermuda for a role with the Department of Court Services in January 2025. She will remain on the committee as a remote overseas committee member.

Dr Louise Bowers is a Health and Care Professions (HCPC) registered forensic psychologist and a British Psychological Society (BPS) chartered psychologist.

She has over 30 years of experience working as a forensic psychologist in a range of settings including, HM Prison Service, the Youth Justice Service, the Parole Board, the NHS, and private providers of secure and non-secure forensic services.

She has been a director of The Forensic Psychologist Service since 2005, and splits her time between: practice (assessment and treatment); being an expert witness; providing group and individual supervision; and working for her professional body.

Louise is an academic supervisor at Cardiff Metropolitan University, and she is the external examiner on the University of Birmingham forensic psychology practice doctorate.

She holds a MoJ contract to supervise trainee forensic psychologists working for HMPPS and she is one of the national trainers for the BPS expert witness training course.

Louise specialises in the assessment and treatment of individuals (including children) who have committed serious violent and sexual offences, and this is her primary area of research and practice. 

I worked for 10 of my 14 years as a prison-based psychologist in high security (including HMPs Wakefield and Full Sutton). Much work with prisoners was one-to-one, focused on wing-based and offence-related problems and trying to support growth. I anticipated group-based interventions for sexual offending, problematic relationships and cognitive skills, but with an emphasis on personal meanings and processes in change. (My doctorate involved a personal construct perspective!)

This emphasis was also apparent in interviewing strategies for capturing subjective and situational contexts of homicides and sexual offences and in what was for many years the only Prison Service guidance on working with prisoners evincing patterns associated with personality disorder. The latter arose out of working in Hull Special Unit, which also elevated an interest in occupational stress, trauma, teamwork, prisoner dynamics and staff training. These areas came to the fore when I had my final move, to Training Services, where I was involved in several high-profile initiatives and became increasingly aware that performance improvement and preparation is not just a matter of delivering training. Additional work included involvement in the resolution of hostage (prisons and police) and firearms (police) incidents and being one of the first in-service counsellors for staff affected by serious incidents. 

Meanwhile, this involvement in training-related matters led to me being invited onto the Training Committee of our Division. After two years I was elected Chair, which I remained for four years, coordinating in the BPS Occupational Standards project and having rather a lot to do with the introduction of accreditation criteria for MSc programmes and subsequent competence-based supervised practice (Stage 2 before it went from a flexible 'principle-based' to a more bureaucratic 'criteria-based' system). These involvements, along with lingering research questions from practitioner days, were a major impetus for going into academia. I set up and ran the first (for many years the only) MSc in forensic psychology in Scotland (Glasgow Caledonian University) then did the same, for considerably longer, at the University of Portsmouth.

Inequality in workload was a recurring theme in DFPTC reaccreditations at Portsmouth and for many years allowed little scope for pursuing personal research interests. I did, however, contribute to national working parties on homicide, suicide, veterans, disasters and psychological trauma, had several external examinerships, co-edited two books and supervised research in a wide range of areas. (I also eventually managed some of my own!) Now "retired" with two Lifetime Achievement Awards from the DFP and Practice Board, I've extended my involvement in the fields of reconciliation in and after conflict, decolonising and the need for forensic psychology (and psychology as a whole) to update its conceptual and epistemological orientation in the light of developments in other sciences and philosophy of mind. On the Committee (this is my third stint) I've been asked to lead the new 'Scientific Directions Group'. Volunteers welcome!

Dr Nicola Mallowan is a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow with the British Psychological Society.

She is the Continuous Personal Development Lead for the BPS Division of Forensic Psychology committee.

At Buckinghamshire New University (BNU), she is a Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychology, where she is Course Lead for BSc Undergraduate Forensic Psychology programme and interim Programme Director for the MSc Applied Forensic Psychology programme.

She is Group Lead for the Drug and Alcohol Research committee at BNU and is currently working on the development of BNU's Drug and Alcohol Harm Reduction Policy.

Nicola previously worked for the National Probation Substance Misuse Team, and as a groupwork facilitator with the charity organisation Turning Point (substance misuse).

Katy is a Chartered and Registered Forensic Psychologist currently employed by HMPPS and located in the East region. She has over 15 years of experience of working in the prison service.

Her roles have included delivering drug treatment and intimate partner violence programmes, working within therapeutic communities and the Offender Personality Disorder Pathway, and applying a variety of forensic risk assessments. 

Katy's specialist interests include working with individuals who have indeterminate sentences, fire-setting, and providing psychological consultancy to those responsible for managing complex individuals in the prison estate. 

Gemma is a Chartered and Registered Forensic Psychologist currently employed by HMPPS and located in the East region. She has over eight years of experience of working in forensic settings. 

Her roles have included treatment managing and delivering the Healthy Sex Programme (HSP) and high intensity intervention to those with criminogenic needs relating to general, sexual and intimate partner violence, offering consultation and clinical supervision to: operational staff working within enabling communities, care and separation units (CSU) and Prison Offender Managers (POMs) supervising prisoners screened onto the Offender Personality Disorder Pathway, and applying a variety of forensic risk assessments.  

Gemma's specialist interests are rehabilitative custodial environments, working with individuals screened onto the Offender Personality Disorder Pathway, and working with those with sexual interests in violence.   

Martine Ratcliffe is a Registered and Chartered Forensic Psychologist who has worked within HM Prison Service for over 20 years. During this time, Martine has worked within the Young Adults and Male and Female Estates, offering Psychological Services dependant on need.

Martine is currently the Psychology Services Group National Diversity & Inclusion Lead. Martine is the Division of Forensic Psychology (DFP) Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Committee member and was on the BPS D&I Presidential taskforce until its term ended.

These roles help keep D&I on the agenda, challenge the status quo and strive for D&I being in every element of psychological practice.

Dr Adam Mahoney is a Consultant Chartered Forensic Psychologist who has 24 years' experience working in prisons and forensic settings.

This includes 18 years in the Scottish Prison Service of which ten years working as a Psychology Manager within the Scottish Prison Service's women's estate.

His research and practice-based interests include gender responsive approaches to offending and interpersonal trauma. Dr Mahoney also seeks to integrate mindfulness and compassion-focused approaches into his therapeutic work and has design various interventions such as CRANE which helps survivors recover from their experiences of abuse.

Dr Mahoney is Programme Lead for the MSc in Applied Forensic Psychology at Edinburgh Napier University, Chair of the BPS's Division of Forensic Psychology- Scotland and provides consultancy services to various forensic and mental health organisations. 

Dr Cerys Miles is a Chartered and Registered Forensic Psychologist who has worked for His Majesty's Prison & Probation Service since 2002.

She specialises in applying forensic psychology to the development, implementation and evaluation of effective criminal justice strategy and policy, with a focus on whole systems approaches, working collaboratively across agencies and disciplines to effect positive change.

She has a particular interest in preventing violence against women, domestic abuse, sexual violence and female offending, and has published in these areas.

As well as undertaking roles on the DFP and DFP Wales committees, Cerys spent a number of years as Forensic Update's Book Review Editor. She is an academic supervisor for Cardiff Metropolitan University.

Martin has been a Regional Lead Psychologist for HMPPS since 1999 and has worked in HMPS since 1988 across all population types as well as in HQ roles. He is the Research Lead Psychologist for HMPPS Psychology. 

Martin is currently on the BPS Ethics Committee and an Assessor for the Qualification in Forensic Psychology. In addition, for the Psychological Testing Committee he is Vice Chair for the Committee on Testing Standards, a Forensic Testing Verifier and also a member of the Diploma in Psychometric Testing Working Party.

Martin is Honorary Consultant and Forensic Psychologist within Southern Health Foundation Trust and a Honorary Lecturer in Forensic Psychology at Portsmouth University. Further he is Co-Chair of Prospect Trade Union representing Psychology and affiliated specialists employed by HMPPS.

Martin's areas of specialist interest are practitioner ethics and boundary management, psychometric testing, research design, violent and sexual offenders, transgender offenders, consulting in forensic practice; applying forensic practice in clinical settings.

Dr Rachel Worthington is a Practioner Forensic Psychologist, and a full member of the Division of Forensic Psychology, including holding Associate Fellow status.

She is also a Chartered Scientist and is a Senior Lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University and Honorary Reader at Cardiff Metropolitan University.

Dr Worthington has over 20 years' experience of working with clients in prisons, secure psychiatric hospitals and in the community.

She is trained in the assessment and delivery of therapy for adult and adolescent clients (male and female) with neurodiversity, personality difficulties, mental illness, intellectual disabilities and acquired brain injury.

She has also undertaken specific training in Autism, ADHD and Sensory Processing and has supported both verbal and non-verbal clients.

Rachel was awarded the Excellence in Forensic Psychology Research Award by the Division of Forensic Psychology in 2022 and has published and presented both nationally and internationally on improving interventions for mental well-being, neurodiversity, offending behaviour and pedagogical approaches.