About Us
Dr Claire Smith is an HCPC Registered Clinical Psychologist. She worked within forensic mental health services for 10 years providing specialist psychological assessments and interventions for offenders with complex mental health problems detained under the Mental Health Act within a secure hospital, and to offenders in community settings and detained in Prison. Her roles included attendance at MAPPA panels; providing supervision, training and management to psychologists and allied professionals and investigating serious untoward incidents. She also has prior experience of working within specialist services for brain injury and autistic spectrum conditions. Since 2000, Dr Smith has provided expert witness testimony for Family, Criminal and Civil Court proceedings, Prison Law cases, Mental Health Review Tribunals and Parole Board hearings, specialising in assessing risk of sexual, violent and offending behaviour, in addition to assessment of mental state; parenting capacity; personality and functioning; complex trauma; substance misuse and intellectual functioning. In addition to these activities, Dr Smith has provided teaching sessions on risk assessment and crime and social inequality on the forensic modules of the Universities of Plymouth and Exeter Clinical Psychology Doctoral Training Programmes.
Dr Karen Gough is a BPS Chartered (Clinical & Forensic) and HCPC Registered Psychologist who has been working in forensic mental health services since 1998. She has 10 years’ experience working in a secure hospital providing assessments and interventions for mentally disordered offenders. Since 1999 she has been providing expert witness testimony for Family, Civil, and Criminal Court proceedings, specialising in risk of violent and sexual behaviour/offending, including domestic violence, psychological assessment of mental state, personality, complex trauma, substance misuse, intellectual and neurological functioning. She has been a Consultant in the NHS since 2008 and also leads a multi-disciplinary forensic mental health team. This role involves psychological assessment, therapy and consultation, and managing a Court Assessment Service. It also encompasses training mental health professionals in risk assessment, and participation within MAPPA panels. She has published on a number of subjects within forensic mental health.