Louise Townsend is a Chartered and Registered Forensic Psychologist (BSc (Hons), MSc. C Psychol). Louise is currently employed as an area Clinical Lead for the Avon & Wilshire Mental Health Care Trust Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway. This service, managed by NHS England and HMPPS, provides psychologically informed and formulation driven services for a highly complex, high risk and challenging offender group through provision of assessment, risk management, and treatment within prisons, secure hospitals and the community.
Louise is also employed by an Independent Forensic Service Provider, providing assessment, consultation, training, care planning and treatment for a residential service working with men with multiple needs, including substance misuse issues, mental health needs or a learning disability. Before this Louise worked for ten years for the Southwest regional prisons psychology team, gaining extensive experience in a range of psychological assessments and interventions for high-risk offenders; developing particular expertise working with men who had committed sexual and violent offences and those presenting with complex personality presentations. Prior to this Louise spent 10 years working for the NHS as part of a specialist service for adults and young people with co-occurring mental health and substance misuse needs. Louise has completed numerous risk assessments for Parole Boards and has regularly attended Parole Board hearings as an Expert Witness.
Louise is trained in the following assessments;
