Dr Louise Sainsbury

Louise is a BPS Chartered and HCPC-registered Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, with over 25 years’ experience in forensic mental health, predominantly within NHS high-security services. She currently joint-leads a male personality disorder service, providing training, supervision, assessment, formulation, and forensic trauma-informed therapy for men with severe and complex difficulties, including personality disorder and other mental health diagnoses. Louise specialises in working with individuals for whom previous therapies have been insufficiently effective or who find therapy aversive.

  • Chartered & HCPC-Registered Forensic Psychologist

    • HCPC Registered (PYLXXXX)

    • Chartered Member of the British Psychological Society (BPS)

  • Louise has worked in forensic mental health for over 25 years, primarily within NHS high-security settings. She currently joint-leads a male personality disorder service, providing clinical oversight, assessment, formulation, and therapy for complex cases. She has extensive experience delivering holistic psychological risk assessments for Parole Boards and mental health tribunals.

  • Louise specialises in forensic schema therapy, attachment theory, and trauma-informed interventions for individuals with complex difficulties and personality disorders. She also focuses on cases where previous therapies have not been sufficiently effective or where standard treatments are poorly tolerated.

    • Risk assessment tools: experienced in holistic psychological risk assessment for parole and mental health tribunals

    • Structured psychological assessments: trained in formulation and assessment for complex forensic cases

    • Cognitive and personality assessments: proficient in assessment for personality disorder and related difficulties

    • Specialist interventions: ISST-certified Schema Therapy trainer and supervisor, providing both individual and group schema therapy

    • Proficient in supervising and training staff in forensic mental health settings

  • Louise provides supervision and training for forensic mental health teams and Doctorate of Clinical Psychology placements. She has presented at international conferences and published research on attachment theory, the therapeutic relationship, violent offending, trauma, personality disorder, and forensic interventions.

Dr Louise Sainsbury is a Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, Chartered with the BPS and Registered with the HCPC. She has over 25 years’ experience in forensic mental health, predominantly within NHS high-security settings, and currently joint-leads a male personality disorder service. Louise provides assessment, formulation, therapy, and risk assessment for individuals with severe and complex difficulties, specialising in forensic schema therapy and trauma-informed interventions. She is an ISST-certified Schema Therapy trainer and supervisor, provides teaching to Doctorate of Clinical Psychology placements, and has published and presented extensively on forensic interventions, attachment theory, trauma, and personality disorder.

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