Bespoke Training Programmes

Our experts can provide comprehensive assessments for adults, young people and children. The breadth of our services encompasses personal injury cases, and criminal, family and employment law.

We have expertise in the assessment of:

Asperger's syndrome

Autism

Learning disability

Mental impairment

Memory function

Cognitive function

Personality disorder

Risk

Attachment

Domestic violence

Intimate partner violence

Psicon’s Medico-Legal team place emphasis on high quality, comprehensive assessment as well as good formal and informal communication. Our team of Consultant Clinical and Counselling Psychologists, Psychiatrists, and Consultant Neuropsychologists have extensive experience in their fields and in providing expert reports of psychological and psychiatric assessment for legal processes. They are registered as Expert Witnesses and are registered with their respective professional bodies.

Our experts are also available for consultation and regularly appear in court in relation to cases where an individual may suffer from psychological, psychiatric or neurological difficulties as a result of an accident or traumatic event.

Our experts aim to complete reports within a two-week time frame. In urgent cases it is often possible to provide the completed reports much sooner. Where appropriate, recommendations will be made for ongoing treatment and support.

Personal Injury

Our personal injury services provide support to cases where individuals are left with psychological, psychiatric or neurological difficulties as a consequence of an injury at work or in the community. Difficulties may arise due to the nature of the physical health condition or due to the trauma of the incident.

Our team of independent Consultant Psychologists, Psychiatrists and Neuropsychologists can produce reports for the court, including:

»Understanding of causality

»Assessment of the psychological impact of a personal injury

»Prognosis for patients who have suffered psychological, psychiatric or neurological difficulties as a result of an accident

»Rehabilitation recommendations

Forensic Cases

Psicon is experienced in providing psychological and psychiatric assessments to meet a wide range of needs in criminal cases, including:

»Neuropsychological assessment of the full range of cognitive function

»Fitness to plead and stand trial

»Personality disorder

Family Care Proceedings

Psicon can provide the full range of psychological and psychiatric assessments as part of Public and Private Law Proceedings.

»Pre-proceeding assessments to address issues of capacity and cognitive ability/limitation

»Child, adult and family assessments – parenting ability, risk assessment, relationship issues and attachments

»Reports ranging from a basic cognitive assessment, giving a measure of IQ and verbal and non-verbal ability levels, to comprehensive psychological profiles that include all pertinent aspects of the individual's psychological presentation and history

We usually aim to file the report 6 weeks from the Letter of Instruction. In some cases of urgency, we can meet tighter deadlines.

Your client can be seen at our clinic in Canterbury, at your offices, in their home setting, or at any other location as deemed appropriate.

Capacity Assessment

Our independent Consultant Psychologists, Consultant Psychiatrists and Neuropsychologists can provide assessments on an individual’s capacity. Assessments encompass various areas such as an individual’s capacity to manage finance and affairs, to make a will or to enter into a relationship.

Capacity Assessment includes:

»Clinical consultation with the individual who is being assessed for capacity

»Consideration of all relevant information, including medical records

»Assessment given of the individual's current psychological functioning, mental state and cognitive abilities (this can be through formal assessment of neuropsychological functions, observations during assessment and feedback from significant others)

»Where appropriate, outcome of the assessment is considered with recommendations to ensure clarity and, where necessary, pathways to be followed

Information on Capacity

The Mental Capacity Act (2015) sets out the legal framework for assessing capacity. The principles that apply for the purpose of the act include:

»The individual must be assumed to have capacity unless it has been made apparent that they lack capacity.

»The individual must not be treated as unable to make a decision unless all practical steps have been taken to help the individual to do so, without success.

»The individual is not to be treated as unable to make a decision merely because he makes an unwise decision.

Individuals can be shown to lack capacity in relation to a particular matter, if, at the material time they are unable to make a decision in relation to the matter due to a condition that may cause an impairment to the functioning of their mind and brain.

An individual can be shown to lack capacity if the following criteria are met:

»The individual is unable to understand information relevant to the decision.

»The individual is unable to remember and retain information relevant to the decision.

»The individual is unable to consider important issues long enough to then be able to formulate an opinion.

»The individual is unable to communicate their decision or thoughts (by talking, sign or any other means).

Employment and Litigation Tribunals

Our independent Consultant Psychologists, Psychiatrists and Consultant Neuropsychologists can provide assessments of employees involved in tribunals.

Our Assessments include:

»Focus on specific issues relevant to concerns raised by the employees

»Assessment as to the causation of the individual’s difficulties

»Reasons for ongoing difficulties and symptoms

»Overview of treatment being received

»Obstacles in receiving appropriate treatment

»Support recommendations, where appropriate regarding a return to work

Where appropriate, our consultants can provide feedback to occupational health professionals, legal professionals and employers to aid an understanding of the formulation, diagnosis and prognosis, as well as any recommendations for vocational rehabilitation.

Family Law. Bespoke Training Programmes to Law Firm Solicitors, Legal Executives, Children’s Guardians and Legal Professionals in Local Authorities

We now offer bespoke training programmes to law firm solicitors, legal executives, children’s guardians and legal professionals in local authorities. Our training will provide guidance on how to instruct a psychologist expert. We can help you to understand what kind of questions you need to ask psychologist experts to get the information you need (for example, questions to ask the expert in a case of risk, domestic violence or intimate partner violence). Ensuring you are able to ask the appropriate questions will ensure that you receive the appropriate answers.

For example, our bespoke training programmes aid the understanding of:

The psychologist expert witness evidence on emotional abuse in family cases

Parental legal capacity in family cases

Capacity to litigate in civil cases

Psychological treatment and rehabilitation relevant to clients

Systems to ensure optimum communication between the instructing solicitor and the psychology service provider

Training programmes can be tailored to the needs of your firm/company and can be offered as in-house presentations or training workshops. Please contact us for more information.

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15 New Dover Road, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 3AS
Telephone: 01227 379099
Fax: 01227 780861