Expert Witness

I am an experienced psychologist offering expert witness assessment of adults in family and criminal proceedings. I also complete psychological assessment for individuals if they require a more in-depth understanding of their mental health. I have over 15 years of experience of assessment and report writing.

I am based in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, and can offer expert witness services in the surrounding counties. This includes Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Sheffield and Rotherham, Cambridge, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.

Expert witness settings:

Family Proceedings: I have been offering psychological reports of adults to family court proceedings for the last three years. In this time I have written approximately 50 high quality reports.

Criminal Proceedings: I am able to offer reports for individuals currently involved in the criminal justice system. My background in the Prison Service and forensic mental health mean I have a unique understanding of the interplay between criminal behaviour and mental health needs.

Personal Injury/ Medico Legal: I have experience of completing PTSD assessments and therapy with individuals following a one off trauma, such as Road Traffic Accidents. I am able to assess for PTSD and other mental health needs, and make recommendations for further treatment.

Individual assessment: I can offer psychological and cognitive assessment to individuals. This may be through insurance, case management or rehabilitation companies, or for personal use.

Psychological areas covered:

• Mental Health: I am able to assess mental health conditions including anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder using valid psychometric tools and clinical interview. I am trained to use the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM V Clinical Disorders (SCID-5-CV), for mental health diagnosis.
• Forensic Risk: including violence, sexual offending, domestic violence and psychopathy. I am trained in the use of various risk assessment tools including the HCR 20, VRS, RSVP and PCL-R.
• Cognitive Assessment: assessment of intelligence (using the WAIS-IV), memory and activities of daily living.
• Substance Misuse: I have a number of years of experience working with substance misusers and am able to offer clinical assessments to understand their use and the impact this may have on their functioning.
• Personality Disorder: I am trained to use assessment tools including the International Personality Disorder Exam (IPDE), Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) and Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI). I also use other psychometric assessments to review different facets of personality functioning.
• Anger Management: Assessment of anger using clinically validated psychometrics and clinical interview.
• Trauma: I am experienced in the assessment of PTSD and complex trauma. As an EMDR and Schema therapist I regularly offer therapy to individuals with trauma and PTSD presentations.

My approach to psychology expert witness reports

As a Forensic Psychologist I have been trained to a high standard in formulating risks and needs of individuals and offering comprehensive treatment plans and recommendations. I developed my report writing abilities within the Prison Service, where I was required to write clear, succinct reports which summarised a large amount of data and explained complex psychological concepts.  These were written for parole boards and at the end of high intensity offending behaviour programmes.  I feel it is important to make my expert reports understandable to all parties involved in the legal process. 

With all reports I take an individualised approach to the case.  I seek to make my expert decisions based on a range of information sources.  These can include background documentation, interview with the client, psychometric assessment, structured risk assessment and contact with other professionals.

I place importance on using these information sources to develop an individualised psychological formulation of the individual.  This means that any mental health or risk factors identified can be understood in the context of the person’s developmental, attachment and environmental experiences.  This is an important aspect of my reports as it allows me to then make give opinions and recommendations that are based on individual needs.

Any recommendations that I make will be based on the above sources of information, my formulation, and up to date evidence based literature.   I make specific recommendations in respect to areas including therapy, offending behaviour interventions, psychosocial interventions and reduction of risk.  I also consider advice on how other professionals can work with the client, based on their psychological profile. 

A copy of my CV is available on request.

I have completed the Cardiff University Bond Solon Expert Witness – Family Law – Postgraduate Certificate. This is a ‘gold standard’ of training that shows my proficiency as an expert witness. Further details can be found here.

Instructing a psychology expert witness report

Solicitors/Legal Representatives: Please contact me by email at gemmapearson@protonmail.com. I will require a general overview of the areas to be assessed, and an idea of timeframes. I work within Legal Aid Agency fees and timeframes for psychological and cognitive reports.

Expert witness agencies and services: Please contact me by email. I will require a copy of your terms of service and fees prior to any discussion regarding clients.

Individuals in court proceedings: I am happy to discuss requirements for expert witness reports with clients who get in contact. However, to be able to undertake this work I will require a letter of instruction from your legal representative, along with confirmation of who the instructors are in the case.

Personal assessment: If you require a personal assessment, or are seeking an assessment through insurance or a case management service, please email may with your details. I will be able to let you know my timescales and costs based on individual circumstances.

Have questions about psychology expert witness and assessment?