Dr Dawn Bailham Consultant Clinical Psychologist

BSc, MSc, Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, Affiliated Member of the British Psychological Society, AFBPS), HCPC registered Practitioner Psychologist, CAT Practitioner

INTRODUCTION

In October 2001, I was awarded a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Coventry and Warwick University. Prior to this qualification, I was awarded a Bachelor of Science (single honours) in Psychology at Leeds University in July 1995. I also graduated from Leicester University with an MSc in Applied Forensic Psychology in 2012.  I have been a qualified clinical psychologist for the past 16 years working in Forensic Secure Mental Health Services (low and medium secure), Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS Tier 4 inpatient low secure), and community CAMHS.

I have considerable experience spanning 14 years of assessing parents and children within the family courts and preparing reports, conducting court reports for Criminal Law cases and conducting forensic assessments for the police in Criminal cases I have attended court as an expert witness on numerous occasions giving evidence in the family courts, criminal law and personal injury cases. I completed the University of Cardiff Bond Solon Certificate for expert witnesses working in criminal law in September 2013, as well as additional modules in family law.

I currently work independently and provide part-time consultation and therapy to a residential children’s service for young people (aged 16 – 25 years) with complex mental health problems and emerging personality disorders delivery a DBT informed approach to self-harm, suicidal, and other challenging behaviours, as well as teaching. In addition to this I work as an independent Clinical Psychologist providing teaching and consultation for foster carers and adoptive parents through the organization Action for Children (AFC).

In my previous role I was the Regional Professional Lead for Psychology (South East) of Cambian Children’s Service. My role within this post involves managing and supervising psychologists, psychotherapists, mental health practitioners and Assistant Psychologists working within the Child Sexual Abuse (CSA), Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) and CAMHS services. This work also involved conducting complex assessments and psychological treatment of Looked after Children with histories of witnessing domestic violence, and/or experiencing physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and neglect. My role involved delivering Therapeutic Parenting training to residential care workers within the Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) service.

Prior to this role I was Regional Clinical Lead in a Looked after Children’s Service working with children with histories of sexually harmful behaviour, managing psychologist and therapists, conducting in-depth risk assessment, and providing therapeutic work.

Before this I undertook the role of Consultant Clinical Psychologist in a low secure inpatient (CAMHS) for adolescents aged 12 – 16 years with emerging personality disorders. My role as lead psychologist included the development and management of the therapeutic pathway, managing and supervising psychology and therapy staff, staff training and development, as well as contributing to the development of the hospital as part of the senior management team.

In addition to assessment and intervention in complex forensic and mental health patients I have developed a community Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) service in the community Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS) for young people with histories of self-harm, suicidal ideation, and emerging personality disorders. In my previous post, I worked alongside a multidisciplinary team (MDT) and developed a younger adult male transitional medium secure ward for young men aged 18 to 25 years with an offending and mental health history. In this role, I developed the therapeutic pathway as well as contributing to the development of the ward with the MDT.

To meet the forensic need of these young men I developed a sex offender treatment program, which spanned the whole of the male medium secure wards. Whilst in this role I developed a proposal to develop a service amalgamating the forensic mental
health service and the probationary service Circles UK to assist the reintegration of men with sex offending histories back into the community. The aim of the service was to assist with the reintegration of these men back into the community, as well as managing and preventing any risk behaviours they may present back in the community.
as a challenging role but through this experience I gained insight in the advantages and disadvantages about setting up specialist mental health services.

Mobile Tel: 07801 266 010 / Email: dawnbailhan@icloud.com