Louise Coates

Consultant Forensic Psychologist, Advanced Schema Therapist and EMDR Therapist

Louise has over 25 years experience providing psychological expertise to individuals, groups, small and large organisations. Working with the NHS, Social Services and criminal justice organisations, she works with people from many backgrounds and experiences.

At her clinic near Cambridge, Louise provides individual therapy for emotional and psychological issues such as anxiety, depression, trauma and personality disorders; using a range of therapeutic approaches including Schema Therapy (ST), Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reproccessing (EMDR), Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), and Sensori-motor Psychotherapy.

Louise has an extensive history of providing expert witness reports for courts and parole hearings, including fitness to plead, personality and risk assessments.  She was a Psychologist member of the Parole Board for 7 years, working alongside members of the judiciary and lay members to make sense of psychological risk and need assessments and advise on appropriateness of release of people from custody. 

For many years, Louise has provided training to individuals and groups to enhance their understanding of forensic psychology issues such as risk assessment, offending behaviour programmes, report writing, maintaining professional boundaries, understanding offending behaviour, diversity and difference in a forensic setting.

Louise has supported, through formal supervision, psychologists in training to achieve chartered psychologist recognition.  She is an academic supervisor with the Cardiff Metropolitan University Forensic Training Course, for Forensic Psychologists in Training across England and Wales. Louise is also a Certified Schema Therapy Supervisor, providing both individual and group-based supervision for therapists working towards accreditation, and post-accreditation.

Louise is currently a Committee Member of the British Psychological Society’s Division of Forensic Psychology.

Louise has presented at conferences in the UK and Europe, and has published articles on issues such as the development of practitioners working in forensic settings; the role of Psychologists working with victims of County Lines operations; and suicide in prison.

When she is not working, Louise gives vent to her creative side through her love of music, crochet, sewing and managing an U9s cricket team.