Who are we?
Our experts are all nationally and internationally recognised professionals working in British Sign Language with people who are audiologically and/or culturally deaf. They have shaped policy and practice nationally and across Europe, and continue to work in a variety of domains and geographical areas across the UK.
Consultant Clinical Psychologist
Dr Sally Austen
Dr Austen is based in the midlands but works widely across the country. She has been working with deaf people since 1995 as a clinical psychologist at the National Deaf Service centres of excellence in both London and Birmingham. She works with deaf adults, deaf children, older adults and families, people with learning disabilities, mental health problems, brain injury and substance misuse. Dr Austen can provide medicolegal reporting, capacity assessments, personal injury consultation and assessment, clinical negligence work, assessment, therapy, criminal case advice, consultancy and training. She also supervises BSL/English interpreters and a variety of mental health professionals face-to-face and via Skype.
Professional memberships
HCPC PYL 01838
AFBPsS 31236
Additional information
BSL Level 3 (Advanced)
Consultant Clinical Psychologist
Dr Kevin Baker
Dr Baker is based in the East Midlands but will travel anywhere in the UK. He has personal experience of living, working and socialising with Deaf people lasting over 40 years, while working within deaf clinical psychology since 2005. He communicates fluently in BSL, and works with deaf adults, children and families, and those with learning disabilities; offering medico-legal reporting, family work, capacity assessments, psychological therapy, forensic risk assessments, consultancy and training.
Professional memberships
BPS membership number: 171111
HCPC practitioner psychologist registration: PYL02156
Additional information
Fluent BSL
EMDR trained
Enhanced DBS Certification
Consultant Counselling Psychologist
Dr Andrew Cornes
Dr. Cornes is based in Liverpool but will travel anywhere in the UK. He is also a qualified social worker and family and systemic psychotherapist. He has worked with Deaf individuals since 1988. He is the Expert who provided the final opinion to the Court of Appeal in Re C (A Child) 2014 EWCA Civ 128. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and a Senior Fellow at the University of Melbourne, Australia. He has worked as an expert in health with the World Federation of the Deaf. He can provide parenting assessments, psychological assessments of children and adolescents, parental and inter-sibling attachment assessments and together and apart assessments. He can provide assessments of violence and risk in young people. He can offer training and consultancy on parenting and CSE.
Professional Memberships
HCPC practitioner psychologist registration: PYL30643
BPS membership number: 250885
Additional Information
BSL Level 3 (Advanced)
EMDR trained
Enhanced DBS Certification
Clinical Psychologist
Dr Mary Griggs
Dr Griggs is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist based in Bristol but can travel within Bristol, S.Glos, Gloucestershire and the South West of England. She has been working with deaf and deafblind people since 1994 and as a Clinical Psychologist in this field since 2004. She works with deaf and deafblind adults and offers medicolegal reporting, criminal case advice, capacity assessments, personal injury work and other areas of clinical assessment and therapy..
Professional memberships
HCPC practitioner psychologist registration: PYL04336
BPS membership number: 127003
Additional information
BSL NVQ Level 6
EMDR Europe Accredited Clinical Supervisor/Consultant
Principal Clinical Psychologist
Dr Ben Holmes
Dr Holmes is based in the midlands but is willing to travel across the UK. Since 2015 he has been working with deaf adults with mental health problems, learning disabilities, neurodevelopmental difference and neurodegenerative conditions in both inpatient and community settings. Previously he worked in brain injury rehabilitation and has additional qualifications and experience in clinical neuropsychology. Dr Holmes is able to offer cognitive assessments, capacity assessments, psychological assessments, medico-legal reports, consultancy and training.
Professional memberships
HCPC Practitioner Psychologist registration: PYL28639
BPS membership number: 716177
Additional information
BSL Level 3
EMDR trained
Enhanced DBS Certification
Consultant Clinical Psychologist
Dr Sue O'Rourke
Dr O'Rourke is based in the northwest of England but travels extensively across the UK. She has been working with deaf people since 1989 as a clinical psychologist and for the last few years as a qualified British Sign Language / English interpreter. She works with deaf adults, older adults, people with learning disabilities, and people with acquired brain injury. Dr O'Rourke can provide medicolegal reporting, family work, advice to criminal cases, personal injury work, cases of clinical negligence, assessment for therapy, capacity assessments and a range of consultancy and training.
Professional memberships
HCPC practitioner psychologist registration: PYL 17955
AFBPsS membership number: 024008
Additional information
EMDR trained
BSL NVQ 6
Qualified BSL/English Interpreter