Mrs Lucy Moore joined Queenswood in September 2020 as Head of Personalised Learning. She is a highly experienced practitioner, with a background in SEN, and her academic specialism is Psychology. She loves dogs, and is the proud owner of a Dalmatian!

The Dark Side of the Mind by Kerry Daynes

Kerry Daynes is one of the most sought-after Forensic Psychologists in the business and has seen it all. Her work has taken her from police interview rooms and the witness box to the cells of maximum-security prisons and the wards of secure hospitals. Her personal and holistic view of her career development and private dealings allow you to truly feel and understand the challenges she faced.

She starts by explaining the often awkward interactions she has with people when she informs them that she is a Forensic Psychologist, with comments such as ‘you are too petite’ or ‘too delicate’ to be a forensic psychology. An interesting statement and observation that could be a psychological study of its own!

Interestingly, she states that women make up 73 per cent of psychologists in the UK and 80 per cent of its forensic division. She describes the pull to the profession as ‘a way of making sense of things, models and theories for understanding an otherwise overwhelming world.’

Despite her qualifications she had initial difficulties in finding a job but then went on to work in HMP Wakefield, various secure hospitals and being tasked as an expert witness in a murder case. She takes you on an educational journey, investigating different mental health disorders, including Schizophrenia and the diagnostic process involved in providing such a diagnosis. The description of individual cases and the challenging and demanding nature of the role provide an astute and factual outline of the role of a Forensic Psychologist.

A must read of anyone interested in the world of psychology, criminology, the law and human behaviour.