Dr Lorraine Sheridan, Forensic Psychologist.

Meet Dr Lorraine Sheridan

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Dr Lorraine Sheridan

Lorraine completed her training in the UK, registering as a psychologist in 2001 and as a forensic psychologist in 2004. She is recognised as a global expert on stalking and harassment, threat assessment, and problematic communications. Lorraine has published five books and more than 80 papers in refereed scientific journals on a range of forensic psychological topics. Lorraine has more than 20 years experience of report writing, psychometrics, assessment, research, and assisting investigations conducted by police and other bodies. The main areas covered by Lorraine’s expert witness reports cover:

  • Family dynamics
  • Stalking
  • Family violence
  • Risk assessment
  • Threat assessment
  • Sexual offending
  • Violent offending

Lorraine also provides three primary services to assist corporations in dealing with problematic behaviour, namely:

  • Risk and threat assessment and associated case management advice
  • Training
  • Policy and information guides

Lorraine also offers ​therapy to a range of clients, in particular those who have a history of abuse (as a victim or as an abuser, or both), sex workers, and those who are about to serve a prison sentence. She seeks to equip clients with self-understanding and skills that they can use for self-management.

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Lorraine's Details
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Fees for therapy

Fees for therapy: $260

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Qualification

Forensic Psychologist

Lorraine's Resume

I worked as a Chartered Forensic Psychologist in the UK, qualifying in 2004. I am currently registered as a Psychologist with General Registration with AHPRA, the Australian National Registration Board. I am an adjunct Associate Professor in psychology at Curtin University and I supervise clinical doctorate students.

I was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology (first class honours) in 1997 and a PhD in psychology in 2001 from the University of Leicester in the UK. My PhD thesis was on the course and nature of stalking. In order to achieve Chartered Forensic Psychologist status in the UK, I undertook a period of supervised training between 1998 and 2004. This included placements in secure forensic units where I assessed a broad range of offenders, running victims of crime support groups, and the construction and evaluation of programmes to support children separated from parents in crisis and young persons who abused others.

Since 2004 I have worked both as a Forensic Psychologist and as a University academic. As a Forensic Psychologist I have conducted assessments and provided approximately 250 expert witness reports for the Justice System. These assessments and reports have most often focussed on violence risk assessment, sexual offending, violent offending, stalking, family violence. substance abuse, mental illness, child welfare, child custody, family  dynamics, and risk assessment in families. have produced more than 30 expert witness reports relating to potentially false accusations of stalking, sexual abuse, and family violence.

I have more than 20 years of experience in the administration and use of psychometric assessments and structured professional judgement tools. I have interviewed a variety of offenders, victims, witnesses, parents, carers and children when conducting assessments and compiling reports. I have also interviewed hundreds of members of the public when collecting data for research projects. The assessments I have carried out include offender assessments, family and Family Court assessments, and assessments relating to immigration matters.

I am recognised as a global expert on stalking, harassment, and interpersonal violence. I have published five books and more than 80 papers in refereed scientific journals. My areas of research include stalking, harassment, domestic and family violence, cybercrime, risk and threat assessment, campus safety, Islamophobia, racial and religious discrimination, suicide in prisons, celebrity worship, offender profiling, psychopathy, male rape, repeat criminal victimisation, policing, legislative change, sexual assault, suicide in Aboriginal populations, DNA and fingerprints, drug dependent offenders, mentally disordered offenders, and sex offenders.

Much of my research has adopted an applied, interventionist angle. This has meant that my work has had an extensive and real-world impact on clinical practice, the criminal justice system and broader society. For example, an evidence-based risk assessment form that I authored was employed in all cases of harassment (approximately 300,000 per year) reported to the police in England and Wales. I have provided advice to governments who are seeking to develop legislation relating to stalking, harassment, bullying, family violence and non-fatal strangulation.

I was an academic at the University of Leicester (UK), Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh (UK) and Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia, for 21 years. My most recent academic role, until February 2022, was Associate Professor in Psychology. I have supervised more than 200 undergraduate and postgraduate student theses. At the University of Leicester I was course director of the MSc in Forensic Psychology, teaching post-graduate psychologists seeking a career in the field the foundations of the subject. In 2019 I created a year long graduate certificate in forensic psychology course for Curtin University.

I served as an Ordinary Member on the British Psychological Society’s Board of Examiners in Forensic Psychology between 2005 and 2008. I then served as an Ordinary Member of the Board of Assessors in Forensic Psychology between 2008 and 2012 and was also a Senior Examiner during this time period. My duties involved overseeing the quality of both courses and supervision standards that produced graduates eligible to work as legally-recognised forensic psychologists.

I have provided case management advice to the police for more than 10 years. In the UK I was an Association of Chief Police Officers accredited Behavioural Investigative Advisor (offender profiler) and remain on the National Crime Agency’s Major Crime Investigative Support Expert Advisers Database. I regularly consult to law enforcement, security personnel, public figures, and others on violence, risk assessment, threat assessment, stalking, harassment, malicious communications, and similar topics.

I am the current Vice-President and was until early 2021 President of the Asia Pacific Association of Threat Assessment Professionals. I have attended numerous courses and training events. These include but are not limited to training in tools (e.g. The Spousal Assault Risk Assessment Guide, The Stalking Risk Profile, The Workplace Assessment of Violence Risk-21, The Hare Scales (PCL-R and PCL-SV), The Level of Service Inventory, The Static-99, the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide-Revised, The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised), training in cultural competence and awareness (e.g. Aboriginal Mental Health Assessment and Suicide Prevention run by Dr Tracy Westerman), and pre-conference workshops (recent examples within Australia include workshops on acting as an expert witness, responding to terrorist threats, assessing sexual offenders, assessing violent offenders, and behavioural crime linkage).

I have created and facilitated training ranging from one hour sessions to two full days. Attendee groups have included security personnel, human resources professionals, line managers, employee support teams, police officers, government policy advisors, social workers, lawyers, magistrates, academics, medics and charity and non-governmental organisation professionals. Topics of training sessions and programmes include stalking and harassment, threat assessment, domestic and family violence and other forms of abuse, conspiracy theories, and increasing employee wellbeing. I have given 86 conference presentations, 68 of which were invited, and 38 were at international conferences. Invited speaking engagements in Perth have included the following audiences: the Parliamentary Electorate Offices Conference, the Sexual Assault Resource Centre, the Family Violence Division of the Western Australia Police Force, the Women’s Council, the Association of Australian Magistrates Biennial Conference, medical staff at King Edwards Memorial Hospital, the Family Court of Western Australia, the Western Australia Police Force Academy, and the Legal Aid Summer Series Family Law Workshop.

Lorraine's Publications

Last 5 years

2023 Publications

  • Chan, H. C., Sheridan, L.,Adjorlolo, S., eds. (2023). Crime, mental health, and the law: Apsycho-criminological perspective. Frontiers Media SA. doi:10.3389/978-2-83251-862-5
  • Houran, J., Sheridan, L.,& Dagnall, N. (2023). Evaluating the mystery of ‘Brushy Bill’ Roberts (aka.Billy the Kid) as a case of extreme celebrity worship. Journal ofScientific Exploration, 36, (4).
  • Muir, S.R.,Roberts, L.D.,Sheridan, L., & Coleman, A.R. (2023). Examiningthe role of moral, emotional, behavioural, and personality factorsin predicting online shaming. PLoS ONE, 18 (3): e0279750.
  • Sheridan, L. (2023). Special Issue on stalking: commentary. Journal of Criminal Psychology.

2022 Journal Articles

‍2021 Journal Articles

‍2020 Journal Articles

‍2019 Journal Articles

‍2018 Journal Articles

Book an appointment with Dr Lorraine Sheridan.

We all experience periods of stress, anxiety, grief, conflict, and other forms of emotional distress during our lives. Most of the time, we're able to bounce back. Sometimes, we might need a little extra help to do so. Lorraine, with an interest in Forensic Assessments, Threat Assessment, Violence Risk Assessment, and therapy for abuse, sex workers and those about to serve a prison sentence., is ready to help you get back to your best self.

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