Palwinder Athwal- Kooner

Role

Dr Palwinder Athwal-Kooner is a Principal Lecturer in Psychology overseeing the practice portfolio, including practice based courses, practice staff development and wider practice based initiatives. She is also a BPS (British Psychological Society) Chartered and HCPC (Health and Care Professions Council) Registered Forensic Psychologist, and an Accredited Cognitive Analytic Therapy practitioner.

She was the Programme Director/Course leader for the NTU MSc Forensic Psychology programme from 2017-2025. She has expertise in Forensic Psychology, particularly forensic mental health - this includes teaching, supervision including doctoral level candidates, external examining and research/knowledge exchange. More recently she has been involved in projects on relational practice and working towards Equity, Diversity and Inclusion within Forensic Psychology Practice. She is currently lead editing a BPS core textbook called An Introduction to Forensic Psychology: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Informed Theory and Practice.

She is involved in various committee roles (e.g. Division of Forensic Psychology training committee), has experience of management and leadership, and overall is committed to the on-going development of the profession.

Career overview

Dr Athwal-Kooner has been involved in the field of forensic psychology since 2003 and has worked as a trainee forensic psychologist within the police service, probation service, the NHS and a private healthcare provider. She qualified as a forensic psychologist in 2009 and has worked in forensic mental health services with men with various clinical presentations and risky/harmful behaviours including Psychosis, Personality Difficulties, Learning Disability and Autistic Spectrum Disorder. She managed wards in terms of psychological assessment, input and treatment, and developed various programmes within her role. She subsequently trained as a Cognitive Analytic Therapy Practitioner.

She has vast experience in team consultancy and training, for example, risk assessment training and a range of clinical presentations, the use of CAT in forensic settings to teams of mental health professionals and/or psychologists. She has specialist training in relation to ASD (ADOS & ADI-R) and Psychopathy (PCL-R), and is trained in Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. She has supervised trainee forensic psychologists and assistant psychologists in practice. She is available to provide training and consultancy in forensic practice, as well as Cognitive Analytic Therapy within a community setting.

Before coming to NTU in 2016, Dr Athwal-Kooner was the course director for the MSc Forensic Psychology Programme at Winchester. This was new programme she developed and gained University approval and BPS accreditation for.

External activity

• Division of Forensic Psychology (DFP) executive committee (2017-2025) – This has focused on supporting communication for the division and contributing to the development of the DFP strategy. I have chaired workshops for the annual conference as well as reviewing conference submissions. Overall this role and associated activity has contributed to the Forensic Psychology profession nationally. 
• Division of Forensic Psychology Training Committee (2023 to present) – This involves responsibility for reviewing BPS accreditation of MSc Forensic Psychology and Doctorate in Forensic Psychology programmes nationally. I have lead accreditation visits and reviews, and have advised on the standards for MSc Forensic Psychology programmes. 
• DFP EDI specialist group (2022 to present) - advising on EDI development work for the forensic psychology profession.