In conversation with... Dr Kate Hellin

Dr Kate Hellin is a consultant chartered psychologist. Following a thirty year career in the NHS working with people with personality disorders, with substance dependence and in psychotherapy and general community mental health services, she has spent the last 15 years undertaking psychological assessments of parents for the Family Court.

Kate’s work involves bringing an understanding of the human condition – in particular the ways that people respond to stressful situations – to the family courts. Her psychological assessment of the parents involved in Lancashire County Council v M and others (Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group intervening) was described in Mr Justice Hayden’s 2021 judgement as a ‘landmark report, the analysis of which requires wider dissemination’.

During this conversation, she will discuss how ordinary reactions to extraordinary circumstances can be misinterpreted in family court cases – and how recognising and responding to stress and emotions can improve relationships between professionals, families and others.