Ms Chireal Shallow
Bsc MSc PGDip GMBPsS
Consultant Practitioner Psychologist
Ms Chireal Shallow offers a specialist expert witness service delivering high-quality, independent psychological assessments across criminal, family, civil and personal injury matters. Her assessments are thorough, clinically robust and tailored to provide clear, balanced opinions that assist the court and legal teams in making informed decisions.
Ms Shallow has contributed to well over 1,200 independent court assessment reports over the years of practice. These reports have covered the following areas:
Family and social care cases: Assessment of parenting capacity, child and adolescent mental health, trauma, attachment, neurodevelopmental conditions and parental mental health. Expert opinion on risk, safeguarding, insight and recommendations for therapeutic intervention or support, ensuring the reports address the court’s key questions directly and clearly.
Civil and personal injury cases: Assessing the psychological impact of trauma, including PTSD, adjustment disorders, chronic pain and the psychological consequences of accidents, assaults and medical negligence. The reports consider both prognosis and treatment recommendations, helping courts understand the long-term impact of psychological injury.
Forensic and criminal proceedings: Conducting comprehensive assessments covering mental health, fitness to plead, suggestibility, risk assessment, personality functioning, neurodevelopmental disorders (including autism and ADHD) and factors relevant to sentencing, mitigation or rehabilitation. Experienced in working with complex, high-risk cases including psychosis, PTSD, acquired brain injury and substance misuse.
Ms Shallow also has specialist expertise in the assessment of sleep disorders and parasomnia, providing expert opinion on sleep-related behaviours, forensic relevance and the psychological and functional effects of sleep disturbances. This specialist knowledge is particularly valuable in cases where sleep phenomena may be relevant to behaviour or capacity at the time of an offence or incident.
Across all areas of her practice, she is known for delivering reports that are clear, objective and accessible. Her approach is grounded in current psychological science and clinical best practice, while also reflecting the realities of the legal context. Ms Shallow works collaboratively with solicitors, barristers, local authorities, and courts, ensuring that her assessments are not only clinically rigorous but also practical and solution-focused.
Ms Shallow has consistently received positive feedback from judges, counsel and solicitors, who have commended the clarity and quality of her reports, her balanced approach to complex issues, and her professionalism and confidence when attending court to give evidence. Her ability to communicate psychological findings in a clear and accessible manner has been noted as a particular strength.
Instructing Chireal Swallow means access to a professional with extensive experience, an understanding of the complexities of psychological evidence in legal settings and a commitment to providing impartial, high-quality reports that withstand scrutiny.
Click here to view her CV.
