141. Dr Jenny Mackay: Female perpetrators of intimate partner violence.

Dr Jenny Mackay is Principal Lecturer (forensic psychology) at Nottingham Trent University, with responsibility for outreach and student volunteering, Associate Course Leader for MSc Forensic Mental Health, Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and Chartered Psychologist. She teaches on both the undergraduate and postgraduate psychology courses on the following modules:

Before joining NTU, Dr Jenny Mackay conducted her PhD titled, 'Comparing the treatment needs of women and men who perpetrate intimate partner violence'. Jenny currently holds Associate Fellow status with the Higher Education Academy, and is working towards Fellowship.

Prior to this, Jenny has spent her career in predominantly practitioner roles, working with vulnerable clients in a range of settings, both forensic and non-forensic. She has delivered substance misuse work, offending behaviour programmes and psychological one-to-one work in prisons with adults and young adults. She has worked in a Secure Children's Home with 10-17 year olds who have offended or who are considered 'at risk'. Jenny also gained experience carrying out in-depth functional analyses and was trained to write and evaluate Positive Behaviour Support plans whilst working as a Behavioural Clinical Specialist for the NHS with adults with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour. Jenny has also worked for the Probation Service, as a Project and Policy officer for an adult education research charity and has delivered workshops for expectant and new parents.

 

Research areas

Jenny is primarily interested in intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration, particularly understanding the evidence base of pathways to perpetration and how these might inform interventions. She is particularly interested in how women come to perpetrate IPV and the psychological mechanisms that underpin this.

Jenny is interested in policy and practice development in this area, specifically, how interventions for those who have perpetrated can be developed to reflect our most up-to-date understanding of the evidence base.