AFCS Psychological Assessments and Appeal Reports
Specialist Trauma Assessments for Armed Forces Compensation Scheme Claims and Appeals
I offer specialist psychological assessments and written reports for individuals making claims or appeals under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS), particularly where psychological injury, PTSD, complex trauma, or functional impairment may not have been fully recognised.
This page may be especially relevant if your AFCS claim has been rejected, under-awarded, or if you believe the psychological impact of service has been understood too narrowly.
You may also wish to read more about my wider
psychological assessments and reports,
my work with
EMDR and trauma therapy
When Psychological Injury Has Been Overlooked or Understood Too Narrowly
Many individuals who apply to the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme for psychological injury find that their experiences are not fully recognised in the initial decision. This is not uncommon.
Psychological trauma, particularly when it is cumulative, delayed, or intertwined with identity, duty, hierarchy, moral conflict, and institutional life, can be difficult to capture without a careful and structured clinical assessment.
Conditions such as PTSD, complex PTSD, trauma-related depression, anxiety, dissociation, and functional impairment may be minimised, misunderstood, or insufficiently evidenced in initial claims.
If your claim has been rejected, under-awarded, or does not reflect the severity of your psychological injury, a specialist psychological assessment can help clarify diagnosis, impact, causation, and prognosis for the purposes of an appeal.
What I Provide
I provide comprehensive psychological assessments and written reports for AFCS claims and appeals, with a particular focus on trauma-related conditions.
- Diagnostic assessment of PTSD, complex PTSD, and related psychological conditions, including the gold-standard CAPS-5 assessment, where indicated, for which I am certified by the US Veterans Administration.
- Structured evaluation of functional impairment across daily life
- Review of service history and relevant traumatic exposure
- Clinical opinion on the relationship between service and psychological injury
- Assessment of severity, chronicity, prognosis, and treatment needs
- Appeal-focused reports addressing gaps or limitations in previous decisions
A typical AFCS psychological report is approximately 10–20 pages, depending on the complexity of the case and the volume of records provided.
Reports are written with careful attention to clarity, structure, and evidential strength, so that they can be meaningfully used within the AFCS process.
AFCS Appeals: A More Careful Clinical View
In many cases, initial AFCS decisions rely on limited or overly narrow psychological evidence.
Trauma does not always present immediately or in obvious ways. It can emerge over time. It may be shaped by repeated exposure rather than a single event. It may also affect identity, relationships, emotional regulation, work, sleep, concentration, memory, confidence, and the ability to sustain ordinary daily life.
An appeal provides an opportunity to take a more careful, clinically grounded look at the full psychological impact of service.
A well-constructed psychological report can help identify what may have been missed, including the presence of PTSD, complex PTSD, trauma-related impairment, dissociation, or other clinically significant consequences of service-related experiences.
If relevant, you may also wish to read about my
PTSD and C-PTSD diagnostic assessments
and my work with
trauma and EMDR therapy.
My Approach
I am a Chartered Clinical Psychologist specialising in trauma, with a background in psychodynamic and humanistic psychotherapy, alongside evidence-based approaches such as EMDR.
My work is also shaped by my training in anthropology, which brings a deeper understanding of identity, institutional life, hierarchy, culture, power, duty, moral injury, and the psychological meaning of service.
This is often particularly relevant in military contexts, where psychological injury cannot always be separated from the structures, expectations, and loyalties in which it occurred.
My assessments aim to be both clinically rigorous and attentive to the lived experience behind the symptoms.
You can read more about my background and clinical approach on my
About page.
Assessment Process and Timeframe
The assessment is structured, thorough, and designed to provide a clear and defensible clinical picture.
1. Agreement, Payment, and Records
The total fee for an AFCS psychological assessment and written report is £2,500.
An initial payment of £1,250 is due upon signing the agreement. At this point, you or your representative may send me the bundle, records, and any relevant documentation for review.
2. Psychometric Measures
Within approximately one week of receiving the signed agreement, initial payment, and records/files, I will send a set of validated self-report psychometric measures by email.
These questionnaires help assess trauma symptoms, psychological functioning, and functional impairment. They form an important part of the overall assessment, alongside clinical interview and records review.
3. Two-Hour Clinical Assessment
Once the completed questionnaires have been returned to me by email, we can normally schedule a two-hour assessment appointment within approximately one week, subject to holidays, illness, and availability.
The assessment may take place either:
- in person in the Harley Street Medical District, Central London; or
- by Zoom, where clinically appropriate.
The second payment of £1,250 is due when scheduling the assessment appointment.
You can find more information about my practice location here:
Harley Street location.
4. Written Report
Following the clinical assessment, I can typically provide the written report within approximately one week.
The report integrates the clinical interview, psychometric findings, functional impairment, diagnostic formulation, and relevant records review.
Fees
The fee for an AFCS psychological assessment and report is:
£2,500 total
- £1,250 due upon signing the agreement
This allows records to be submitted and the assessment process to begin. - £1,250 due when scheduling the assessment appointment
This is payable before the two-hour clinical assessment.
This fee includes records review, psychometric measures, a two-hour clinical assessment, and a full written psychological report.
You may also wish to view my wider
fees and services.
Arranging an AFCS Assessment or Appeal Report
If you would like to arrange an AFCS psychological assessment or discuss whether this type of report would be appropriate for your claim or appeal, you are very welcome to contact me.
Psychological injuries sustained in service are not always immediately visible, but they are no less real. A careful and well-structured assessment can help ensure they are properly understood.
