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Simon Duff

Director of Stage II Training in Forensic Psychology, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences

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Biography

Simon Duff has a BSc in Psychology and Physiology, MSc in Forensic Psychology, and a PhD in Applied Psychology. He received a SERC-NATO post-graduate scholarship and worked for 2 years at the University of California, San Diego with Professor Donald Norman. After graduating from the Professional Guitar Program at the Musician's Institute of Technology he took up an Assistant Professor post at the Cognitive Section at the University of Bergen, Norway. This led to a Senior Research Fellow post and a Lectureship at the Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Liverpool. During this time Simon qualified through the BPS Stage II route to become a BPS Chartered and HCPC Registered Forensic Psychologist. Simon moved to the 糖心原创 to work on the Doctorate in Forensic Psychology Programme where he is an Associate Professor, the Director of Stage II Training, and Placement Manager. He was a member of the Division of Forensic Psychology committee and the BPS Research Board.

Expertise Summary

Until recently Simon's primary clinical work, based at the Merseycare NHS Trust's community service, Mersey Forensic Psychology Service and the associated MSU, The Scott Clinic, was with men who have offended sexually against children. However, working across a community and medium secure setting he also routinely worked with men who had offended sexually against adults, women who had offended against children, violent people, stalkers, and individuals with fetishes. This work has been the driver behind much of Simon's research focus, which is concerned with sexual offending and stalking. Simon has recently moved to work at a local Low Secure Service in Nottingham and a prevention charity..

Simon has collaborated with a number of international colleagues on projects concerned with stalking, fringe consciousness, and concealment, has provided input to the BPS response to the government's plans for new stalking legislation, and is an editor on a number of professional journals. As a trained hypnotherapist Simon has been involved in work concerned with the use of hypnosis in changing the quality of life of individuals living with Dementia, with Dr Dan Nightingale. Simon is trained in a number of different ways of working with individuals including EMDR and CFT.

Occasionally Simon works outside of the NHS and has provided expert opinion for the National Crime Agency, the Parole Board, the Courts, MAPPA, and has advised on IPP cases. He also provided clinical input to an episode of the ITV program Bad Girls, the Channel 5 series, Robbing Your Relatives, and has spoken on radio about pornography and issues of sexual offending. He has a blog where he writes about forensic issues that interest him.

Simon is happy to consider PhD applications in areas related to his interests.

Teaching Summary

Stalking, sexual offending, anger and aggression, the psychology of victims, communication skills, the cognitive interview, the jury, genograms, working with complex cases, story completion, EMDR,… read more

Research Summary

Aspects of stalking

Conceptualizations of rape

Grooming

Theory of Mind

Fetishism

Pornography

Incels

Selected Publications

Simon's clinical work was previously with the team at Mersey Forensic Psychology Service, a specialist NHS service providing assessment and intervention for offenders in the community, and in a medium secure service. The team used a variety of approaches to work with individuals including EMDR, Schema Therapy, Mindfulness, and CBT. Simon was the manager and co-facilitator for the introductory sex offender group, working mainly with men who have offended sexually against children, at the stage when these men are at their most psychologically fragile and vulnerable. Most recently he has co-facilitated the Non-Offending Partners Group. The forensic team have been involved in a number of research projects, regularly present at the Division of Forensic Psychology Annual Conference, and provide teaching to a range of programmes at a variety of universities.

Currently Simon works at a local Low Secure service working with a range of men.

Stalking, sexual offending, anger and aggression, the psychology of victims, communication skills, the cognitive interview, the jury, genograms, working with complex cases, story completion, EMDR, CFT, Gestalt Therapy.

Past Research

Attributions in male sexual offenders

Child vs Adult Theory of Mind differences in male sexual offenders

Aspects of therapeutic need in male sexual offenders

Personality Disorder and Aggression

An ICS conceptualisation of Personality Disorder

Self-harming; 1) attitudes of staff working with women in a medium secure unit

2) attitudes of staff working with men in a high secure hospital

3) attitudes of men in a high secure hospital

Religion and sexual offending

Secrecy/deception

Future Research

Further aspects of pornography, voyeurism, stalking, sexual assault, and concealment behaviours.

  • FIDO, D., HARPER, C.A. and DUFF, S., 2025. Sexual Abuse. 37(3), 339-367
  • DUFF, SIMON C. and DYMOND, HARRIET, 2025. The Internet and Sexual Arousal: Development, Maintenance, and Escalation of Sexual Offending. In: HARPER, CRAIG A., LIEVESLEY, REBECCA, SWABY, HELEN, WINDER, BELINDA, BLAGDEN, NICHOLAS, HOCKEN, KERENSA and BANYARD, PHIL, eds., Sexual Crime and the Internet Palgrave Macmillan. 1-27
  • GEMMA CHAWKE, PATRICK RANDALL and SIMON C DUFF, 2024. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology. 68(1), 3-21
  • L.C. COOK and S.C. DUFF, 2023. Journal of Criminal Psychology. 13(2), 105-119
  • STEANS, JENNIFER and DUFF, SIMON, 2020. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities. 33, 711-719
  • DUFF, S.C., HAY, J., KERRY, J. and WHITTAM, A., 2020. Social Science Quarterly. 101(2), 573-587
  • DYMOND, H. and DUFF, S., 2020. The Journal of Forensic Practice. 22(2), 71-81
  • CHAWKE, G., RANDALL, P. and DUFF, S.C., 2020. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology. 64(15), 1514-1532
  • MELLOR, E. and DUFF, S., 2019. Aggression and Violent Behavior. 46, 116-126
  • MELLOR, E. and DUFF, S., 2019. The Journal of Forensic Practice. 46(2), 112-123
  • CHALLINOR, L. and DUFF, S., 2019. Journal of Forensic Nursing. 15(2), 110-119
  • DUFF, S.C., BIRCHALL, J., BISBEE, E., WHEATCROFT, J., GAVIN, J. and SCOTT, A.J, 2019. Prior relationship, relationship breakdown, and group decisions in the attribution of cases of stalking Forensic Update. 23-33
  • DUFF, S.C. and FULLER, M., 2019. The impact of proximity on attributions of stalking and motivation Forensic Update. 42-52
  • MELLOR, E. and DUFF, S., 2019. The Journal of Forensic Practice. 21(4), 248-263
  • CAHALANE, H. and DUFF, S., 2018. Journal of Sexual Aggression: An international, interdisciplinary forum for research, theory and practice. 24, 66-79
  • JAMES MCGUIRE and SIMON DUFF, 2018. 1. Palgrave.
  • EGAN, VINCENT and DUFF, SIMON, 2018. Psychopathy and Sexual Offending. In: MATT DELISI, ed., Routledge International Handbook of Psychopathy and Crime Taylor & Francis Group. 12
  • DUFF, SIMON, 2018. Palgrave MacMillan.
  • SCOTT, ADRIAN J., DUFF, SIMON C., SHERIDAN, LORRAINE and RAJAKARUNA, NIKKI, 2018. Psychology, Crime & Law. 12, 1-36
  • CHALLINOR, L. and DUFF, S., 2018. Aggression and Violent Behavior. 41, 98-107
  • HATTON, V.A. and DUFF, S., 2018. Journal of Sexual Aggression: : An international interdisciplinary forum for research, theory and practice. 25(2), 207-222
  • PERRY, L., DUFF, S. and WRIGHT, L., 2018. Mersey forensic psychology prevention service: Pilot project.. In: LIEVESLEY, R., HOCKEN, K., ELLIOTT, Z.H., WINDER, B., BLAGDEN, N. and BANYARD, P., eds., Sexual Crime and Prevention. Palgrave Macmillan. 111-132
  • DUFF, S.C., 2017. Offenders and Substance Abuse. In: K. BROWNE, A.R. BEACH, L.A. CRAIG and S. CHOU, eds., Assessments in forensic practice: A handbook John Wiley and Sons Ltd.
  • WALTON, J.S. and DUFF, S., 2017. Journal of Forensic Practice. 19(2), 151-161
  • DUFF, S., WAKEFIELD, N., CROFT, A., PERRY, L. and VALAVANIS, S., 2017. Journal of Forensic Practice. 19(4), 1-8
  • CHALLINOR, L. and DUFF, S., 2017. Journal of Forensic Practice. 19(3), 190-197
  • DUFF, S., NAMPWEYA, M. and TREE, J., 2017. The Journal of Interpersonal Violence. 35(21-22), 4940-4959
  • SHERIDAN, L., SCOTT, A.J., DUFF, S.C. and THOMAS, K., 2016. Introducing a stalking protection order: British Psychological Society response to the Home Office
  • COLLINS, S. and DUFF, S., 2016. International Journal of Forensic Mental Health. 15(1), 111-124
  • HATTON, V.A. and DUFF, S.C., 2016. Journal of Sexual Aggression: An international, interdisciplinary forum for research, theory and practice. 22(3), 275-290
  • DUFF, S.C. and TOSTEVIN, A., 2015. Journal of Criminal Psychology. 5(4), 249-261
  • WALTON, J., DUFF, S. and CHOU, S., 2014. Child Abuse Review. 26(2), 91-102
  • CHALLINOR, L.E. and DUFF, S.C., 2014. The perceptions of sex offenders: A comparison between professionals and paraprofessionals in a forensic environment and the general public. Forensic Update. 117, 32-36
  • CAHALANE, H., DUFF, S. and PARKER, G., 2013. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse. 22(6), 720-741
  • TAKEDA, Y., ROPER, L., DUFF, S.C. and BOOTH, P., 2013. Journal of Substance Use. 18(5), 417-428
  • PETALAS, M.A., HASTINGS, R.P., NASH, S. and DUFF, S., 2013. Journal of Child and Family Studies. 24, 38-49
  • DUFF, S.C. and SCOTT, A.J., 2013. Journal of Criminal Psychology. 3(2), 136-144
  • BECKLEY, K., BATES, A., DUFF, S.C., NEWBERRY, M. and SCOTT, A.J., 2012. Consultation on stalking; British Psychological Society Response to the Home Office.
  • DUFF, S.C., 2011. Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research. 3(4), 230-242
  • DUFF, S.C., 2010. Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research. 2(2), 33-43
  • ELSEGOOD, K.J. and DUFF, S.C., 2010. Sexual Abuse. 22(1), 112-131
  • PRICE, M., NORMAN, E. and DUFF, S., 2010. Fringe consciousness: A useful framework for clarifying the nature of experience-based feelings. In: A. EFKLIDES and P. MISAILIDI, eds., Trends and Prospects in Metacognition Research Springer. 63-80
  • GORDON, S., DUFF, S., DAVIDSON, T. and WHITAKER, S., 2010. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities. 23(2), 197-200
  • DUFF, S.C. and KINDERMAN, P., 2008. Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling. 5(1-2), 45-57
  • LOGIE, R.H. and DUFF, S.C., 2007. Separating processing from storage in working memory operation span.. In: N. OSAKA, R.H. LOGIE and M. D鈥橢SPOSITO, eds., The Cognitive Neuroscience of Working Memory. Oxford University Press.
  • NORMAN, E., PRICE, M., DUFF, S.C. and MENTOZONI, R.A., 2007. Consciousness and Cognition. 16, 809-837
  • DUFF, S.C. and NIGHTINGALE, D.J., 2007. Alzheimer's Care Today. 8(4), 321-331
  • DUFF, S.C. & KINDERMAN, P., 2006. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy. 13, 233-245
  • DUFF, S.C. & WILLIS, A., 2006. Journal of Sexual Aggression. 12(1), 43-51
  • DUFF, S.C. and NIGHTINGALE, D.J., 2006. The assessment of the longer term efficacy of hypnosis in changing the quality of life in patients with dementia European Journal of Clinical Hypnosis. 7(1), 2-8
  • DUFF, S.C. and NIGHTINGALE, D.J., 2005. The efficacy of hypnosis in changing the quality of life in patients with dementia: A pilot-study evaluation European Journal of Clinical Hypnosis. 6(2), 20-29
  • DUFF, S.C. and LOGIE, R.H., 2001. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Section A - Human Experimental Psychology. 54(1), 31-48
  • DUFF, S.C. and LOGIE, R.H., 1999. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology. 40(4), 251-259

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