Current roles

I am a Principal Lecturer for the University of Hertfordshire's Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.

Within my role, I lead the programme's health and wellbeing research stream, I co-lead and teach the research methods curriculum, as well as providing the course’s research supervisor continuing professional development programme, and co-ordinating the research supervisor mentor arrangements.

I am also a registered clinical psychologist, with clinical experience in physical health and medical settings. Currently, I am working as a co-investigator on an NIHR-funded project to develop and validate an experience measure for paediatric kidney patients.

Current research

As an academic, my research primarily focuses on the psychological impact of physical health conditions, including diabetes self-management and the impact of technology on this, and other long-term health difficulties. I supervise clinical doctorate trainees pursuing research in my areas of interest.

Key current projects focus on:

- The impact on eating behaviour of glucose monitoring devices used by people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes

- Type 1 diabetes and disordered eating/eating disoders

- Transition in diabetes care

- Bariatric surgery 

- Suicide bereavement 

- The role of religion in fostering resilience when managing self-harm

Doctoral research completions

I have previously supervised doctoral research in the areas of:

• Bereavement, death, and dying

2024: Unspoken stories: Exploring the narratives of self-defined family members who have experienced suicide bereavement 

2024: Understanding the experiences of people who are considering ending their lives by assisted dying: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

2023: Understanding the perspectives of UK-based family members of people who have chosen to end their life by assisted dying

2023: Giving hope to rebuild lives: Practical and emotional support for those bereaved by road traffic collisions

2021: Women’s narratives of miscarriage and their role in identity construction

• Diabetes and disordered eating

2024: If only my glucose monitor knew: A study of letters written to flash and continuous glucose monitors by those who living with co-occurring type 1 diabetes and disordered eating

2022: The impact of flash glucose monitoring on adults with type 1 diabetes with respect to their eating behaviour and their relationship with food

• Eating disorder presentations

2024: Trainee Clinical Psychologists' attitudes and clinical judgements in relation to client weight in eating disorder presentations

2022: Clinicians’ perspective on factors contributing to the development of childhood-onset anorexia

• Self-harm

2023: The Social Processes Maintaining Engagement in Repetitive Self-Harm

• The impact of physical and mental health conditions on individuals and families

2024: Words left unspoken: Exploring the unspoken narratives of self-defined family members supporting somebody who has survived a suicide attempt 

2023: Childhood cancer diagnosis during the COVID-19 pandemic: Parents’ perceptions of the impact on family functioning

2020: Assistant, trainee and qualified psychologists’ personal experiences of caring for others and the influence of caring on clinical practice

• Interventions

2024: What happens at the horses stays at the horses: The impact of Equine Assisted Learning on young people at risk of educational disengagement relationships to education

Research methods and practices

Research mentoring