Archive
December 2019
Allergy – a special feature
Editor Jon Sutton introduces a collection on living with allergy and anaphylaxis.
‘We must turn the tide of Brexit psychodrama’
Michael Smith meets Brian Hughes to hear about his new book on The Psychology of Brexit.
Telling people together
Nadine Lavan, winner of the British Psychological Society’s Award for Outstanding Contributions through Doctoral Research, on voice perception.
Shining a light on ‘what asylums were’
Jonathon Rutherford on the atrocity of mental health care in the early 19th century.
‘We need to support our diverse population’
Susan Cousins works in equality, diversity and inclusion at Cardiff University, and is the author of Overcoming Everyday Racism: Building Resilience and Wellbeing in the Face of Discrimination and Microaggressions (Jessica Kingsley Publishers). Annie Brookman-Byrne asked Susan about her book.
Allergy – Insider perspectives
Khadj Rouf and Kathryn Evans reflect on the challenges of parenting children with severe allergies.
Growing up with allergy
Audrey DunnGalvin considers the impact of severe food allergy on the quality of life and development of children and adolescents.
‘I strongly believe in broadening one’s therapeutic toolkit’
Ian Florance interviews Paul Grantham, Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Founder/ Director of SDS Seminars.
Can interventions make a difference?
Rebecca Knibb considers efforts to reduce the psychological impact of food allergy.
Building resilience
Emma Young digests the research to suggest five ways to raise the resilient child, then we bring you our top content from the archive on resilience.
‘I haven’t said goodbye to my kids’
Béré Mahoney, Eleanor Bradley, Elaine Walklet and Steve O’Hickey on the hidden psychological challenges of living with anaphylaxis in adulthood.
From poverty to flourishing
Ella Rhodes reports on the British Psychological Society’s priority for 2020, voted for at the Senate.
‘What really matters’
Ernesto Spinelli, a winner of the Society’s Award for Distinguished Contribution to Practice, on what it’s like to be an existential therapist.
November 2019
The Psychologist Guide to… Retirement
Our journalist Ella Rhodes talks to psychologists to get some evidence-based tips.
‘I wanted to help people inspire others about psychology’
Dr Janet Bultitude is Director of Public Engagement for the University of Bath’s Psychology department. She recently won the Leadership Award at the university’s Public Engagement Awards. As told to Ella Rhodes.
'It forced me to think in different ways about single-session therapy'
Windy Dryden (pictured left) introduces a chat with Moshe Talmon.
The Psychologist Presents… Screen time debunked
An edited transcript of Professor Andrew Przybylski’s session at Latitude Festival this summer. Our editor Jon Sutton introduced the talk and hosted the audience questions at the end.
A web of intrigue
The Spider’s Thread: Metaphor in Mind, Brain, and Poetry by Keith J. Holyoak (MIT Press; £27.00); Reviewed by Cathy Rogers.
The sibling spotlight
Rachel Batchelor on the challenges facing the ‘forgotten’ brothers and sisters of seriously ill children.
Finding a route to independence
Emily Farran on navigation and the spatial domain in neurodevelopmental disorders.
‘You can always find something inside someone to work with'
Ian Florance talked to Yvette Bates about her role as Senior Forensic Psychologist at HMP Dovegate, which is run by Serco on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
Looking to the future
An extract from 'Autism: A new introduction to psychological theory and current debate', by Sue Fletcher-Watson and Francesca Happé (out now on Routledge).
One on One... with Sidney Irvine
We dip into the Society member database and pick… Sidney Irvine, former Professor of Differential Psychology, University of Plymouth, and consultant. sidneyirvine.co.uk Includes online extras.
Reassessing perceptions of ‘inside’
'Another Me’ is the 2019 UK exhibition of the Koestler Trust’s work produced by people in detention. Reviewed by Rosie Meek.
Needle girls and motiveless malingerers
Sarah Chaney on gender, self-harm and attention-seeking behaviour.
Forging a new politics of work
David Frayne, author of The Work Cure, talks to our Associate Editor Emily Hutchinson.
How to succeed in your degree, with psychology…
Selected advice from Paul Penn, taken from his new book ‘The Psychology of Effective Studying' (Routledge).
The future of digital mental health?
Sophie Turnbull on Just-In-Time Adaptive Interventions.
‘How does this fit into the real world of policing?’
For two decades Professor Becky Milne (University of Portsmouth) has worked to improve police interviewing of witnesses in the midst of crises. Ella Rhodes met her.
October 2019
Under…
Our editor Jon Sutton introduces a special collection.
‘If you treat clients as adults, they’ll treat you the same way’
Ian Florance meets Holly Price, who is finishing her Forensic Psychology MSc and looking for Assistant Psychologist roles
What lies beneath?
Nick Chater on the perils of looking under our glittering surface.
Tracking the footprints of consciousness
The Feeling of Life Itself, by Christof Koch, is out now, published by The MIT Press. We asked him some big questions.
Under the weather?
Trevor Harley writes.
The ‘human’ underpinning workplace resource
Rosalind Searle on the psychological implications of working ‘under’ a hierarchical structure.
Fixing problems under the surface
Laura Walton takes psychology underwater.
The underdog effect
Ciaran O’Keeffe on the appeal, and how things change.
From underworlds to outerworlds
Nathan Smith gets to the bottom of how we might reach what’s way above…
‘Negotiators are advanced communicators’
Stephen McAllister looks back on a police career focused on mental health and change management
The psychology of underwear
Carolyn Mair on a ‘technology of our inner self’.
September 2019
Schooling the good citizen
Our editor Jon Sutton introduces a special collection on psychological attempts to shift attitudes and behaviour amongst the next generation.
Imagine all the people
Siân Jones considers contact interventions and prejudice towards immigrants in schools.
Civic and political engagement in young people
Martyn Barrett and Dimitra Pachi look beyond voting, at what schools can do to encourage active citizenship.
‘It’s a real critical period around gender’
Sarah Davidson is Consultant Clinical Psychologist for the Gender Identity Development Service at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust. Our editor Jon Sutton poses the questions.
‘It’s a film about choice and dignity and capacity as human beings’
Ella Rhodes attends a screening and discussion around '55 Steps', directed by Bille August.
Why we need to make birth better
To mark Birth Trauma Awareness Week, Dr Emma Svanberg outlines a model of birth trauma and efforts to raise awareness and share stories.
Queer approaches to depathologisation
In this 'long read' chapter from her new book 'Queer Ink: A Blotted History Towards Liberation', Katherine Hubbard considers the contributions of Evelyn Hooker and June Hopkins.
Breaking down barriers
Pooky Knightsmith on school-based approaches to mental health.
Teaching individuals gender equality and respect
Dan O’Hare is a Chartered Educational Psychologist working for an English Local Authority and as a Teaching Fellow at the University of Bristol. He currently volunteers with TIGER, a Bristol-based cooperative, mostly delivering workshops in schools.
A history of stigma
Kellye McBride on how Foucault’s ideas around confinement and civilisation can help to change views of mental illness.
One on one... with Dr Martina Gerada
We dip into the Society member database and pick…Dr Martina Gerada counselling psychologist in private practice & lecturer at City University of London.
Building resilience to radicalisation
Lynn Davies on efforts to create a world where ‘everyone is an insider’.
‘I feel I can make a positive contribution at what is a critical time’
David Murphy took over as President of the British Psychological Society at the AGM in July. Here, Dr Roman Raczka (the British Psychological Society’s Division of Clinical Psychology England Lead) interviewed him for the DCP London newsletter, with additional question [starred] for The Psychologist.
A recipe for taste connoisseurs
Can schools teach children lessons in healthy eating? Helen Coulthard looks at the evidence…
August 2019
‘It doesn’t have to be this way’
Michael West, Professor of Organisational Psychology (Lancaster University Management School) and Visiting Fellow with the King’s Fund, spoke with Ella Rhodes to outline three major projects he is involved with for one of the largest employers in the world – the NHS.
Autism in women
Eloise Stark looks under the radar.
Me and Monotropism: A unified theory of autism
Fergus Murray – science teacher, writer and 'autist' – on single attention and associated cognition in autism; a theory with a family connection…
‘Games have helped me a lot throughout my life’
Dr Pete Etchells is Reader in Psychology and Science Communication at Bath Spa University. Annie Brookman-Byrne asked Pete to tell us about his first book, Lost in a Good Game: Why We Play Video Games and What They Can Do For Us.
Shattering the self
Ella Rhodes on the contradictory nature of the self.
‘We live in a hugely psychologised society’
Juliet Foster talked to Ian Florance about her new role as Chair of the Society’s Education and Training Board.
‘This is the moment when everything is changing'
Ian Florance meets Simon Bignell – a founder of the Society’s new Cyberpsychology Section.
Creating compassionate NHS organisations
Annie Brookman-Byrne speaks to Maria Kordowicz.
July 2019
‘Everyone has something to add to this conversation'
Within this special collection, a range of articles explore different elements of alcohol use.
‘Your number one problem substance is alcohol’
Dr Michael Kelleher is a consultant addictions psychiatrist at the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust. He is the Clinical Lead for the Lambeth Addictions consortium, an innovative and effective collaboration between the NHS, Addaction, Phoenix, Blenheim and the local authority. James Morris spoke to him (with thanks to Claire Melia for transcribing and editing).
Challenging the language of alcohol problems
James Morris and Claire Melia.
‘I wanted to write something that put the psychology at the heart of the drama’
Clinical Psychologist and novelist Bev Thomas has a new book out – ‘A Good Enough Mother’ – on Faber & Faber. Dr Josephine Perry (Chartered Psychologist with Performance in Mind) asks her some questions, and reviews the book.
‘There’s an art to sport psychology, never a fixed answer'
Ian Florance interviewed Hannah Newman, whose PhD examines the ‘idea of female strength and power... by looking at female strength athletics or strongwoman events.’ Hannah’s combination of interests – including LGBT+ rights, what legal gender means in a demographically diverse society, the role of sports in society – touches on many current issues where psychologists may have a key role.
From trainee to trainer
Counselling psychologist Jasmine Childs-Fegredo on her journey. Who would she become?
A threadbare patchwork of support
Will Haydock with a report from the bureaucratic frontline.
From the bomb to Apollo 13: Bowlby and the Cold War
How did child psychologists contribute to the Cold War discourse of ‘National Security’? Carolyn Laubender discusses the relationship between attachment theory and political anxieties about the protections offered by the nation state.
Finding moderation online
Emma L. Davies, Zarnie Khadjesari, Olga Perski and Claire Garnett on digital interventions to reduce alcohol consumption.
June 2019
Big data in the big city
Catherine Lido on using novel technology to explore inclusion in Learning Cities.
Why are life events troubling?
Ruth Spence, Lisa Kagan and Antonia Bifulco find it’s not a straightforward question…
‘You don’t have to stay within the barriers’
Ian Florance interviews Nick Perham, Senior Lecturer at Cardiff Metropolitan University.
‘Can I sympathise with mothers who have hurt their children?’
Lauren Mountain never imagined this would be one of the first groups she worked with as an assistant psychologist…
‘Issues around sex and young people are changing’
Dr Roberta Babb is a Highly Specialised Clinical Psychologist, Forensic Psychodynamic Psychotherapist and Organisational Consultant. Recently, she was an expert on the BBC Three programme ‘Sex on the Couch’. Debbie Gordon (Assistant to the Managing Editor) asked her about her work and the series.
'There are wolves in the forest…'
Ahead of his appearance for us at this summer’s event, Professor Andrew Przybylski (Director of Research at the Oxford Internet Institute) picks three myths around screen time – and how science, and some common sense, can help.
The Rocky Horror Pixel Show
Where in the brain is creativity? Arne Dietrich ponders whether we’re asking the right questions.
The anatomy of online grief
An exclusive chapter from 'All the Ghosts in the Machine: Illusions of Immortality in the Digital Age', by Elaine Kasket (courtesy of Robinson).
Notes from a weather observer
Trevor Harley on the effects of weather and climate on personality and behaviour.
‘The World Cup demonstrated what changes when people feel differently’
Pete Olusoga (Sheffield Hallam University) meets Dr Pippa Grange, the sports psychologist with the England men’s team at last summer’s event.
May 2019
How do we ‘other’?
Peter Hegarty on asymmetries of reasoning for lay and professional psychologists alike.
Dads get sad, too
Viren Swami withdrew from his newborn son. Here, he considers the lack of research and support around postnatal depression in fathers.
‘An ecological approach to resilience is essential’
Louise Roper hears from her University of Liverpool colleague Kate Bennett, about widowhood, resilience, and an upcoming gerontology conference.
The oceanic feeling
Ewan Morrison’s novel Nina X is about a woman who was born and raised in a cult. We asked him about the links between mental health and his art. Includes extract.
Paris in the the spring
Our editor Jon Sutton with a snapshot from the third International Convention of Psychological Science, organised by the Association for Psychological Science.
‘By speaking I can help people realise they are not alone’
We speak to Dame Kelly Holmes and Dr Crepaz-Keay about a new audio series, 'What Do I Do? Mental Health and Me'.
Digital technologies in the NHS – a psychological future
Michael Berger sums up the Topol Review - what’s going on, what’s on the horizon and why it is important. [Note: This is an expanded version of a letter which appears in the May edition]
‘We are not at a place of full acceptance or equality for trans people yet’
We hear from Robin Dundas, 2018 winner of the British Psychological Society’s Division of Counselling Psychology annual award for carer and service user involvement.
A message of hope and resilience
Clare Jones and Alan Barrett on the development of the Manchester Resilience Hub in response to the May 2017 bombing.
The will of war
David Lewis-Hodgson on how both sides in World War I sought to explain and ‘treat’ its trauma.
‘We should just be told to try our best’
Laura Nicholson and Dave Putwain provide an overview of exam anxiety, its effects and what psychologists can do to help reduce it.
How can we embed psychology in public policy?
We hear from members of the British Psychological Society’s Policy Team…
‘We need to change the conversation’
Ian Florance meets forensic psychologist Terri van Leeson.
April 2019
Experiencing the impossible
Gustav Kuhn considers the science of magic, and what it reveals about the human mind.
The forgotten impairment
Leanne Greene, an assistant psychologist, gets social.
An obsession, a hobby or an expiation?
Roberta Reb Allen with a family tale involving the infamous neurologist Walter Freeman.
‘It’s about creating relationships that enabled my pupils to access their inner worlds’
Liz Bates on the role of psychology in teaching.
Excellence or ease? Exploring student evaluations of teaching
Wolfgang Stroebe is not a fan of student satisfaction measures…
‘You need to use the evolutionary knife to cut behaviour into constituent slices’
Professor Val Curtis works at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine where, among other roles, she is Director of the Environmental Health Group, a multidisciplinary team researching water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Ian Florance spoke to her about interactions with psychology and psychologists.
‘That whole journey you do with the patient takes a lot of skill and time'
Our editor Jon Sutton meets Consultant Clinical Neuropsychologist and Chair of the British Psychological Society’s Division of Neuropsychology, Katherine Carpenter.
Do play with your food!
Claire Farrow and Emma Haycraft with an overview of effective strategies for increasing vegetable acceptance in young children.
The social dilemma of antibiotic use
Optimising antibiotic use is hard. Eva Krockow explains why.
March 2019
Why do we need psychology? And what does psychology need?
The winning entries in our first 'Voices In Psychology' programme.
Shining a light on the dark side
Adrian Furnham on the importance of personality at work, and how to select the right stuff.
‘There is nothing I’d rather be doing than fighting the corner for people with psychosis’
Dr Emmanuelle Peters is director of the Psychology Interventions Clinic for Outpatients with Psychosis (PICuP) at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, and a Reader in the Psychology Department of the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience. She is a winner of the BPS Professional Practice Board’s Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in Practice. Jon Sutton poses the questions.
‘The psychological will always be there… it’s like my skeleton’
Hussain Manawer is a poet, and Honorary Fellow of King’s College London for his work in mental health. Debbie Gordon (Assistant to the Managing Editor) went along to meet him.
‘Educational psychologists need to be real change agents’
Dr Juliet Whitehead is Assistant Principal Educational Psychologist in Coventry and Chair of the British Psychological Society’s Division of Educational and Child Psychology (DECP). As told to Ian Florance.
‘Connection with another human being is at the heart of the job’
Trevor Powell, winner of the Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award 2017, recalls his journey in a changing landscape.
One on one… with Alma Au
We dip into the Society member database and pick out… Alma Au, Associate Professor, Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Mass observation – ‘the science of ourselves’
Graham M. Davies and Alan Costall on a forgotten precursor of today’s applied psychology.
Embrace the unknown
Chris Ferguson washes his hands of ‘science laundering’: cleaning up messy data for public consumption.
Children’s friendships
Elian Fink and Claire Hughes review the evidence.
February 2019
The new hidden persuaders?
Ella Rhodes considers whether shadowy influencers are really pulling our strings.
We’re only human, after all
Emily Hutchinson on how organisations can improve safety by really understanding psychology.
‘Psychology without compassion leaves an emptiness’
Laura Lea with a day in the life of a service-user involvement coordinator.
'A comedian's words can throw out lifebelts'
Our editor Jon Sutton reviews 'I'm a Joke and So Are You: A Comedian's Take on What Makes us Human', by Robin Ince, and meets the author. We also publish an exclusive extract.
‘We should stop taking ourselves so seriously’
Simon Proudlock is a Consultant Counselling Psychologist with Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and in private practice. Simon won the British Psychological Society’s Division of Counselling Psychology Annual Award for Innovation in 2018 for his project using EMDR therapy with clients in acute care.
‘A lady of unusual ability and force of character’
Elizabeth Valentine on Lucy G. Fildes.
Keep on taking the medicine?
Parastou Donyai considers strategies for understanding and tackling medication non-adherence.
‘It’s a pleasure to use the term gifted in a constructive way’
Our editor Jon Sutton meets independent practitioner educational psychologist Paul Curran.
A treasure trove of psychological wisdom
Mandeep Singh and Niamh Doody on ‘conscious rap’.
‘It’s a privilege to work at Great Ormond Street, but it brings responsibilities’
We meet Dr Rachel Bryant-Waugh.
January 2019
More than a gut feeling
John F. Cryan addressed the annual conference of the British Psychological Society’s Psychobiology Section.
‘It’s an intriguing world that is opening up'
Jon Sutton meets Sarah Garfinkel at the annual conference of the Psychobiology Section.
‘It was an exciting time to be a cognitive psychologist’
We speak to Alan Baddeley, Professor at the University of York, about his new book Working Memories: Postmen, Divers and the Cognitive Revolution (Routledge).
The memory alchemists turning rain to gold
We meet Hilde and Ylva Østby, to hear about their 'Adventures in Memory', and run an exclusive chapter from the book.
Hope, control and opportunity
Thea Fitch talks to Ian Florance about her move from homelessness and eating disorders to becoming a psychologist working at the Recovery and Wellbeing College.
‘We seek to liberate people’
Ian Florance hears from Tony Page – self-employed Chartered Psychologist and author – about our ‘mistaken craving for freedom’.
Transforming knowledge about human behaviour
The Human Behaviour Change Project team on a unique collaboration between behavioural and computer scientists.
‘I’ve read every word of more than 240 consecutive issues of The Psychologist’
One on one… with Peter Dillon-Hooper, who this month retires from the BPS and his post as Assistant Editor of The Psychologist after more than 20 years of service.
A Little Life – but a profound story
Martin Milton on what psychologists can learn from the Hanya Yanigihara novel.
Walking through snow to get to work
Joe MacDonagh on the Hawthorne Studies – the origins of modern organisational research.
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ISSN: 0952-8229 (Print), 2398-1529 (online)
...From the archive
Paul A. Howard-Jones asks how can we use insights from neuroscience to provide more effective teaching and learning