Centre for Psychological Health
The CPH, as part of the School of Psychology, brings together a critical service-focused research capacity to develop, implement and evaluate psychological interventions to enhance health and well-being. It has expertise in a range of psychological disciplines (e.g., Clinical, Counselling, Applied Behaviour Analysis, Health, Psychodynamic), research methods (e.g., single-case design, laboratory experiments, cross-sectional studies, longitudinal studies, intervention trials and Randomised Controlled Trials), and both quantitative and qualitative (e.g., Grounded Theory, Phenomenological Analysis, Narrative Inquiry, Discourse Analysis, Consensual Qualitative Research) analyses.
The Centre meets the needs of services for robust evidence-based approaches to enhance well-being, quality of life and optimal functioning in individuals and organisations, in both community and institutional settings.
The CPH supports research dissemination through publication, conferences, seminar series, and continuing professional development. It offers knowledge transfer through research, education and training, consultation and evaluation.
Building on a strong track record of service-provision research, the Centre will foster research-led innovation to help services optimise client well-being and advance the science of clinical practice.
Ethos
There are a number of key features that characterise the CPH’s ethos:
- Client centred approach: The CPH has a strongly client-centred perspective in the design and conduct of its research.
- Multidisciplinary perspectives: The CPH values the rich contribution of diverse disciplinary perspectives.
- Commitment to ethical standards: The CPH is committed to high ethical standards in the conduct of its work.
- Supportive work environment: The CPH promotes a strongly collegial and supportive environment for its staff.
- Partnership: The CPH endorses a partnership approach to its work with funders and stakeholders.
Mission Statement
To be an internationally recognized academic centre that conducts research on the development, implementation and evaluation of psychological interventions to enhance health and well-being. Our vision is to be a premier research institute recognised as a national and international centre of excellence that continuously improves psychological health through leadership, collaborative discoveries and innovation in research, and education. To achieve these objectives, the CPH
- applies the scientific methods and knowledge of psychology to enhance well-being, quality of life and optimal functioning in individuals and organisations, in both community and institutional settings
- fosters research-led innovation to help services optimise client well-being and advance the science of clinical practice.
- conducts research that is not only academically credible and rigorous, but that can also inform practice and policy
- educates clinicians, researchers and policy makers regarding evidence-based approaches to enhancing psychological health.
Aims and Objectives
The aims and objectives of the CPH are as follows:
- Conduct policy and practice relevant research on psychological health in individuals and organisations, in both community and institutional settings
- Promote client-centred research that gives voice to clients’ experiences and perspectives;
- Integrate perspectives on psychological health from relevant disciplines;
- Build capacity for research on psychological health nationally and internationally;
- Build effective links with colleagues in the field of psychological health internationally;
- Maintain effective links with services and organisations concerned with psychological health
- Contribute to policy debates relevant to the work of the Centre.
Staff
Staff research activities focus on translating psychological science into practical interventions to enhance well-being. Through enhanced engagement with service providers and external funders, the Centre delivers social benefit to a diverse range of populations.
• Director: David Hevey
• Principal researchers: Charlotte Wilson, Mary Creaner, Maeve Bracken, John Davenport, Mary Fell, Barbara Hannigan, John O’Connor, Kevin Tierney, Ladislav Timulak, Olive Healy, Mathew McCauley, Rahul Sambaraju.