Emotional Processing 

Researchers

The main sections of this site were written by the members of the core team at the Dorset Research & Development Support Unit.  Researchers we knew had an interest in emotional processing as applied to specific areas, such as irritable bowel syndrome, were invited to contribute as guest authors.  This helped to broaden the scope of the site and also made us aware of angles we had missed.

Professor Roger Baker (Editor)

Roger has worked in a dual role as researcher and clinical psychologist at Leeds, Aberdeen & Bournemouth Universities and in NHS Trusts specialising in mental health.

Early in his career he researched the application of behavioural techniques with schizophrenic patients, producing REHAB (Rehabilitation Evaluation Hall & Baker) with John Hall in 1989.  In 1977 he joined a research programme on cognitive therapy approaches in panic disorder, editing 'Panic Disorder: Theory Research & Practice' in 1989 and writing the self help book 'Understanding Panic Attacks and Overcoming Fear' which has been published in several languages and editions since 1995.  During therapy with panic disorder patients, his attention was drawn to the way in which they described their emotional life.  His research interests turned towards the understanding and assessment of emotional processing.  He is Visiting Professor at Bournemouth University and Consultant Clinical Psychologist with Dorset HealthCare NHS Trust.  He is co-ordinator of the Dorset Research & Development Support Unit.

Mr Matthew Owens

Matthew, a psychology graduate, joined the Dorset RDSU in October 2002 as a project co-ordinator for the emotional processing in a mental health research study.  He has experience working with people with learning disabilities and mental health problems and in psychological approaches for people with Autistic Spectrum Disorders.

His BSc Hons dissertation was entitled ‘Autism:  cognitive deficit or male cognitive phenotype?’  

Lara Tosunlar

Lara has recently graduated with a BSc in Psychology.  Her second year was spent on the west coast of America after winning a scholarship to study at Western Washington University.  Her honours dissertation explored the relationship between eating behaviours, body image and body mass index in Eating Disorders, with a particular focus on the non-specific group.

She joined the Dorset Research & Development Support Unit as Publications Officer in July 2004.  She has experience of working within the interdisciplinary team of the Pain Clinic in Poole Hospital and as an assistant psychologist in an adult mental health team, Dorset HealthCare NHS Trust.

Dr Sarah Thomas

Sarah's background is in experimental psychology and her PhD was in the area of implicit learning.  Prior to her PhD studies she worked as an Assistant Psychologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital in a clinic for children with feeding difficulties.  She joined the Dorset Research Development & Support Unit in December 2000 and is now Senior Research Fellow.  Before joining the Dorset RDSU she worked as a Research Fellow in the Department of Psychology, University of Southampton, exploring how individuals develop likes and dislikes.

Professor Peter Thomas

Peter has a Personal Chair in Health Care Statistics & Epidemiology at Bournemouth University. He has many years of experience in providing statistical and methodological advice and support to health researchers from a variety of backgrounds.

He is an active collaborator in research led by others, as well as conducting his own research. He has published widely in the fields of paediatric and perinatal epidemiology and chronic disease epidemiology. 

He has previously worked for the British Medical Research Council Laboratories in Jamaica and the University of Bristol.

Mariaelisa Santonastaso

Mariaelisa is a clinical and community psychologist working for the Dorset Research & Development Support Unit since July 2005 on the Italian Validation of the Emotional Processing Scale.  She obtained her degree from the University of Bologna with honours; Thesis title "Emotional Processing Scale: Validazione Italiana".  She was awarded the "Leonardo da Vinci" scholarship allowing her to gain work experience in the United Kingdom.  She holds a qualification in Integrated Autogenic Training for knowledge and practical application of relaxation techniques.

Dawn Stevens

Dawn joined the Dorset Research & Development Support Unit in April 2000.  She became interested in website design and produced the Dorset RDSU's own website in 2003.  She has also designed the emotional processing website.

The core of this website was written by members of the Dorset Research & Development Support Unit.  This is an UK National Health Service Unit which started in 1995 and is based at Poole Hospital NHS Trust.  Its aim is to encourage and support research and development by health related staff in the county of Dorset, England.  Professor Paul Thompson, Consultant Rheumatologist, is director of the unit.  The stakeholders of the unit are Dorset HealthCare NHS Trust, Poole Hospital NHS Trust, Royal Bournemouth & Christchurch Hospitals NHS Trust, West Dorset General Hospital NHS Trust, Poole Primary Care Trust, Bournemouth Primary Care Trust, North Dorset Primary Care Trust, South & East Dorset Primary Care Trust and the Institute of Health & Community Studies, Bournemouth University.  More information about the RDSU can be found on our website, www.rdsu.org.uk

Professor Jack Rachman

Professor Jack Rachman, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of British Columbia, has been a major figure in the development of Behaviour Therapy throughout the world.  At first assistant editor, then editor of 'Behaviour Research & Therapy' from its inception in 1963 until 2002, he has helped to encourage and shape the face of both behaviour therapy and cognitive therapy.  His innovative articles including The primacy of affect (1981), Cognitive therapy of compulsive checking (2004), The overprediction of fear (1994), Cognitive theory of obsessions (1997), Fearful distortions (1992) and Emotional processing (1980) are widely cited in the psychology literature.  His books, such as The meanings of fear (1974), Fear and courage (1990), Panic disorder; the facts (1992 with Padmal de Silva) and Obsessive-compulsive disorder; the facts (1998 with Padmal de Silva) make cognitive behavioural principles accessible to sufferers and to a wider audience.

Helen Bolderston

Helen is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist working in the NHS in Bournemouth, Dorset.  She works directly with adults with mental health problems, as well as supervising other clinical staff and being involved in service development.  She has had training in cognitive behaviour therapy, gestalt psychotherapy, dialectical behaviour therapy and mindfulness as a therapeutic practice.  She has particular interest in the roles of acceptance and change in psychotherapy.  This is part of a wider interest in finding the meeting points between mainstream, research-based therapies and less mainstream, awareness-based and holistic therapies.

Professor Les Todres

Les Todres, PhD is a clinical psychologist and Professor of Qualitative Research and Psychotherapy at the Institute of Health and Community Studies, Bournemouth University. His previous occupational roles have included head of a student counselling service and director of a clinical psychology training programme. He has also worked within National Health Service Clinics and GP practices within the United Kingdom. He has published in the areas of phenomenological psychology and  integrative psychotherapy. In 2004 he co-founded, and now co-leads, the Centre for Qualitative Research at Bournemouth University. He is a qualified Focusing Trainer (New York Focusing Institute: www.focusing.org), and this is the approach taken in the article .

Dr Sam Dench

Sam is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist working in East Dorset and has worked with older people under the care of Dorset HealthCare NHS Trust since 1997.  Sam is interested in learning more about emotional processing across the age span, and looking at how insights gained from research in this area may help inform psychological therapies and promote well-being for older people. Other clinical and/or research interests include motivation for change in therapy, core schemas and impulsive behaviour and cognitive analytical therapy

Clare McDermott

For the past four years Clare has been the Research Co-ordinator at the Dorset CFS/ME Service. The team, led by Dr Selwyn Richards, has been carrying out research into both the etiology and the treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). They have recently published an observational study evaluating lifestyle management - a holistic treatment approach used by Occupational Therapists at the Dorset CFS Service. Other recently completed projects include a randomized controlled trial evaluating a potential treatment for CFS based on immune stimulation and a collaborative study with Imperial College (London) investigating gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with CFS (a method of looking at changes in a wide variety of biochemical pathways by investigating the activity of the genes controlling them).

In addition to continuing to work part time for the Dorset CFS Service, Clare is currently working at the University of Southampton on research into colorectal cancer and is completing an MSc in Research Methods in Health.

Jane Raleigh

Jane qualified as an occupational therapist in 1995.  Studying occupational therapy gave her the chance to combine interests in physical medicine and psychopathology.

Since qualifying she has specialized in musculoskeletal medicine.

She is currently employed in a clinical specialist post in rheumatology at Dorset County Hospital, Dorchester.  Earlier this year she completed an MSc in Rehabilitation Science at the University of Southampton.  During the course, she was particularly inspired by the psychosocial aspects of illness and disability module she took within the School of Psychology.  At the same time, she has been involved with the Mind & Body network in Dorset, which stimulated further her interest in the relationship between the psyche and the soma in physical medicine and rheumatology in particular.  This culminated in her recent research project, which investigated emotional processing deficits in women with fibromyalgia syndrome.

Dr Mary Reid

Mary is senior lecturer at the Institute of Health & Community Studies, Bournemouth University. 

She is a psychologist and psychotherapist who specialises in working with people who have chronic illness.  Her PhD was in exploring psyche-soma relationships in the psychotherapy of patients with functional abdominal pain.

Dr Selwyn Richards

Selwyn is a consultant rheumatologist at Poole Hospital NHS Trust and the lead clinician for the Dorset Chronic fatigue syndrome service at Wareham. His main areas of research are into the impact, cause and management of CFS/ME and fibromyalgia and multicentred clinical trial work in rheumatology. The results of his award winning research fellowship on the benefits of prescribed exercise in fibromyalgia have been published in the British Medical Journal.

http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/abstract/325/7357/185

Dorset RDSU
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Email dawn.stevens@poole.nhs.uk