The University of Sheffield
Clinical Psychology Unit

Picture of CPSR launchPsychological Therapies

Focuses on improving decision-making, quality, and outcomes of services providing psychological treatment to people who have mental or physical health problems

The Centre for Psychological Services Research is an interdisciplinary collaboration between the University's School of Health & Related Research (ScHARR) and Department of Psychology. The Centre is headed by Professor Michael Barkham together with an executive team comprising Professors John Brazier (ScHARR), Gillian Hardy (Clinical Psychology Unit) and Glenys Parry (ScHARR).

The aim of the Centre is to improve decision-making, quality, and outcomes of services providing psychological treatment to people who have mental or physical health problems. It will do this by establishing interdisciplinary and collaborative research activity via a range of research programmes operating at local, national, and international levels. Its name reflects the unique positioning of Psychological Services Research (PSR) which combines the techniques and disciplines of Health Services Research together with those of psychological research.

Key areas of interest

The emphasis is on pragmatic multi-method approaches to translational research, aimed at improving the organisation and delivery of psychological services and placing health economics in a central role in their evaluation.

We have a particular interest in linking findings on therapy process, efficacy and cost-effectiveness, for example, through building and analyzing very large naturalistic data sets derived from UK service settings; comparing these with large international data sets on costs and outcomes; benchmarking outcomes against data from controlled clinical trials and understanding these services in the wider context of public mental health and well being.

Clinical Psychology Unit staff undertaking research in Psychological Therapies

Name Summary of thematic area Key collaborators
Prof Michael Barkham Practice-based evidence for the psychological therapies; practice research networks (PRNs); therapist effects; outcome measurement, in particular the CORE-OM and related measures; measure development Professor Gillian Hardy & Dr Steve Kellett (CPU); Professors Glenys Parry, John Brazier, & Dave Saxon (ScHARR); Dr Tom Ricketts (Sheffield Health & Social Care NHS Foundation Trust; Professor Karina Lovell (University of Manchester); Professor Simon Gilbody (University of York); Professor David Richards (University of Exeter); Professors Mike Lucock & Chris Leach (University of Huddersfield); Dr Jeremy Halstead (South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust); Professor Sue Wheeler (University of Leicester); Professor William B Stiles (Miami University); Professor Louis Castonguay (Penn State University); Professor Wolfgang Lutz (University of Trier)
Prof Gillian Hardy The processes and mechanisms of individual change, and the factors that influence these processes, particularly in relation to psychological health and ill health. Tom Ricketts (ScHARR, University of Sheffield); Prof Glenys Parry (ScHARR, University of Sheffield); Dr Tom Webb (Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield); Dr Joel Town (NHS)
Dr Stephen Kellett Evaluation of the clinical and occupational impact of psychological therapies. Prof Glenys Parry (ScHARR, University of Sheffield); Tony Ryle (Retired); Dawn Bennett (NHS); Dr Colin Lindsay (University of York)
Prof Glenn Waller Research interests are in the cognitive-behavioural psychopathology of the
eating disorders and the use of that knowledge further to develop evidence-based therapies for the eating disorders. That work ties to a
broader research field involving clinicians' delivery of evidence-based
psychological treatments.
Local network of clinicians working with eating disorders (five specialist services in Sheffield); Psychological Researchers in Eating Disorders Network (King's College London, University of East Anglia, University of Southampton); Loughborough University Centre for Eating Disorders;
University of Calgary; University of London

Selected Key Publications for the Psychological Therapies theme

See Clinical Psychology Key Publications & Grant Awards for a wider selection of key publications/grants for the whole unit. A full list of publications and grants for each member of staff can be accessed via individual web pages.

Kellett, S. Purdoe, F. & Bickerstaff, D. (in press). Predicting return to work from health related welfare following low intensity cognitive behaviour therapy. Behaviour Research and Therapy.

Saxon D & Barkham M (2012) Patterns of therapist variability: therapist effects and the contribution of patient severity and risk. J Consult Clin Psychol, 80(4), 535-546.

Waller G, Stringer H & Meyer C (2012) What cognitive behavioral techniques do therapists report using when delivering cognitive behavioral therapy for the eating disorders? J Consult Clin Psychol, 80(1), 171-175.

Houghton S, Saxon D, Bradburn M, Ricketts T & Hardy GE (2010) The effectiveness of routinely delivered cognitive behavioural therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder: a benchmarking study. Br J Clin Psychol, 49(Pt 4), 473-489.

Selected Key Grant Awards

Ayer, T.A., Kellett, S. Developing a stepped-care mood in Primary Care for Long Term Conditions/Medically Unexplained Symptoms: Phase 2 (Awarded 2013). £170,000.

British Association of Counselling & Psychotherapy Research Foundation (BACP): Barkham, M. (PI), Saxon, D., Bennett, S., Bower, P., Bradburn, M., Brazier, J., Elliott, R., Gabriel, L., Hardy, G.E., Kellett, S., King, M., Pilling, S., Waller, G., & Shaw, S. Pragmatic, Randomised Controlled Trial assessing the non-Inferiority of Counselling and its Effectiveness for Depression (PRaCTICED). (Awarded subject to contract 2013). £449,891.

Ayer, T.A., Kellett, S. Developing a stepped-care mood in Primary Care for Long Term Conditions/Medically Unexplained Symptoms: Phase 1 (Awarded 2012). £170,000.

NIHR Health Technology Assessment (HTA): Lovell,K., (PI) Bower, P., Bee, P., Roberts, C., Mottram, P., Lidbetter, N., Barkham, M., Hardy, G.E., Reynolds, S., Gega, L., Gilbody, S., McMillan, D., & Byford, S. Obsessive Compulsive Treatment Efficacy Trial (OCTET). (Awarded 2011). £1,806,152.

Big Lottery Fund Social Fund. Waller, G. (lead academic applicant, in collaboration with charity). Cognitive behavioural therapy and cognitive analytic therapy for anorexia nervosa (Awarded 2010). £457,000.

Current PhD students

Current DClin Psy Trainee Projects 2012-13