Celebrating Psychology in the Midlands

Dr Harriet Baird and Professor Thomas Webb are part of the ESRC-funded Leadership Team for Behavioural Research in the UK (https://www.linkedin.com/company/behavioural-research-uk/) and led the psychology component of the Many Happy Returns project, which sought to conduct the research needed to enable reusable packaging systems (https://youtu.be/rJtA3q5lyqE?si=dXn5hhQpEqrrhJux).

They have published on the role of motivation, emotions, monitoring progress, planning, and time perspective in shaping behaviour.

Using psychology to help people act more sustainably

Keynote abstract:

Almost everyone agrees that we need to find ways to live more sustainably and reduce our impact on the environment. This talk will use our research on reducing single-use plastic to highlight the role of psychology within interdisciplinary approaches. For example, research suggests that reusing containers (e.g., for takeaway food and drink) can significantly reduce plastic waste. However, if reusable containers are to confer environmental benefits over single-use packaging, then environmental, material, and behavioural research is needed to investigate; (i) how many times a reusable container must be used to show an improvement over single-use, (ii) how the material properties of the container change with repeated use, and (iii) to what extent people are willing to use reusable containers, particularly as they start to show signs of wear. 

We will discuss our studies which suggest that people are relatively unwilling to (re)use containers that show any signs of previous use. Given that such responses can potentially undermine the success of reuse systems, we will also discuss potential solutions, including reassuring people about the cleanliness of shared containers, prompting people to think beyond their lifetime, and incentivising sustainable action and penalising less sustainable action.

Dr Rachael Wheatley

Dr Rachael Wheatley is a British Psychological Society chartered forensic psychologist and Health and Care Professions Council registered (practitioner) psychologist. Dr Wheatley is a full member of the Division of Forensic Psychology, a BPS chartered scientist, associate fellow of the BPS, holds a European Certificate in Psychology, and has an expert witness qualification. Dr Wheatley has worked for Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Services (UK) Psychology Services Group for 21 years and now oversees forensic psychology professional practice programmes, including the innovative online postgraduate diploma in Forensic Psychology Practice, at the University of Derby. 

She is also an independent practitioner, continuing to provide psychological risk assessments, individual interventions, supervision, training, and consultancy, specialising in addressing stalking (and related VAWG offending). Dr Wheatley was the lead author on the recently published BPS practitioner guide for psychologists working with those who have engaged in stalking and is the co-developer of the Early Awareness Stalking Intervention (EASI), working in partnership with the police and providing therapeutic interventions with people investigated for stalking offences.

Dr Wheatley has specialised in working with people who have stalked for the last 15 years and completed her Doctor of Psychology degree on what drives men who stalk and how practitioners can best respond to their needs, publishing widely on this topic.  Dr Wheatley is particularly interested in raising awareness of stalking behaviours and in working to improve (early) interventions with those who stalk and is a proud trustee with the Alice Ruggles Trust. She is also a committee member for the BPS Division of Forensic Psychology and being new to working in independent practice, recently joined Paul Griffiths, her DFP Committee Colleague, to share the DFP/SGIP Liaison Role, representing independent Forensic Practitioner Psychologist on the SGIP Committee.

Dr Wheatley remains research active, is widely published (including peer reviewed journal articles, book chapters and book editing), is an editorial board reviewer for the Journal of Forensic Practice, maintains a large network of industry partnerships, and is often invited as presenter as conferences, or in recording podcasts and interviews on the topic of stalking.

Dr Georgia Harris

Dr Georgia Harris completed the doctoral route to qualification at the University of Birmingham in 2022. Her doctoral thesis focussed on police lineup practices and memory processes involved in eyewitness decision making. Georgia has presented her doctoral research at conferences in the UK, USA and Japan. Georgia is an Associate Lecturer in Forensic Psychology at the University of Derby and teaches on the Forensic Psychology MSc and the Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) in Forensic Psychology Practice. 

Georgia also works in practice as a Forensic Psychologist, chartered by the British Psychological Society and registered with the Health and Care Professions Council. Georgia is an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society and on the Register of Applied Psychology Practice Supervisors. Throughout her professional training and practice, Georgia has worked across prison, hospital, and community settings. Previously in the community setting, Georgia has worked for a private practice that specialised in expert witness assessment for the family courts.

Within the prison setting, Georgia's role has included the delivery of Kaizen, a high intensity violence risk reduction programme. Georgia has also worked on a Democratic Therapeutic Community, which is a high intensity intervention for individuals with complex needs and offending related to personality functioning. Georgia has also worked in an offence neutral prison where her role involved leading on clinical decision making, as well as completing specialist psychological risk assessments for the parole board and providing psychological consultancy on risk. Georgia has also developed and delivering training on trauma informed practice and relational boundaries in forensic settings.  

In the hospital setting, Georgia has worked with individuals with a range of mental health needs and cognitive functioning abilities and has delivered individual and group therapies, as well as providing consultancy on risk management and care planning. Georgia currently works within the hospital setting whereby she has been working collaboratively with experts by experience to develop a new psychology service within an acute mental health setting. 

The journey to becoming a forensic psychologist pracademic

Keynote  abstract:

During this Keynote session, Dr Rachael Wheatley and Dr Georgia Harris will discuss their varied journeys into the field of Forensic Psychology before highlighting the "Scientist-Practitioner Model" and the benefits of being both an academic and practitioner (i.e., "Pracademic") in this exciting field.