Professor Helen Dent

Professor of Clinical and Forensic Psychology

Health, Science and Wellbeing

I received a BA(Hons) in Psychology from Hull University; a PhD in Psychology from Nottingham University and an MPhil in Clinical Psychology from the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London. My PhD and post Doctoral research concerned the reliability of children’s evidence in court. My interest in this continues and I am often invited to be an Expert Witness in legal proceedings. I am currently conducting research jointly with Dr Sarah Krahenbuhl into ex police officers’ views of attrition in child protection cases and I am supervising PhD research into the child’s journey through the forensic process.

Since obtaining my clinical qualification I have worked in various specialties in the NHS, including adult and child, substance misuse and neuropsychological assessment. My clinical research interests centre on Attachment Theory, which I find to be a very useful model to explain the difficulties experienced by people who have suffered adverse experiences in childhood.

I have worked in Higher Education on training programmes for clinical psychology at Leeds, Birmingham and Staffordshire/Keele Universities, where I developed the current Clinical Psychology Doctorate. I enjoy encouraging new trainees and I regularly supervise DClinPsy research projects.

I have recently enjoyed training as a Coach on an Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) validated module at Staffordshire University.

Professional memberships and activities

Registered Practitioner Psychologist (Clinical and Forensic) - Health and Care Professions Council
Chartered Psychologist (Clinical and Forensic) and Associate Fellow - British Psychological Society
Member of the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies
Co-Chair of the British Psychological Society Group of Trainers in Clinical Psychology 2012 - 2016
Member of the British Psychological Society’s Division of Clinical Psychology Executive 2013 - 2016

Academic qualifications

BA (Hons) Psychology University of Hull, 1973
PhD University of Nottingham, 1978
MPhil Institute of Psychiatry, University of London, 1982

Expertise

My clinical and forensic expertise centres around vulnerable young people and their parents. I conduct assessment, intervention and research in this area. I have held research grants and have acted as a Professional Consultant to the Department of Health, the British Psychological Society and other national organisations. In 2013, Dr Sarah Krahenbuhl and I were awarded a Student Academic Partnership to support our research into the progression of child protection cases. I regularly act as an External Examiner and as a reviewer for other clinical psychology Doctoral programmes.

Research interests

Children as Witnesses
Attachment Theory
Inter-professional Education

Publications

Niebieszczanski, R., Dent H.R. & McGowan, A. (In Press). “Your personality is the intervention”: A Grounded Theory of Mental Health Nurses’ Beliefs about Hope and Experiences of Fostering Hope Within a Secure Setting. Journal of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology.

Dent, H. (2015). Impact of Delay in the Child protection System: Consequences of Abuse and Neglect on Children and Young People. In B.Williams, E. Peart, R. Young & D. Briggs (Eds) Capacity to Change. Understanding a Parent’s Capacity to Change Within the Timescales of the Child. Bristol: Family Law, Jordan Publishing

Dent, H. (2014). Clinical Psychology: Research and Developments. London & NY: Routledge.

Priest, H., Roberts, P., Dent, H., Hunt, T., Weston, D., Chell, A., Blincoe, C., & Armstrong, C. (2011) Preparing for collaborative working in mental health: an interprofessional education project with clinical psychology trainees and nursing students. Journal of Mental Health Education, Training and Practice, 6 (1), 47-57.

Dent, H.R. & Blincoe, C. (2009). Experts from the Experts’ Perspective. Invited presentation to the Designated Civil Judges’ Annual Conference, 25th & 26th June, University of Warwick

Dent, H.R. & Dobbing,R. (2009). Vulnerability & Resilience: The role of childhood factors. Invited presentation to Protecting Women, the Annual Conference for Genito-Urinary Nurses, 2nd May, Staffordshire University

Priest, H., Roberts, P., Dent, H., Blincoe, C., Lawton, D. & Armstrong, C. (2008). Interprofessional education and working in mental health: in search of the evidence base. Journal of Nursing Management, 16, 474–485

Golding, K., Dent, H.R., Nissim, R., & Stott, E. (2006) Thinking Psychologically about Children who are Looked After and Adopted: Space for Reflection. Chichester: Wiley

helen.dent@staffs.ac.uk