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Shirley Thomas

Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences

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Biography

Dr Shirley Thomas is an Associate Professor in Rehabilitation Psychology at the University of Nottingham. She is an HCPC Registered Health Psychologist, Chartered Psychologist (Health) and an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society (AFBPsS).

Shirley achieved her BSc (Hons) in Psychology at the University of Nottingham in 2001 and was awarded her PhD in Psychology in 2006, also from the University of Nottingham. Her PhD thesis was titled 'Factors relating to emotional distress after stroke'. Following her PhD she received a therapy research bursary from Stroke Association, for which she was based in the division of Rehabilitation & Ageing as a Research Fellow, and alongside this role she was a part-time Research Tutor for the Trent Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy), employed by the University of Lincoln.

Shirley was appointed as a Lecturer in Rehabilitation Psychology at the University of Nottingham in January 2009 and was promoted to Associate Professor in Rehabilitation Psychology in August 2016.

Shirley's main research interest is in the psychological aspects of stroke, particularly the assessment and treatment of mood problems following stroke. She completed a multicentre randomised controlled trial of behaviour therapy to treat low mood in people who have aphasia following a stroke, funded by the Stroke Association (CALM trial). She is currently leading an NIHR-HTA funded feasibility trial of behavioural activation for post-stroke depression (BEADS trial). She is a collaborator on a range of other studies including a biopsychosocial intervention for stroke carers, solution focused brief therapy for people with aphasia and peer befriending for people with aphasia.

Expertise Summary

Keywords:

Psychological aspects of stroke rehabilitation, patient mood assessment, aphasia, randomised controlled trials, stroke rehabilitation

Teaching Summary

Dr Shirley Thomas is the Course Director for the MSc in Rehabilitation Psychology and the Postgraduate Teaching (PGT) lead for the Division of Rehabilitation & Ageing. She is a personal tutor for… read more

Research Summary

Dr Thomas' broad research interest in is the psychological aspects of physical illness and disability, in particular mood problems. She is interested in identifying what factors are related to people… read more

Recent Publications

Dr Shirley Thomas is the Course Director for the MSc in Rehabilitation Psychology and the Postgraduate Teaching (PGT) lead for the Division of Rehabilitation & Ageing. She is a personal tutor for students on the MSc Health Psychology.

She is module convenor for the Introduction in Research Methods and Clinical Skills modules.

She contributes to teaching on the modules Assessment of Cognitive Function, Stroke, and Theoretical Foundations of Rehabilitation.

Shirley also teaches sessions on the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and the BSc in Medical Physiology and Therapeutics.

Shirley supervises MSc project students across areas of health and rehabilitation psychology.

She also supervises PhD students across areas of health, rehabilitation and applied psychology.

Current Research

Dr Thomas' broad research interest in is the psychological aspects of physical illness and disability, in particular mood problems. She is interested in identifying what factors are related to people developing mood problems, the tools for assessing mood, and developing and evaluating psychological interventions for low mood. To date her research has mainly been focused on people who have had a stroke.

Current projects

Chief Investigator: Behavioural activation therapy for depression after stroke (BEADS)

Co-investigator: Adjustment post stroke and aphasia: SUpporting wellbeing through PEeR Befriending (SUPERB) (Led by Professor Katerina Hilari at City University, funded by The Stroke Association)

REhabilitation and recovery of peopLE with Aphasia after StrokE (RELEASE) (Led by Professor Marion Brady at Glasgow Caledonian University, funded by NIHR HS&DR)

Behavioural intervention for stroke carers (BISC) (Led by Professor Marion Walker at the University of Nottingham, funded by NIHR RfPB)

Associate Investigator:

Preventing depression and reducing the impact of aphasia in stroke patients and their caregivers: a cluster randomised control trial of the Action Success Knowledge (ASK) program (led by Professor Linda Worrall at The University of Queensland, Australia, funded by NHMRC Australia)

Supervisor:

Stroke Association Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for Dr Sarah Northcott (City University). Adapting a psychosocial intervention for people with post-stroke aphasia: a feasibility study.

Stroke Association Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for Dr Eirini Kontou (University of Nottingham). Psychoeducational Intervention for People after a Transient Ischaemic Attack and Minor Stroke.

Past Research

Shirley previously led the CALM (Communication and Low Mood) study, which was a multicentre randomised controlled trial to evaluate behavioural therapy for treating low mood in people with aphasia after stroke. The study was was funded by the Stroke Association.

School of Medicine

University of Nottingham
Medical School
Nottingham, NG7 2UH

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