Laura Warbrick

I am an early career clinical-researcher, with a clinical background in low-intensity CBT / PWP practice in NHS Talking Therapies settings. My work is currently funded by a competitively awarded NIHR Three Schools Mental Health fellowship and the Mental Health Mission (https://www.nihr.ac.uk/news/427-million-funding-boost-for-mental-health-research/33559); which link with the NIHR School for Primary Care Research and the Exeter Collaboration for Academic Primary Care (APEx) group.

I'm passionate about building mental health research and practice capacity for underserved groups - particularly those who fall in the "gap" between primary and secondary mental health services, the 'missing middle'. 

People falling into the missing middle often have complex and overlapping mental health difficulties, and may have been excluded from accessing support in the past. Unmet needs often include difficulties managing emotions, mood and relationships, which people commonly experience in the context of adverse early life experiences or 'complex trauma'. People may have recieved a label of 'personality disorder', 'complex emotional needs', 'complex trauma' or 'complex depression'; but may also have not have had the opportunity for a mental health assessment or diagnosis.

My interests include transdiagnostic, wellbeing-focused approaches - in particular those with a relational or behavioural focus.

Research Keywords:

• personality difficulties, personality disorder, complex emotional needs, complex trauma
• missing middle
• Primary Care,
• NHS TTad; Talking Therapies ( formerly IAPT, Improving Access to Psychological Therapies)
• wellbeing
• intervention development
• mental health service "gap"

My current work focuses on intervention development and pilot and feasibility evaluation of brief Primary Care clinician (GPs and clinicians working in Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Services (IAPT)) training packages which aim to improve care and outcomes for individuals with complex emotional needs, who may have experienced 'complex trauma' and who's difficulties are sometimes referred to as 'personality difficulties' or a 'personality disorder'.

I am based within the Mood Disorders Centre and also have strong links with the ADepT Programme (Augmented Depression Therapy). ADepT is a novel talking therapy for depression that aims to simultaneously reduce negativity and build positivity in an effort to keep people well in the long term. ADepT has been developed alongside service-users and NHS clinicians and we now aim to evaluate if the novel talking therapy for depression is better than current best practice in the NHS (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) in reducing depression and in building wellbeing; and how we might ADepT for use in different contexts, for example for clients with a history of complex trauma or depression in young adults.

Interests:

• Translational research
• IAPT service research
• documenting, innovating and building research capacity within the mental health service “gap”
• Research and capacity building in underserved clinical populations including individuals with experiences consistent with personality disorder spectrum difficulties
• Research capacity building in low-intensity therapies and the PWP workforce and other emerging psychological professions
• Transdiagnostic and wellbeing focused psychological therapy approaches

Qualifications:
Academic Qualifications:

BSc (Hons) Psychology, University of Nottingham, 2017 (1st class)

MSc Psychological Research Methods, University of Exeter, 2020 (Distinction; with Dean’s Commendation for Exceptional Performance)

Clinical Qualifications:

PGCert Psychological Therapies Practice (Low Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), University of Exeter, 2021 (Distinction)

Registered Wellbeing Practitioner with BABCP, 2021 onwards.