Anne Cooke

I am Principal Lecturer at the Salomons Institute for Applied Psychology, and the Clinical Director of the Doctoral Programme in Clinical Psychology.

My first degree was from Edinburgh University in Linguistics and German, and I initially worked in the media. Following my decision to change direction and pursue a career in clinical psychology, I trained at London's Institute of Psychiatry, qualifying as a clinical psychologist in 1992. In 1999 I also gained BABCP accreditation as a Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist.

After qualifying I worked in inner city London for many years, mainly in a community mental health team and an acute mental health ward. I developed an interest in psychosis and also - in response to my experience of the complexities and limitations of offering mental health services to people in very difficult life situations - in critical approaches to mental health practice and in the service user/survivor movement. Alongside my clinical work I was manager of a psychology team and a tutor on the doctoral programme in clinical psychology at University College London. I also served as Media Officer for the British Psychological Society Division of Clinical Psychology.

I came to Salomons/CCCU in 1999, initially as Academic and Research Tutor. Since 2005 I have been a Director of the clinical psychology programme. In addition, I have worked clinically in local NHS services and within the Institute's Practice Consultancy service, as well as teaching on our Cognitive Behaviour Therapy programme and PhD in Professional Practice.

My clinical, research and teaching interests include psychological approaches to psychosis as well as community and critical psychology.

I am interested in the power of ideas and am interested in promoting debate about 'taken for granted' ideas in mental health. I have published extensively on critical approaches to mental health and particularly psychosis.

I convene the following teaching units:

Biological and Medical Approaches
Psychology and Society
Critical Psychology

I currently organise the 'Biological and Medical Approaches', 'Critical and Community Psychology' and 'Psychology and Society' teaching units on the clinical psychology programme. I have written about my approach to this teaching in a book chapter, 'Training that domesticates or education that liberates?' (https://www.academia.edu/84796882/Training_that_domesticates_or_education_that_liberates_Tensions_and_dilemmas_related_to_teaching_critical_psychology_in_the_context_of_UK_clinical_psychology_training)

I undertake and offer supervision in the areas of critical approaches to mental health and suicide.

I am committed to increasing the involvement of service users and survivors in the education of mental health professionals. I have published on this and also takes a lead on service user and carer involvement within the Doctoral Programme in Clinical Psychology.

I am interested in the cross-over between arts and mental health and has collaborated with several artists, notably the visual artist Anita Klein on 'Understanding Psychosis' and the experimental theatre company Ridiculusmus, with whom I was a co-applicant on a successful grant application to the Wellcome Foundation.

The research questions that I am interested in:

Epistemological, historical, political and cultural perspectives on clinical psychology and related institutions.
The debate about the role of psychology in our society. For example, is psychological therapy just ‘the opium of the people’? Would efforts directed at changing individuals be better directed at changing society?
Ethical Issues for the profession. For example, clinical psychologists often work as part of wider systems that are arguably damaging to clients. Is it best to work for change from within or to leave and work elsewhere?
Service user perspectives on services, including clinical psychology.

Knowledge exchange

I have been involved in a number of significant knowledge exchange projects in the area of public education about mental health, both on a local and a national level. I have edited or co-edited a number of public information reports for the British Psychological Society:

Recent Advances in Understanding Mental Illness and Psychotic Experiences (2001). This report, aimed at the public, journalists, policymakers and service users was widely read and cited.
Psychosis Revisited: A workshop for Mental Health Workers (2007) . Anne was awarded a grant by the UK Department of Health to produce a training course for mental health workers based on the BPSreport.
Understanding Bipolar Disorder: Why some people experience extreme mood states and what can help. (2011)
Understanding Psychosis and Schizophrenia (2014, 2017). This report has been highly influential and widely discussed internationally,

I am also in demand nationally and internationally as a speaker and in the media: for example, I have appeared on Radio 4's Today and All in the Mind programmes.

I am active on Twitter (AnneCooke14) and writes for the Institute's blog https://blogs.canterbury.ac.uk/discursive/ which aims to inform and involve the public and service users in current debates.

I have published extensively in the areas of psychological approaches to psychosis and critical and community approaches to mental health. My Google Scholar profile can be viewed at https://scholar.google.com/citations user=7rcheaAAAAAJ&hl=en&inst=17865657614040430227

Research Projects

Doctoral Research Project. Researcher(s): Mrs Rachel Waddingham. Supervisor(s): Ms Anne Cooke, Dr Sue Holttum. [Postgraduate Research Project (past)]

I am active as a public intellectual, trying to provide good quality public information about mental health and to encourage debate and discussion about 'taken for granted' ideas. I am active on Twitter, with over 20,000 followers.

I edited the British Psychological Society's influential public information report 'Understanding Psychosis and Schizophrenia', leading a team of 25 leading UK academics together with people who had experienced psychosis.

In 2017 I was named British Psychological Society Practitioner of the Year for my work in the field of public information.