Dr Cintia Faija PhD, CPsychol
Lecturer in Clinical Psychology & DClinPsy Research Tutor Year 3 Primary Care & Mental Health
Research
Research Overview
Over the years, I conducted research applied to common mental health problems, eating disorders and psychological therapy context. I use a range of methods but specialise in qualitative research and how to integrate qualitative methods within randomised controlled trials to examine mechanisms of action, acceptability, feasibility and implementation of psychological interventions.
My research interests focus on improving NHS mental health care services, understanding emotional processes, psychological therapies, recovery and long term benefits. I also have an interest in metacognitive therapy, implementation research, knowledge mobilisation, and global mental health.
Improving care for common mental health problems
This theme includes research in common mental health problems such as anxiety and depression and is related to improve psychological interventions delivered using different modes (e.g., telephone, online, group, face-to-face) and at different steps of mental health care (e.g., low intensity interventions, high intensity interventions).
Research in this area includes:
-Enhancing the quality of low intensity psychological interventions delivered by telephone in NHS Talking Therapies services
-Improving long-term benefits for anxiety and depression following discharge from low intensity interventions in NHS Talking Therapies services
-Engaging with patients, practitioners, services leads, team managers, clinical academics, policy makers and commisioners to improve NHS Talking Therapies services
-Understanding patient and practitioner experiences of online care in NHS Talking Therapies services
-Maximising the therapeutic yield of routine outcome measures as clinical process tools
-Metacognitive Therapy and Theory for anxiety and depression in physical health populations
Eating disorders, Self-Conscious Emotions and Emotional Processing
This theme includes research in eating disorders and understanding the role of self-conscious emotions (e.g., pride, shame, guilt, embarrassment). Developing understanding of the relationship and links between different self-conscious emotions and eating disordered behaviours will inform and support the development of psychological treatments, influencing therapist training, skills and service provision.
Research in this area includes:
-Understanding the role of pride, shame, guilt and embarrassment in eating disorders and its impact on seeking help for psychological treament and the maintenance of eating disorders
-Psychometric properties of the Pride in Eating Disordered Pathology Scale (PEP-S) in clinical and non-clinical populations. Scale available in English and Spanish via this link: https://www.uominnovationfactory.com/expressip/expressip-healthcare/peps/
-Exploring self-conscius emotions in eating disorders in adolescents and young people
Global Mental Health and Knowledge mobilization
This theme includes research in mental health in low-and-middle-income-countries and strategies to optimise knowledge transfer and effectiveness of dissemination strategies.
Research in this area includes:
-Understanding how to optimise research evidence in low-and-middle-income-countries to improve common mental health problems and reduce inequalities
-Identifying methods and strategies used to disseminate mental health research findings in low-and-middle-income countries and its effectiveness
-Adapting psychological interventions to cultural differences and improving mental health outcomes
-Improving access from ethnic minorities and other diversity groups to NHS Talking Therapies services