Meet the Group
Founding Members
PSYCHOLOGIST, CO-FOUNDER
Dr Matt Owens, PhD
Matt is a researcher with over 15 years of experience in academia. He completed his MSc and PhD in psychological research at Developmental Brain Behaviour Laboratory, University of Southampton and went on to take positions of Postdoctoral Scientist position at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge and Research Fellow at the Mood Disorders Centre, University of Exeter.
Matt now teaches Developmental Psychology and Psychopathology in the Department of Psychology, University of Exeter and carries out clinically facing research. He is working towards his Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy and recently won a commendation for his teaching from the University of Exeter. Matt has a wide range of experience in various methodological approaches including experimental psychology, psychiatric epidemiology, psychometrics and specialises in complex multivariate statistical analysis. Matt has over 40 publications in peer-reviewed academic journals including JAMA and PNAS and regularly acts as a reviewer for number of journals.
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST, CO-FOUNDER
Dr Hannah Bunce, DClinPsy
Hannah is a clinical psychologist and has worked in the NHS for fifteen years across different service settings. Hannah completed her clinical training at the University of Exeter and prior to that, completed a MSc in Mental Health Studies at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London. She also worked as a research assistant on the EU-funded MooDFOOD trial and as a research coach on the TOPS-UK and TOPS-Y trials, all based at the University of Exeter.
Hannah has a strong relational approach in her clinical work and is currently completing her Cognitive Analytic Therapy practitioner qualification. She is also undertaking her Qualification in Clinical Neuropsychology.
Members
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST, MEMBER
Dr Dora Bernardes, D.ClinPsy, PhD
I am a Chartered Clinical Psychologist (D.ClinPsy) and academic Senior Lecturer (PhD), specialised in working with children, young people and families. I joined the University of Exeter in October 2020 as the Academic Lead for MCAPs (Clinical Associate in Psychology MSc). In addition, I am working towards creating a culture where we bring Equality, Diversity and Inclusion to all that we do.
I completed my Psychology undergraduate degree in Lisbon, Portugal. Following this, I completed a PhD in Social Psychology at the University of Exeter in 2006 (supervised by Professor Tom Postmes). With the support of a Scholarship by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, I investigated the ways we make impressions and how this impact on how we relate to group members. I presented my research at international conferences and was awarded a Post-Doctoral Fellowship by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) which I took up at Cardiff University in 2006-7 (Mentored by Professor Russell Spears).
Following this, I completed a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology with Distinction at Plymouth University. During my training, I completed a Family Therapy foundation course. I was also selected on the basis of a national competition for a clinical placement at the Tavistock Clinic in London, Adolescent Department. Post-qualification I worked with children, young people in a variety of settings, including in a CAMHS team in Edinburgh, in Paediatric Psychology Service in Forth Valley and in a Child Development Centre in Torbay. In 2015 I was promoted to Lead of a Paediatric Psychology Service which I took up until 2020. During this work, I further developed my skills in Leadership, service development, clinical supervision and joint working with other services towards best patient care.
I received the British Psychological Society Award for contribution to Clinical Psychology at doctoral level in 2012.
TRAINEE CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST, MEMBER
Dr Heather Stephenson, DClinPsy
Heather completed her clinical psychology doctorate program at the University of Exeter. She completed her undergraduate psychology degree at Bath University, which included a placement year in adult acute inpatient and assertive outreach services. Heather previously worked as a research assistant exploring novel police interviewing techniques for individuals with autism. Since then, she has worked in NHS and private settings in healthcare, occupational therapy and psychology roles and gained experience in forensic services.
MEMBER
Rini Leivang, MSc
Rini completed her MSc in Psychological Research Methods at the University of Exeter. She completed her BSc in Psychology at Erasmus University, specializing in Clinical Psychology. Her current dissertation focuses on the effect of nature-based meditation on wellbeing, with a comparison between an outdoor and indoor environment. Her research interests include video-gaming addiction and mindfulness-based practices to improve wellbeing.
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST, MEMBER
Dr Megan Rowley, DClinPsy
Megan is a Clinical Psychologist and also holds a MSc in Psychological Research Methods and BSc in Applied Psychology (Clinical), from the University of Exeter. She has 6 years' experience of working in the NHS supporting both children and adults with a range of mental health difficulties. Research interests include nature-based metal health prevention in adolescents..
Past Members
INTERN, PAST MEMBER
Adela Iliescu, Undergraduate Psychology student
Adela is a 2nd-year Psychology undergraduate student at the University of Exeter. She has previously worked with marginalised communities in partnership with NGOs, such as UNWomen UK, Jane Goodall Institute (Singapore) and TeaTalk (Hanoi). Having attended an arts institution for 6 years, she has a background in performing arts which she hopes to apply to her future work. Her research interests include exploring alternative forms of therapy through methods that are art-based and mindfulness-based.