Dr Nicola Cogan

Senior Lecturer

Psychology

Contact

Personal statement

Nicola joined Strathclyde in October 2017 having previously worked as a consultant clinical psychologist and clinical lead in mental health services in the NHS. She has over 15 years NHS experience working as a practitioner clinical psychologist in mental health services. She retains an honorary consultant clinical psychologist post in NHS Lanarkshire. Her consultancy work has largely concerned trauma informed practice with first responder and frontline workers. She completed a Professional Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (D.Clin.Psy) at the University of Edinburgh. Prior to this she completed a PhD in Psychology and Social Policy and Social Work and MA (Hons) Psychology at the University of Glasgow.Her research interests are in the areas of mental health, wellbeing, recovery and citizenship in applied health and social contexts. She is involved with research adopting community participatory research methods. She is a member of the International Recovery and Citizenship Collective led by Yale Medical School, where she has a strong working collaborative.

She has an interest in issues concerning transitions from military to civilian life for veterans and their families. She has a growing interest in health behaviour change, with a focus on vaccination uptake. Finally, she is interested in the uses of technology in health and well-being interventions.

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Publications

Overcoming stigma and addressing inequalities in mental health using AI-powered technologies
Cogan Nicola
Mental Health Research Forum: Strategies for Sustainable Wellbeing (2024)
"I've got no PPE to protect my mind" : understanding the needs and experiences of first responders exposed to trauma in the workplace
Cogan Nicola, Kirk Alison, Graf Christoph, Watson Lee, Craig Ashleigh, Milligan Lucy, Burns Tara, McCluskey Robyn, Ptak Wiktoria, Goodman Jolie, Irvine Fitzpatrick Linda, De Kock Hannes
European Journal of Psychotraumatology (2024)
The taboo of mental health problems, stigma and fear of disclosure among Asian international students : implications for help-seeking, guidance and support
Cogan Nicola A, Liu X, Chau Y Chin-Van, Kelly SW, Anderson T, Flynn C, Scott L, Zaglis A, Corrigan P
British Journal of Guidance and Counselling Vol 52, pp. 697-715 (2024)
https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2023.2214307
Early intervention and prevention of traumatic stress among first responders and health care workers
Cogan Nicola, Kirk Alison, McCormick Christopher, Craig Ashleigh, Milligan Lucy, Burns Tara, McCluskey Robyn, Ptak Wiktoria, Goodman Jolie, Irvine Fitzpatrick Linda, De Kock Johannes Hannes
Trauma Summit Belfast 2024 (2024)
Health and social care professionals' experience of psychological safety within their occupational setting : a thematic synthesis scoping review protocol
Hoegh Josephine, Rice Gemma, Shetty Shruti, Ure Aoife, Cogan Nicola, Peddie Nicola
COJ Nursing & Healthcare Vol 8, pp. 915-920 (2024)
https://doi.org/10.31031/COJNH.2024.08.000700
Young people's coping strategies when dealing with their own and a friend's symptoms of poor mental health : a qualitative study
Pimenta Sofia M, Hunter Simon C, Rasmussen Susan, Cogan Nicola, Martin Bethany
Journal of Adolescent Research Vol 39, pp. 612-638 (2024)
https://doi.org/10.1177/07435584211062115

More publications

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Teaching

Nicola has a range of teaching and citizenship roles at both UG and PG level. She has a specific interest teaching in applied mental health and clinical practice. She utilises a range of teaching methods including didactic approaches, group work, role play techniques and case study illustration. She has the following citizenship roles associated with teaching:

 - Deputy Course Director on MSc in Clinical Health Psychology course 

 - Class leader for the 4th year Psychology of Mental Health class

 - Class leader for Professional Practice (MSc in Clinical Health Psychology

She teaches on the following classes:

  - 2nd year Introduction to Mental Health Difficulties class (Psychology and Counselling)

  - 3rd year Research Methods and Data Analyses class (Psychology and Physical Activity for Health).

 - 4th year Psychology of Mental Health Class

 - Clinical Psychology Related to Medical Conditions (MSc in Clinical Health Psychology)

 - Professional Practice (MSc in Clinical Health Psychology).

She teaches within Social Policy and Social Work on the Mental Health Officer practitioner course and UG course in Social Work.

She also supervises UG and PG dissertation projects.

I am currently supervising the following PhD students:

- Rachel Taylor – Mental health self-stigma and peer victimisation in adolescence

- Chloe Moore –  A multi-method investigation of the role of illness perceptions in endometriosis 

- Nesrine Boussaoui –The distinctive understandings and experiences of mental health and help seeking behaviour among Algerian students

- Enver Ether - LGBT Mental health: a multi-dimensional  psychosocial analysis of LGBT mental health issues in North Cyprus

- Dr Colin Stewart – The role of cognitive behavioural therapy as an adjunct to the treatment of patients with asthma, with a focus on remote delivery via app development and other technology

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Research Interests

Nicola joined Strathclyde in October 2017 having worked full-time as a consultant clinical psychologist and clinical lead in mental health services in the NHS. She has over 15 years applied NHS experience working as a practitioner clinical psychologist in mental health services. She retains an honorary consultant clinical psychologist post in NHS Lanarkshire. She completed a Professional Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (D.Clin.Psy) at the University of Edinburgh. Prior to this she completed a PhD in Psychology and Social Policy and Social Work and MA (Hons) Psychology at the University of Glasgow. Her research interests are in the areas of mental health, wellbeing, trauma, resilience, recovery and citizenship in applied health and social contexts. She is involved with research adopting community participatory research methods. She is a member of the International Recovery and Citizenship Collective led by Yale Medical School, where she has a strong working collaborative.

She has an interest in issues concerning transitions from military to civilian life for veterans and their families. She has a growing interest in health behaviour change, with a focus on vaccination uptake. Finally, she is interested in the uses of technology in health and well-being interventions.

Professional Activities

Mental Health Research Forum: Strategies for Sustainable Wellbeing
Speaker
15/10/2024
Trauma management with first responders and healthcare workers: Developing an evidence based and co-created digital intervention
Speaker
15/2/2024
Mental health and wellbeing
Speaker
14/3/2023
CPD in PSH: Developing and applying skills in psychological science across health, social care and industry
Recipient
10/5/2022
Developing and applying skills in psychological science across health, social care and industry
Contributor
10/5/2022
University of Illinois (External organisation)
Advisor
1/9/2020

More professional activities

Projects

Insecure Employment and Suicide in Scotland
Rasmussen, Susan (Principal Investigator) Russell, Kirsten (Co-investigator) Cogan, Nicola (Co-investigator) Heap, Daniel (Research Co-investigator)
The aim of the project is to more fully understand the link between employment and financial instability and experiences of suicidal thinking and behaviour for people living in Scotland. In line with the tender, and as a result of adopting a mixed methods approach to the project we are proposing to focus our research questions on exploring what the links are between employment and

financial instability and, importantly, why these links exist. More specifically we wish to explore the following questions:

· What are the experiences of employment and financial instability in Scotland, and do those experiences link to suicidal thinking and behaviours?

· What are the temporal dynamics of the experiences of suicidal thinking and behaviours for individuals living in Scotland who experience employment and financial instability?

· Can we use the risk and protective variables specified by a key theory of suicidal thinking and behaviour to understand how employment and financial instability is linked to suicidal thinking and behaviours?
01-Jun-2023
Mental Health Futures Collaborative
Cogan, Nicola (Principal Investigator) Parra Rodriguez, Mario (Principal Investigator) Fleming, Leanne (Principal Investigator) Quinn, Neil (Principal Investigator) Tse, Dwight (Principal Investigator) Knifton, Lee (Principal Investigator) McCann, Lisa (Principal Investigator) Maguire, Roma (Principal Investigator) Smith, Matthew (Principal Investigator) Graham, Christopher Darryl (Principal Investigator) Grealy, Madeleine (Principal Investigator) Stephen, Susan (Principal Investigator) Weir, Natalie Mcfadyen (Principal Investigator) Donnachie, Craig (Principal Investigator) Cameron, Julie (Principal Investigator) Kane, Tony (Co-investigator) Lakey, Trevor (Academic) Donovan, Kevin (Fellow)
This Engage with Strathclyde event is aimed at all those with an interest in mental health including people with lived experience, NHS and social care personnel and staff, occupational health and human resource management staff, student support services, university student and staff, academics, private and public sector and other personnel interested in mental health research and knowledge exchange.


12-May-2023 - 12-May-2023
Mental Health Futures Collaborative: partners in research and knowledge exchange
Cogan, Nicola (Principal Investigator)
The main aims and objectives of MHFC are to:

1) Launch and raise awareness of the Mental Health Futures Collaborative
2) Develop strategic partnerships with key stakeholders including NHS and Social Care Agencies, Voluntary Organisations, Universities, People with Lived experience
3) Identify co-created mental health research and KE priorities with key stakeholders
4) Explore potential funding streams for collaborative partnership working
12-May-2023 - 12-May-2023
Digital health interventions in the workplace: co-created with stakeholder engagement
Cogan, Nicola (Principal Investigator) Kirk, Alison (Principal Investigator) Graf, Christoph (Principal Investigator)
The primary objective is to introduce new innovative digital health technologies which have been co-created with key stakeholders to improve employees physical and mental wellbeing in the workplace. Over the past five years a team of academics at Strathclyde University have been working with the Welbot company to develop cross platform applications to improve employee wellbeing. The aim of this event is to engage with large enterprises and public sector agencies to host a seminar which focuses on promoting positive health in the workplace and to showcase Welbot’s innovative applications and how they can be used across a wide range of workplaces
09-May-2023 - 09-May-2023
Stage-gate funds for Industry Engagement & Commercialisation support (stage 2)
Cogan, Nicola (Principal Investigator) Kirk, Alison (Principal Investigator) Rasmussen, Susan (Principal Investigator)
Awarded 10k funding from gate 2 industry engagement and commercialisation for development of Sentinel
01-Nov-2022 - 22-Feb-2023
Young people as peer researchers in research exploring mental health self-stigma: capturing diverse voices
Cogan, Nicola (Principal Investigator)
01-Aug-2022 - 31-Oct-2022

More projects

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Contact

Dr Nicola Cogan
Senior Lecturer
Psychology

Email: nicola.cogan@strath.ac.uk
Tel: 548 2580