Professor Christopher Darryl Graham

Psychology

Personal statement

I am probably most accurately considered a 'research clinical psychologist'. I joined Strathclyde in February 2023 as Professor of Clinical Psychology via the Global Talent Attraction Programme.

I undertake a funded (NIHR, Yorkshire Cancer Research) research programme in clinical health psychology – mostly evaluating the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for improving quality of life in physical and mental health conditions within clinical trials. Work from this programme is published in the leading medical and clinical psychology journals, including The Lancet, Psychological Medicine, Clinical Psychology Review, Annals of Behavioural Medicine, and has featured on BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 4 and many other media outlets.

My main research areas are:

1) Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as applied to chronic diseases and mental health

2) Psychological therapies for people living with neuromuscular conditions

3) Psychological interventions for maintaining well-being during and after cancer treatment

Current trials include:

- FRESH START (NIHR) - multi-centre RCT - testing ACT alongside other talking therapies for improving well-being for those who self-harm https://www.fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/RP-PG-1016-20005

- CONTACT-GAD (NIHR) - multi-centre RCT - testing ACT as a treatment for treatment resistent GAD in older adults https://www.fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR134141

- PROPEL (NIHR) - multi-centre RCT - testing a MDT intervention for improving fatigue and well-being in leukaemia https://www.fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR134257

- ROSETA (NIHR Advanced Fellowship - Sam Smith, University of Leeds) - definitive factorial trial of interventions for non-adherence to hormone therapies https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR300588

Teaching and wider roles:

I teach on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and psychological therapy across programmes in Psychology. I supervise several doctoral students internally and externally at other institutions. I supervise many students on the Masters in Clinical Health Psychology. I lead the mental health stream of the Future Hospitals Initiative. I am a member of the Department Ethics Committee.

I am Associate Editor of the British Journal of Health Psychology and Chair of the Mental Health sub-committee for the International Standards of Care for FSH Muscular Dystrophy. I am on the Medical Advisory Board for the Myositis Association. I hold honorary academic appointments at the University of Warwick and University of Leeds.

Publications

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Publications

Optimising a behavioural intervention to support endocrine therapy adherence for women with breast cancer : protocol for the ROSETA optimisation factorial randomised controlled trial: Green Sophie MC, Graham Christopher Darryl, Smith Samuel G; Trials (2026); https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-026-09765-6
Goal setting in stroke rehabilitation : a systematic review and qualitative synthesis of the experiences and perspectives of healthcare professionals: Fišerová Anna, Duchoňová Šarlota, Hafiz Hannah, Hagarová Martina, Morton Brodie, Tessmann Helena, Graham Christopher D, Rickardsson Nils; Clinical Rehabilitation (2026); https://doi.org/10.1177/02692155261446313
A randomised controlled trial of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy plus usual care in comparison to usual care alone for reducing anxiety in older people with treatment-resistant generalised anxiety disorder (CONTACT-GAD) : trial protocol: Gould Rebecca L, Callaghan Tia, White David, Loebach Wetherell Julie, Bursnall Matt, Bradburn Mike, Wailoo Allan, Serfaty Marc A, Graham Christopher Darryl, Howard Robert J, Wilkinson Philip, Musson Lucy, Ekers David, Walters Kate, Livingston Gill, Wuthrich Viviana M; BMC Geriatrics Vol 26 (2026); https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-026-07094-6
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for people living with motor neuron disease : the COMMEND feasibility study and randomised controlled trial: Gould Rebecca L, Thompson Benjamin J, Rawlinson Charlotte V, Bursnall Matt, Bradburn Mike, Keetharuth Anju D, Young Tracey, Lawrence Vanessa, White David A, Howard Robert J, Serfaty Marc A, McCracken Lance M, Graham Christopher D, Al-Chalabi Ammar, Goldstein Laura H, Androulaki-Koraki Dynameni, Kumar Pavithra, Weeks Kirsty, Gossage-Worrall Rebecca, Turton Emily J, Waterhouse Simon, Drewry Nicola, Cooper Cindy, Shaw Pamela J, McDermott Christopher J; Health Technology Assessment Vol 29, pp. 1-28 (2025); https://doi.org/10.3310/jhgd7339
"How do you know you know that you’re doing ACT?" An experimental study of simulated therapy sessions to explore the measurement properties of the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Fidelity Measure (ACT-FM): Collins Daniel, Vowles Kevin E, Norton Samuel, McCracken Lance M, Curran David, Graham Christopher D; Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science Vol 37 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2025.100926
Psychological risk factors for suicide and self-harm thoughts and behaviours, irrespective of intention in Nigeria: Kasim Bahijja Tanko, Graham Christopher Darryl, Russell Kirsten, Rasmussen Susan; 9th Suicide & Self-harm Early & Mid-Career Researchers’ Forum 2025 (2025)

More publications

Research

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Professional Activities

Invited workshop "Acceptance and commitment therapy for medical problems": Royal College of Psychiatry - Faculty of Liaison Psychiatry Annual Conference: Speaker; 7/5/2026
External Examiner - PhD (Yingna Li), University of Edinburgh: Examiner; 27/4/2026
The use of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) with long-term health conditions: where are we now and where to next.: Speaker; 22/4/2026
Internal Examiner PhD - Dr Sommer Agnew: Examiner; 16/10/2025
Psychology (Organisational unit): Advisor; 12/2/2025
Brown University - Promotion referee: Consultant; 2025

More professional activities

Projects

UoS/NHS Lanarkshire Psychological Therapies Research and Teaching Clinic: Graham, Christopher Darryl (Principal Investigator) Rickardsson, Nils (Co-investigator); 20-Jan-2026
Acceptance Commitment Therapy: Graham, Christopher Darryl (Principal Investigator) Rickardsson, Nils (Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2025 - 31-Jan-2027
a qualitative study exploring the experience of psychological therapists working with patients with acute myeloid leukaemia: Rickardsson, Nils (Principal Investigator) Graham, Christopher Darryl (Co-investigator); Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML), and its treatment, is known to have a range of physical and psychological challenges on patients. From a patient perspective, these challenges are documented in both qualitative and quantitative research highlighting the experience of people suffering from them, and the prevalence of these issues. From these findings, psychological support, and the provision of clinical psychology services, in oncology is more common now and is recommended to meet the full biopsychosocial needs of AML patients. However, we have a limited knowledge in terms of what psychological problems are referred to clinical psychology services, and what interventions and methods are used in these services to manage these issues today. It is also not known how psychological therapists find it working with a population faced with a highly challenging condition.

By exploring the experiences of psychological therapists working with people with AML, we hope to learn more about what type of psychological issues they tend to see in their practice, and what techniques and methods they employ to support this patient group. It is hoped that knowing more about this area can support clinicians and services in this field as it can highlight challenges to be addressed or strengths of specific working practices, techniques, models. It is also hoped that this research has validating and educational value to less experienced clinicians. Likewise, by exploring the experiences of clinicians first hand, this can provide qualitative data for researchers developing and evaluating interventions in this area.; 01-Jan-2025 - 01-Jan-2027
Joint RA Post - Epilepsy (WQSE/Strath): Graham, Christopher Darryl (Principal Investigator); 01-Jan-2024 - 31-Jan-2027
Examining Narrative Crisis Model of Suicide: Ahuja, Hardik Singh (Academic) Rasmussen, Susan (Principal Investigator) Graham, Christopher Darryl (CoPI); Through my doctoral research, I am studying the Narrative Crisis Model of Suicide (NCM), exploring the mediation of trait vulnerabilities, suicidal narrative and suicide crisis syndrome leading to suicide outcomes. Currently, I am working on a scoping review to map the existing literature on NCM. My focus area in the model is the influence of stressful life events resulting in the onset of a suicidal narrative.; 01-Jan-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-Jan-2023 - 12-Jan-2023