Dr Débora Vasconcelos e Sá

Débora is a chartered psychologist and senior lecturer in clinical psychology. Her research focuses on family carers of people with mental and physical health difficulties, their psychological wellbeing and how they appraise and adjust to their relative's condition.

[email protected]

Background

Débora also has experience in managing and coordinating clinical and health psychology research trials with a range of service user groups.

Débora's research focuses on interactions between the relative/carer and their family member/client. Her research looks at Expressed Emotion, attributions and behavioural control and how these variables impact on the relative/carer’s and family member/client’s outcome and recovery. She uses qualitative and quantitative methods such as Experience Sampling Methodology/Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA).

Before joining ARU in September 2017, Débora worked as a postdoctoral trial coordinator of a mindfulness-based online intervention project for people with Parkinson’s disease at City, University of London (UK). Her PhD explored the role of behavioural control, controllability and self-blame attributions in high- and low-Expressed Emotion relatives of clients experiencing psychosis, and examined the impact of these beliefs and behaviours on clients’ and relatives’ outcomes.

Before moving to the UK, Débora worked in the Depression and Anxiety Disorders Research Programme (Cambridge Health Alliance, Harvard Medical School) in Cambridge, Massachusetts (US), where she coordinated clinical psychiatry research trials with individuals with depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorders.

Débora is a member of the Research Centre for Better Living (Applied Health and Mind and Body groups).

Spoken Languages

• Portuguese
• Spanish
• German

Research interests

• Mental health distress (psychosis, seasonal affective disorder, obsessive-compulsive related disorders) and physical health (acquired brain injuries)
• Interpersonal/family interactions – Expressed Emotion (EE), attributions and behavioural control
• Family and clinical interventions (Compassion Focused Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Cognitive Analytic Therapy, Systemic Family Therapy)
• Experience Sampling Methodology (ESM)/Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA)

Areas of research supervision

See research interests.

Teaching

Courses

• BSc (Hons) Psychology with Clinical Psychology
• BSc (Hons) Psychology
• MSc Foundations in Clinical Psychology

Module leader

• Mental Health and Distress
• Clinical Formulation and Treatment
• Diagnosis and Formulation in Mental Health

Currently teaching

• Introduction to Clinical and Health Psychology
• Diagnosis and Formulation in Mental Health
• Clinical Psychology
• Psychological Therapies
• Mental Health and Distress
• Clinical Formulation and Treatment
• Diagnosis and Treatment in Clinical Child Psychology

Qualifications

• PhD in Clinical Psychology, University of Manchester, 2014
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• Postgraduate Diploma in Systemic Family Therapy, Autonoma University of Lisbon, 2003
• BSc (Hons) in Psychology (clinical cognitive-behavioural and systemic therapy), University of Lisbon, 2001

Memberships, editorial boards

British Psychological Society (BPS)

• Graduate member of the (MBPsS)
• Chartered psychologist (# 237718)
• General Member of the Division of Clinical Psychology

Portuguese Board of Psychologists (OPP)

• Chartered psychologist and effective member (# 23511)

Research grants, consultancy, knowledge exchange

• Innovate UK, UKRI (ref. 10149188) 2025: Effectiveness of Virtual Reality digital therapeutics for Seasonal Affective Disorder

Selected recent publications

Aminu, A., Aspell, J. E., Vasconcelos e Sá, D., & Bright, P. (2025). Estimation of premorbid intelligence in schizophrenia: a systematic literature review. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 47(4), 327–371. https://doi.org/10.1080/13803395.2025.2525281.

Salzer, E. B., Meireles, J. F. F., Kirk, E., Preston, C. E. J., Vasconcelos e Sá, D., & Neves, C. M. (2024). Body understanding measure for pregnancy scale (BUMPs): Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric properties among Brazilian pregnant women. Body image, 49, 101689. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2024.101689.

Bogosian A, Hurt CS, Hindle JV, McCracken LM, Vasconcelos e Sá, D., Axell S, Tapper K, Stevens J, Hirani PS, Salhab M, Ye W, Cubi-Molla P., 2022. Acceptability and Feasibility of a Mindfulness Intervention Delivered via Videoconferencing for People With Parkinson's. Journal of geriatric psychiatry and neurology, 35(1), 155–167. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891988720988901.

Vasconcelos e Sá, D., Barrowclough, C., Hartley, S. and Wearden, A., 2017. Self‐blame attributions in relatives of people with recent‐onset psychosis: Associations with relatives’ distress and behavioural control. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 56(2), pp. 172-188.

Bogosian, A., Hurt, C. S., Vasconcelos e Sá, D. V., Hindle, J. V., McCracken, L. and Cubi-Molla, P., 2017. Distant delivery of a mindfulness-based intervention for people with Parkinson’s disease: the study protocol of a randomised pilot trial. Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 3(1), p. 4.

Vasconcelos e Sá, D., Wearden, A., Hartley, S., Emsley, R. and Barrowclough, C., 2016. Expressed Emotion and behaviourally controlling interactions in the daily life of dyads experiencing psychosis. Psychiatry Research, 245, pp. 406-413.

Hartley, S., Haddock, G., Vasconcelos e Sá, D., Emsley, R. and Barrowclough, C., 2015. The influence of thought control on the experience of persecutory delusions and auditory hallucinations in daily life. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 65, pp. 1-4.

Hartley, S., Haddock, G., Vasconcelos e Sá, D. V., Emsley, R. and Barrowclough, C., 2014. An experience sampling study of worry and rumination in psychosis. Psychological Medicine, 44(8), pp. 1605-1614.

Hartley, S., Varese, F., Vasconcelos e Sá, D., Udachina, A., Barrowclough, C., Bentall, R. P., Lewis, S. W., Dunn, G., Haddock, G. and Palmier-Claus, J., 2014. Compliance in experience sampling methodology: the role of demographic and clinical characteristics. Psychosis, 6(1), pp. 70-73.

Vasconcelos e Sá, D., Wearden, A. and Barrowclough, C., 2013. Expressed emotion, types of behavioural control and controllability attributions in relatives of people with recent-onset psychosis. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 48(9), pp. 1377-1388.

Berry, K., Gregg, L., Vasconcelos e Sá, D., Haddock, G. and Barrowclough, C., 2012. Staff–patient relationships and outcomes in schizophrenia: The role of staff attributions. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 50(3), pp. 210-214.

Recent presentations and conferences

Anglia Ruskin University, UK (webinar, 01/2021): 'Helping your child with contamination related concerns'.

University of Exeter, UK (webinar, 05/2021): 'Helping your child cope with anxiety and worry'.

Media experience

BBC One Look East (02/2021): ‘Children’s anxiety and mental health issues during the pandemic’ (piece by Shaun Peel).

The Guardian (02/2021): 'I'm stressed. I shout. Can I do better?’: Experts advise on pandemic parenting.