Dr Nick Wrycraft

Dr Nick Wrycraft is a Senior Lecturer in mental health nursing and has a specialist interest in working with anxiety and depression, clinical supervision, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, recovery based approaches to mental health care, mental health promotion, service user input, and the inclusion of carers.

nick.wrycraft@aru.ac.uk

Background

Before training as a mental health nurse Nick studied a degree in philosophy and literature and worked as a housing officer for a local government department, and as an unqualified practitioner, in social and nursing care settings.

On qualifying as a mental health nurse, Nick worked in several different clinical areas, including an inpatient assessment unit for people with dementia, an adult acute mental health unit, and day services for adults and older people with mental health problems. During this time, he undertook several post-registration courses.  After gaining a Distinction for his Masters’ Degree in Advanced Nursing Practice in 2003 from the University of Essex, and the award for the best academic performance on the course, Nick became a Research Facilitator at a Primary Care Trust, promoting the uptake of research among other staff, and initiating and developing research projects and initiatives. During this time, he undertook an evaluation of the National Institute for Mental Health for England’s (NIMHE) Eastern region Trailblazers course, which promoted and developed joint projects between primary and secondary mental health care. Disseminating this project, Nick presented the findings at the National Primary Care Research Conference in York, and the NIMHE National Conference in Durham.

In 2004, Nick joined Anglia Ruskin University, initially to work part-time as a lecturer teaching on the Graduate worker in primary care course, training Graduate students to work in primary care mental health settings with people with anxiety and depression using brief interventions based on a Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) led approach. In 2005 Dr Wrycraft was employed full-time with Anglia Ruskin University as a Senior Lecturer on the pre-registration mental health nursing course and carried on this role through till August 2019.

During this time, Nick was admissions tutor for mental health nursing, and led various modules on the mental health nursing course, and generic modules on the pre-registration nursing course. In August 2019, he became the course leader for pre-registration mental health nursing at the Chelmsford campus for the full-time BSc and part-time apprenticeship pathway.

In 2016, Dr Wrycraft became module leader of the Research Methodology module on the post-registration degree pathway, and in 2019, developed the Research Methodology module for the level 7 Masters pathway. In September 2021, he became the module leader for the Major Project modules for the nursing and midwifery department and became part of the advanced clinical practice (ACP) cluster.

In the past other roles that Dr Wrycraft has had include:

• Module Tutor for the first module of the pre-registration nursing curriculum

• Course lead and tutor on the Improving Access to Primary Care Therapist (IAPT) low-intensity programme
• Moderator for the CBT diploma, degree and Masters programme
• External examiner for Teesside University post-registration CBT programme
• Course leader for pre-registration mental health nursing

Research interests

The subject of the thesis for Dr Wrycraft’s Masters’ Degree and Professional Doctorate was clinical supervision in multi-disciplinary teams in primary care settings. Following completion of this he designed and delivered numerous training courses on this subject for a range of health professionals both in inpatient and community settings, ranging from adult and mental health staff to physiotherapists and speech and language therapists and substance misuse workers. His other interests include research design and methodology, CBT and brief interventions in primary care settings. In September 2021, he led a module called “Do I Matter” as part of the Ruskin Modules initiative. Two students on the module made the shortlist for the Spark Award for the best piece of work on a Ruskin Module.

Nick has written, co-written and edited several books and book chapters, with an emphasis on case studies, the narrative experience of people with mental health issues, theories of mental health, the philosophy of time, and the work of mental health nurses, especially assessment and care planning. More recently, he has developed an interest in research methodology and qualitative research design. 

Areas of research supervision

• Nick is willing to supervise Doctoral candidates
• Qualitative methods

Teaching

Nick has taught pre-registration mental health nursing students and mental health for more than ten years, and led different modules of the pre-registration mental health course and modules on the foundation degree pathway, the low intensity IAPT course and moderated work on the CBT training programme ranging from Diploma to Masters level, and is currently providing supervision for two Doctoral candidates.

His Masters and Doctoral research were on the subject of clinical supervision, and he has led clinical supervision training in practice for district nurses, health visitors, school nurses and mental health nurses, together with professionals from other healthcare disciplines. In addition to this, he has provided mental health focused input on other courses, including adult nurses on diabetes courses and nurse prescribers.

In Nick's role as admissions tutor for pre-registration mental health nursing he has worked widely with the marketing and admissions team, and been active in promoting the course in a variety of settings, delivering talks and promotional events to applicants ranging from year 9 school children to college students, and has extensive experience of planning admissions processes and interviewing applicants.

Specialist areas of interest and teaching include:

• Anxiety and Depression
• Assessment and care planning
• CBT approaches to adult and child and adolescent mental health
• Clinical supervision in nursing and the healthcare professions
• Community based mental health care
• Inter-professional practice
• Involving service users in the pre-registration nurse education
• Mental health promotion
• Recovery and principles based practice
• Social inclusion
• Working with people with depression and anxiety

Nick’s Doctorate was in clinical supervision in primary healthcare. Due to this interest he has been involved in training large numbers of staff from a variety of roles in primary care, ranging from wellbeing practitioners to district nurses, health visitors and speech therapists in clinical supervision.

Qualifications

• Doctorate in Nursing 2012, University of Essex (2003-2012)
• Postgraduate Diploma in Education, Anglia Ruskin University (Distinction) (2007-2008)
• MSc Advanced Clinical Practice Nursing, University of Essex (Distinction) (2001-2003)
• BA (Joint Hons) Philosophy and Literature, University of Essex  (1987-1990)
• Registered Mental Health Nurse and Diploma in Health Education, Anglia Ruskin University (Distinction) (1996-1999)
• Clinical Leadership (Post-registration course), University of Essex (Distinction) (2001)
• Teaching, Supervising and Assessing (ENB 998, Post-registration course), University of Essex (Distinction) (2000)
• The Promotion of Continence and Management of Incontinence (ENB 975, Post-registration course), Anglia Ruskin University (Distinction) (2000)

Memberships, editorial boards

Registered Mental Health Nurse

Selected recent publications

Thurston C; Wrycraft N (Editors) (2020) “Transition to Registered Practice: From Student to Qualified Nurse.” London: Sage.

Ryrie I; Coster S; Wrycraft N; Norman I (2018) "Professional practice: Caring for ourselves" In Norman I; Ryrie I (Editors) "The Art and Science of Mental Health Nursing: Principles and Practice." 4th Edition. McGraw-Hill Education. Chapter 40, p.645-667.

Wrycraft N (2018) "Assessment" In Norman I; Ryrie I (Editors) "The Art and Science of Mental Health Nursing: Principles and Practice." 4th Edition. McGraw-Hill Education. Chapter 11, p. 156-173

Wrycraft N; Coad A (Editors) (2017) "Recovery in Mental Health Nursing" Maidenhead, Berkshire: McGraw-Hill: Open University press.

Wrycraft N (2015) "Assessment and Care Planning in Mental Health Nursing." Maidenhead, Berkshire: McGraw-Hill: Open University press.

Coad A; Wrycraft N (Editors) (2015) "CBT Approaches for Children and Young People." Maidenhead, Berkshire: McGraw-Hill: Open University press.

Skinner V; Wrycraft N (2014) "CBT Fundamentals: Cases and Practice." Maidenhead, Berkshire: McGraw-Hill: Open University press.

Wrycraft N (2012) "Case studies in Mental Health Nursing." (Editor) Maidenhead, Berkshire: McGraw-Hill: Open University Press.

Wrycraft N (2009) "An Introduction to Mental Health Nursing." (Editor) Maidenhead, Berkshire: McGraw-Hill: Open University Press.

Schafer T; Amoateng G; Wrycraft N (2009) "An exploratory study of GP perceptions of a primary care counselling service on their practice." British Journal of Guidance and Counselling 37 (1): 1-15.

Wrycraft N (2008) "Preconceptions and the reality of mental illness." In Evans C; Tippins E (Editors) "Fitness for Practice." Berkshire: McGraw-Hill and Open University. Chapter 13: 283-300.

Schafer T; Wrycraft N (2007) "Contributions of Graduate mental health workers in primary care." Nursing Standard 20 (17): 44-49.

Wrycraft N (2006) "Mental Health." In Martin P; Eldridge K (Editors) "Partnerships in Healthcare." London: Quay Books Division, MA Healthcare. Chapter 4, p. 63-90.

Recent presentations and conferences

Conference presentations

Primary Care Research Network Conference, York (2005) "An Evaluations of NIME Eastern Region Trailblazers Project."

Research Reports

Witham, Halstead and Braintree PCT (2005) "An Evaluation of the NIMHE Eastern Region Trailblazers Project."

Witham, Halstead and Braintree PCT (2004) "An Evaluation of the Intermediate Care Team."