Dr Lucy McIvor, clinical psychologist & researcher

Background

I have 10+ years of experience working in the NHS and other social care settings. I currently work with older adults in an NHS acute and crisis service.

Qualifications

I completed my undergraduate degree in Human and Health Sciences at the University of Durham and a research masters degree in Human Evolution at the university of Cambridge. I completed a further masters degree in Psychology and later gained my clinical doctorate from the Salomons Institute of Psychology. I am able to draw on both anthropological and psychological perspectives, considering my clients’ concerns in the wider context of their environment, family or social relationships and culture. My training reflects both a desire to support clients’ experiencing emotional difficulties and a deep fascination with what it means to be human.

Academic Interests

I have held research positions at the University of Oxford and have published work in a range of academic journals. My research focuses on the way that people access, experience and are supported within acute and crisis mental health services, and the cognitive and emotional processes that shape behaviour in these high-intensity settings. I am particularly interested in how services can be designed to reduce psychological harm, foster relational safety and respond more effectively to people with complex needs.