I am currently employed by both UEA and the NHS. In my UEA role I am a Clinical Associate Professor on the Clinical Psychology Doctorate programme (ClinPsyD) based in the school of medicine for two days of the week. I spend the other three days of my working week as a Clinical Psychologist in the mental health liaison service based at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

In my NHS role I enjoy the balance of working clinically with distressed populations where I can put psychological theory into clinical practice to make a difference to the lives of people who use our service. As a university employee, the opportunity to work with trainee clinical psychologists and help shape the development of the future workforce is one that I constantly find rewarding.

I am passionate about the role and benefits Clinical Psychologists can bring to all areas of the NHS. Working in services that have traditionally not had Clinical Psychologists, I have seen first-hand the benefits the profession can bring to both this group of people, but also to the staff groups who work with them. I am keen that as a course we continue to develop and produce confident and competent Clinical Psychologists who, when they leave this course, will go into the workforce and make a real difference to the lives of the people who use our services.

BSc (Hons) Psychology (University of Westminster, 1998)

Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (UEA, 2008)

Msc Clinical Neuropsychology (University of Nottingham, 2012)

PGdip Cognitive Analytic Therapy (Sheffield Hallam University, 2013).

MA Higher Education Practice (UEA, 2021)

By background I am an outsider to East Anglia, and the first time I ever visited Norfolk was for the interview for the ClinPsyD in 2005. Having an enjoyable experience of training and working locally in clinical services when on placement convinced me to remain in the region post qualification. Upon qualifying in 2008 I worked in a community older adults service in Great Yarmouth and Waveney. I joined the programme here at UEA in 2012 as a clinical tutor and have since split my time between working in UEA and for the NHS. During this period I undertook further training in clinical neuropsychology (completing an MSc at the University of Nottingham), and Cognitive Analytic Therapy (completing a diploma at Sheffield Hallam University), becoming a CAT practitioner, supervisor and ACAT moderator. In 2018 I changed NHS roles taken a post as a Clinical Psychologist in the then newly expanded mental health liaison service at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, where I have since completed my EMDR training. In 2021, my role changed at UEA when I became a clinical associate professor.

At UEA, I am heavily involved with selection, placements and the delivery and development of clinical competencies.

Cognitive Analytic Therapy

Clinical Neuropsychology (particularly dementia)

Application of psychological therapies to older adults

Suicidality 

Research Output

Simpson, S., Beavis, D., Leddy, A., Ball, S. & Johnson, I. (2005). Naturalistic audit of NICE

criteria for the use of cholinesterase inhibitors. Psychiatric Bulletin, 29, 410-412.

Simpson, S., Leddy, A. Neal, J. Ball, S. Dyer, J. (2006). Memantine for severe Alzheimer's: social benefits. Progress in Neurology and Psychiatry, 10, 2, 9-14.

Wilson, C., Budd, B., Chernin, R., King, H. Leddy, A. et al. The role of meta-cognition and parenting in adolescent worry. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 25, 71-79.

Leddy, A. & Lincoln, N. (2013). Predictive validity of the ACE-R and RBANS for the diagnosis of dementia. Journal of Dementia Care, 21, 4.

Jenkinson, J., Junaid, K., Ormerod, S., Sahu, S., Grant-Peterkin., Daher, M., Lee-Davey, J., Yetkil, A., Beezhold, J., Leddy, A…. Hanton, E. (2021). Referrals to liaison services for older adults with deliberate self harm during the SARS-CoV-2 national lockdown – a collaborative service evaluation using liaison referral data. BJ Psych open, 7 (S1)

Kadri, A., Gracey, F. & Leddy, A. (2022). What factors are associated with Posttraumatic Growth in older adults? A systematic review. Accepted for publication in Clinical Gerontologist.

Cognitive Analytic Therapy

Clinical Neuropsychology (particularly dementia)

Distressed behaviours in dementia

Psychological assessment and formulation

Working with complexity

Mental health in physical settings