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School of Psychological Sciences

Professor Adrian Wells 

Professor of Clinical & Experimental Psychopathology

Department of Clinical Psychology
Rawnsley Building
Manchester Royal Infirmary
Oxford Road
Manchester M23 9LT

Clinical Psychology Home Page

 

Research

1. Information processing and emotional disorders
2. Cognitive therapy
3. Anxiety disorders and phobias: nature and treatment
4. Social anxiety disorder
5. Worry and intrusive thoughts
6. Post-traumatic stress: predictors and treatment
7. Obsessive-compulsive disorder
 

Biography

Adrian Wells is interested in the areas of cognitive theory and therapy, and emotional disorders.
He has contributed to an understanding of mechanisms underlying general vulnerability to disorder, and the development of new treatments for social anxiety disorder, generalised anxiety, trauma reactions, and obsessions. His book: Attention and Emotion: A Clinical Perspective (co-authored with G. Matthews) was awarded the 1998 British Psychological Society Book Award for significant contributions to psychology. His book: "Cognitive Therapy of Anxiety Disorders: A Practice Manual and Conceptual Guide" has become a benchmark therapists’ text. This work has focused on understanding the cognitive mechanisms in disorder maintenance and change, which has given rise to a new wave of cognitive therapy based on principles of metacognition. This work is described in his book "Emotional Disorders & Metacognition: Innovative Cognitive Therapy. Chichester, UK: Wiley.
 

Qualifications

B.Sc (Hons) Aston University
Ph.D Aston University
M.Sc. Clinical Psychology. Leeds University
Diploma in Cognitive Therapy, University of Pennsylvania
 

Collaborators and affiliated staff

Collaborators

  • Patrick Vogel
    Norwegian University Trondheim
  • Prof. Chris Brewin
    University College London
  • Prof. Hans Nordahl
    Norwegian University Trondheim
  • Prof. Tore Styles
    Norwegian University Trondheim
  • Sundeep Sembi
    University of Bristol
  • Professor Francis Creed
 

Selected publications

2011

  • Fisher, P. & Wells, A. (2011). Metakognitive Terapi. Oslo, Norway: Gyldendal Akademisk. eScholarID:128144
  • Wells, A. (2011). Metakognitive Therapie bei Angoststorungen und Depression. Weinheim, Basel: Beltz Verlag. eScholarID:128145
  • Maher-Edwards L.M., Fernie, B.A., Murphy, G., Wells, A., Spada, M. (In-press). Metacognitions and negative emotions as predictors of symptom severity in chronic fatigue syndrome. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, eScholarID:128146
  • Yilmaz, A.E., Gencoz, T. & Wells, A. (2011). The temporal precedence of metacognition in the development of anxiety and depression symptoms in the context of life stress: A prospective study. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 25, 389-396. eScholarID:128143 | DOI:10.1016/j.janxdis.2010.11.001
  • Adrian Wells, Peter Fisher. (2011). Meta-cognitive therapy without metacognition: A case of ADHD. American Journal of Psychiatry, 168(3), 327-327. eScholarID:123445

2010

  • Adrian Wells, Mary Welford, Paul King, Costas Papageorgiou, Julie Wisely, Elizabeth Mendel. (2010). A pilot randomized trial of metacognitive therapy vs applied relaxation in the treatment of adults with generalized anxiety disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 48, 429-434. eScholarID:80303 | DOI:10.1016/j.brat.2009.11.013
  • Hazel Bennett, Adrian Wells. (2010). Metacognition, memory disorganization and rumination in posttraumatic stress symptoms. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 24, 318-325. eScholarID:80302 | DOI:10.1016/j.janxdis.2010.01.004
  • Lorraine Maher-Edwards, Bruce A Fernie, Gabrielle Murphy, Adrian Wells, Marcantonio M. Spada. (2010). Metacognitions and negative emotions as predictors of symptom severity in chronic fatigue syndrome. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, eScholarID:123443 | DOI:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2010.09.016
  • Marcantonio M. Spada, George A. Georgiou, Adrian Wells. (2010). The Relationship among Metacognitions, Attentional Control, and State Anxiety. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 39(1), 64-71. eScholarID:80344 | DOI:10.1080/16506070902991791
  • Nordahl, H.M., Wells, A. Olsson, S.A. & Bjerkeset, O. (2010). The association between abnormal psychosocial situatiions in childhood, Generalised Anxiety Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 44, 852-858. eScholarID:95994
  • Spada, M.M., Caselli, G. & Wells, A. (2010). Metacognitions as a predictor of drinking status and level of alcohol use following CBT in problem drinkers: A prospective study. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 47, 882-886. eScholarID:22935 | DOI:10.1016/j.brat.2009.06.010
  • Stian Solem, Samuel G Myers, Peter L. Fisher, Patrick A. Vogel, Adrian Wells. (2010). An empirical test of the metacognitive model of obsessive-compulsive symptoms: Replication and extension. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 24(1), 79-86. eScholarID:80347 | DOI:10.1016/j.janxdis.2009.08.009
  • Wells, A. (2010). Metacognitive Theory and Therapy for Worry and Generalised Anxiety Disorder: Review and Status. Journal of Experimental Psychopathology, 1, 133-145. eScholarID:95998 | DOI:10.5127/jep.007910

2009

  • Brewin, C.R., Wheatley, J., Patel, T., Fearon, P., Hackmann, A., Fisher, P.& Myers, S. (2009). Imagery rescripting as a brief stand-alone treatment for depressed patients with intrusive memories. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 47, 569-576. eScholarID:1d19016 | DOI:10.1016/j.brat.2009.03.008
  • Myers S, Fisher P, Wells A. (2009). An empirical test of the metacognitive model of obsessive-compulsive symptoms: fusion beliefs, beliefs about rituals, and stop signals. J Anxiety Disord, 23(4), 436-442. eScholarID:1d19020 | DOI:10.1016/j.janxdis.2008.08.007
  • Myers, S., Fisher, P. & Wells, A. (2009). Metacognition and Cognition as Predictors of Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms: A Prospective Study. International Journal of Cognitive Therapy, 2(2), 132-142. eScholarID:19686 | DOI:10.1521/ijct.2009.2.2.132
  • Papageorgiou, C. & Wells, A. (2009). A Prospective Test of the Clinical Metacognitive Model of Rumination and Depression. International Journal of Cognitive Therapy, 2(2), 123-131. eScholarID:19714 | DOI:10.1521/ijct.2009.2.2.123
  • Solem S, Håland A, Vogel P, Hansen B, Wells A. (2009). Change in metacognitions predicts outcome in obsessive-compulsive disorder patients undergoing treatment with exposure and response prevention. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 47(4), 301-307. eScholarID:1d19017 | DOI:10.1016/j.brat.2009.01.003
  • Spada, M.M. & Wells, A. (2009). A metacognitive model of problem drinking. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, eScholarID:24013 | DOI:10.1002/cpp.620
  • Spada, M.M., Georgiou, G. & Wells, A. (2009). The relationship among metacognitions, attentional control and state anxiety. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, eScholarID:24005 | DOI:10.1080/16506070902991791
  • Wells, A., Fisher, P., Myers, S., Wheatley, J., Patel, T. & Brewin, C.R. (2009). Metacognitive Therapy in Recurrent and Persistent Depression: A multiple-baseline study of a new treatment. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 33, 291-300. eScholarID:24020 | DOI:10.1007/s10608-007-9178-2

2008

  • Papageorgiou C, Wells A. (2008). Ruimnazione Depressivia: Teoria e Trattemento. eScholarID:4d231
  • Wells A. (2008). Metacognitive Therapy for Anxiety and Depression. eScholarID:4d194
  • Wells A. (2008). Treating Bulimia Nervosa & Binge Eating. Routledge. eScholarID:4d273
  • Fisher, P. & Wells A. (2008). Psychological Models of Worry and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. In: M. Antony & M. Stein (Eds.). Handbook of Anxiety and the Anxiety Disorders. (pp. -). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. eScholarID:3d723
  • Matthews G, Wells A. (2008). Ruminazione, depressione e metacognizione: il modello FA. In C. Papageorgiou & A Wells (Eds.). Ruminazione Depressivia: Teoria e Trattamento. eScholarID:3d714
  • Wells A, Papageorgiou C. (2008). Terpia metacognitivia per la ruminazione depressive. In C. Papageorgiou & A Wells (Eds.). Ruminazione Depressivia: Teoria e Trattamento. eScholarID:3d921
  • Wells A, Papagergiou C. (2008). Natura, funzioni e convinzioni relative alla ruminazione depressive. In C. Papageorgiou & A Wells (Eds.). Ruminazione Depressivia: Teoria e Trattamento. eScholarID:3d944
  • Marcantonio M Spada, Ana V Nikcevic, Giovanni B Moneta, Wells A. (2008). Metacognition, perceived stress, and negative emotion. Personality and Individual Differences, 44, eScholarID:1d28198 | DOI:10.1016/j.paid.2007.11.010
  • Marcantonio M Spada, Changiz Mohiyeddini, Wells A. (2008). Measuring metacognitions associated with emotional distress: factor structure and predictive validity of the Metacognitions Questionnaire 30. Personality and Individual Differences, 45, eScholarID:1d28201 | DOI:10.1016/j.paid.2008.04.005
  • Peter Fisher, Wells A. (2008). Metacognitive Therapy for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A case series. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 39, eScholarID:1d28197 | DOI:10.1016/j.jbtep.2006.12.001
  • Roussis P, Wells A. (2008). Psychological factors predicting stress symptoms: metacognition, thought control, and varieties of worry. Anxiety Stress Coping, 21( 3), eScholarID:1d19019
  • Spada M, Wells A. (2008). Metacognitive beliefs about alcohol use: development and validation of two self-report scales. Addict Behav, 33( 4), eScholarID:1d19021 | DOI:10.1016/j.addbeh.2007.10.011
  • Wells A. (2008). Chronic PTSD Treated with Metacognitive Therapy: An open trial. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 15, eScholarID:1d28199
  • Wells A. (2008). Identifying Specific Interpretations and Exploring the Nature of Safety behaviours for People Who Hear Voices: An Exploratory Study. Behavioural And Cognitive Psychotherapy, 36, eScholarID:1d28217
  • Wells A. (2008). Metacognitive Therapy: Cognition applied to regulating cognition. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 36, eScholarID:1d18417
  • Yilmaz A, Gençöz T, Wells A. (2008). Psychometric characteristics of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire and Metacognitions Questionnaire-30 and metacognitive predictors of worry and obsessive-compulsive symptoms in a Turkish sample. Clin Psychol Psychother, 15( 6), eScholarID:1d19018 | DOI:10.1002/cpp.589

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