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School of Psychological Sciences

Dr Richard Brown BSc (Hons), PhD, ClinPsyD, CPsychol

Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology

Division of Clinical Psychology
2nd Floor, Zochonis Building
University of Manchester
Brunswick Street
Manchester
M13 9PL

Clinical Psychology Home Page

 

Role

As Programme Director for the Clinical Psychology Doctorate (ClinPsyD), I hold overall responsibility for the training of clinical psychologists at the University of Manchester. I also teach on the programme and supervise ClinPsyD research projects. Alongside my training roles, I conduct research and supervise PhD students.

In the remainder of my time I work as an honorary Clinical Psychologist for Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust, conducting cognitive-behaviour therapy and psychodynamic interpersonal therapy with adults suffering from a range of mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, medically unexplained symptoms, anger, personality disturbance etc.

 

Memberships of Committees and Professional Bodies

Member of the Division of Clinical Psychology, British Psychological Society and Chartered Clinical Psychologist 

Member of the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies

Member of the American Psychosomatic Society

Member of the United Kingdom Functional Neurological Symptoms group

Member of the International Network on Subjective and Unexplained Health Complaints

Research

Overview

My primary research interests are in medically unexplained illness, particularly the somatoform and dissociative disorders. My main focus is the psychological mechanisms of somatization and dissociation, with particular emphasis on cognitive and perceptual processes, as well as the development and assessment of treatment techniques in this area. I also have on-going studies on chronic pain and the placebo response, hypnosis and dental anxiety, health anxiety and internet use.

 

Teaching

I teach the following lectures/workshops on the ClinPsyD:

  • Basic programme information
  • Health Anxiety
  • Introduction to Psychodynamic Interpersonal Therapy (PIT)
  • Assessment and formulation in PIT
  • PIT intervention skills workshop
  • PIT formulation skills workshop
  • Recap of key skills in PIT
  • Dissociation
  • Medically Unexplained Symptoms
 

Biography

I developed research interests in consciousness, volition and executive function during my first degree at UCL and extended these interests during an MRC funded PhD focusing on the cognitive mechanisms of hypnosis and suggestion. I applied my knowledge in these areas during a three-year post-doctoral research fellowship at the Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, investigating dissociation, trauma, suggestibility and illness cognition in patients with somatization disorder and non-epileptic attacks. I have continued to conduct research on somatization and dissociation since this time, with a particular emphasis on medically unexplained neurological symptoms.

 I completed the Clinical Psychology Doctorate (ClinPsyD) at Manchester in 2004 and joined the Academic Division of Clinical Psychology as a lecturer in October of that year. I was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2008 when I took on the role of Academic Director for the ClinPsyD. I was made Programme Director for the ClinPsyD in September 2011. 

 

Qualifications

  • B.Sc (Hons) Psychology, University College London, 1995
  • Ph.D Psychology, University College London, 1999
  • Clin.Psy.D, University of Manchester, 2004
 

Collaborators and affiliated staff

Collaborators

  • Dr Ellen Poliakoff (University of Manchester)
  • Dr Markus Reuber (University of Sheffield)
  • Prof Allan House (University of Leeds)
  • Ms Stephanie Howlett (Royal Hallamshire Hospital Sheffield)
  • Prof Anthony Jones (University of Manchester)
  • Prof Carolyn Chew-Graham (University of Manchester)
  • Prof Paul Coulthard (University of Manchester)
  • Dr Mark Edwards (University College London)
 

Selected publications

2012

  • McKenzie, K .J., Lloyd, D. M., Brown, R. J., Plummer, F. & Poliakoff, E. (2012). Investigating the mechanisms of visually-evoked tactile sensations. Acta Psychologica, 139, 46-53. eScholarID:146279 | DOI:10.1016/j.actpsy.2011.09.012

2011

  • Brown, R. J. & Lewis-Fernández, R. (2011). Culture and conversion disorder: Implications for DSM-5. Psychiatry, 74, 187-207. eScholarID:122906 | DOI:10.1521/psyc.2011.74.3.187
  • Brown, R. J. Syed, T. U., Benbadis, S., LaFrance Jr, W.C., Reuber, M. (2011). Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures. Epilepsy & Behavior, 22, 85-93. eScholarID:122908 | DOI:10.1016/j.yebeh.2011.02.016
  • Lloyd, D. M., McKenzie, K .J., Brown, R. J. & Poliakoff, E. (2011). Neural correlates of an illusory touch experience investigated with fMRI. Neuropsychologia, 49, 3430-3438. eScholarID:129981 | DOI:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2011.08.018
  • Miles, E., Brown, R. J. & Poliakoff, E. (2011). Investigating the nature and time-course of the modality shift effect between vision and touch. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 64(5), 871-888. eScholarID:95534 | DOI:DOI:10.1080/17470218.2010.514054
  • Miles, E., Poliakoff, E. & Brown, R. J. (2011). Medically unexplained symptom reports are associated with a decreased response to the rubber hand illusion. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 71, 240-244. eScholarID:122907 | DOI:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2011.04.002
  • Stone, J. LaFrance, W.C., Brown, R. J., Spiegel, D. Levenson, J. L. & Sharpe, M. (2011). Conversion Disorder: current problems and potential solutions for DSM-5. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 71, 369-376. eScholarID:129980 | DOI:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2011.07.005
  • Brown, R. J. (2011). Commentary on Dissociation in Trauma: A New Definition and Comparison with Previous Formulations by Nijenhuis and Van der Hart. Journal of Trauma and Dissociation, 12, 469-473. eScholarID:122909

2010

  • Brown, R. J., Brunt, N., Poliakoff, E. & Lloyd, D. M. (2010). Illusory touch and tactile perception in somatoform dissociators. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 69, 241-248. eScholarID:76143 | DOI:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2009.11.010
  • Brown, R. J., Danquah, A. N., Miles, E., Holmes, E. & Poliakoff, E. (2010). Attention to the body in non-clinical somatoform dissociation depends on emotional state. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 69, 249-257. eScholarID:79776 | DOI:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2010.04.010
  • Hall-Patch L, Brown RJ, House A, Howlett S, Kemp S, Lawton G, Smith P, Reuber M. (2010). Acceptability and effectiveness of a strategy for the communication of the diagnosis of psychogenic non-epileptic seizures. Epilepsia, 51, 70-78. eScholarID:1d18471 | DOI:10.1111/j.1528-1167.2009.02099.x
  • McKenzie, K. J., Poliakoff, E., Brown, R. J. & Lloyd, D. M. (2010). Now you feel it, now you don't: How robust is the phenomenon of illusory tactile experience? Perception, 39, 839-850. eScholarID:79083 | DOI:10.1068/p6401
  • Mirams, L., Poliakoff, E., Brown, R. J. & Lloyd, D. M. (2010). Vision of the body increases interference on the somatic signal detection task. Experimental Brain Research, 202(4), 787-794. eScholarID:79084 | DOI:DOI 10.1007/s00221-010-2185-7

2009

  • Ibrahim, N.M., Martino, D., van de Warrenburg, B.P.C., Quinn, N.P., Bhatia, K.P., Brown, R.J., Trimble, M. & Schrag, A. (2009). The prognosis of fixed dystonia: A follow-up study. Parkinsonism & Related Disorders, 15, 592-597. eScholarID:76144 | DOI:10.1016/j.parkreldis.2009.02.010

2008

  • Brown RJ, Schrag A, Krishnamoorthy E, Trimble M. (2008). Are patients with somatization disorder highly suggestible? Acta Psychiatr Scand, 117( 3), 232-5. eScholarID:1d18410 | DOI:10.1111/j.1600-0447.2007.01127.x
  • Holman N, Kirkby A, Duncan S, Brown RJ. (2008). Adult attachment style and childhood interpersonal trauma in non-epileptic attack disorder. Epilepsy Research, 79( 1), 84-89. eScholarID:1d18409 | DOI:10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2007.12.015
  • Lawton G, Baker G, Brown RJ. (2008). Comparison of two types of dissociation in epileptic and nonepileptic seizures. Epilepsy Behav, 13( 2), 333-6. eScholarID:1d18411 | DOI:10.1016/j.yebeh.2008.04.015
  • Lloyd D, Mason L, Brown RJ, Poliakoff E. (2008). Development of a paradigm for measuring somatic disturbance in clinical populations with medically unexplained symptoms. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 64( 1), 21-24. eScholarID:1d18408 | DOI:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2007.06.004
  • Miles E, Poliakoff E, Brown RJ. (2008). Investigating the time course of tactile reflexive attention using a non-spatial discrimination task. Acta Psychol (Amst), 128( 2), 210-5. eScholarID:1d18413 | DOI:10.1016/j.actpsy.2007.12.010

2007

  • Brown RJ, Cardena Etzel, Nijenhuis Ellert, Sar Vedat, Van der Hart Onno. (2007). Should conversion disorder be re-classified as a dissociative disorder in DSM-V? Psychosomatics, 48, 369-378. eScholarID:1d16009
  • Brown RJ, Poliakoff E, Kirkman M. (2007). Somatoform dissociation and somatosensory amplification are differentially associated with attention to the tactile modality following exposure to body-related stimuli. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 62, 159-165. eScholarID:1d13401

2006

  • Brown RJ. (2006). Medically unexplained symptoms. Case Formulation in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy: The treatment of challenging and complex cases. Routledge. eScholarID:3d814
  • Brown RJ. (2006). Different types of dissociation have different psychological mechanisms. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 7, 7-28. eScholarID:1d12733

2005

  • Brown RJ, Schrag A, Trimble M. (2005). Dissociation, childhood interpersonal trauma and family functioning in somatization disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 162, 899-905. eScholarID:1d9420 | DOI:10.1176/appi.ajp.162.5.899
  • Holmes E, Brown RJ, Mansell W, Fearon R, Hunter E, Frasquilho F, Oakley D. (2005). Are there two qualitatively distinct forms of dissociation? A review and some clinical implications. Clinical Psychology Review, 25, 1-23. eScholarID:1d9421

2004

  • Heap M, Brown RJ, Oakley DA. (2004). The Highly Hypnotizable Person: Theoretical, Experimental and Clinical Issues. Hove: Routledge. eScholarID:4d85
  • Brown RJ, Oakley DA. (2004). An integrative cognitive theory of hypnosis and high hypnotizability. The Highly Hypnotizable Person: Theoretical, Experimental and Clinical Issues. Hove. eScholarID:3d784
  • Brown RJ. (2004). Psychological mechanisms of medically unexplained symptoms: An integrative conceptual model. Psychological Bulletin, 130, 793-812. eScholarID:1d9832 | DOI:10.1037/0033-2909.130.5.793
  • Schrag A, Brown RJ, Trimble M R. (2004). Reliability of self-reported diagnoses in patients with neurologically unexplained symptoms. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 75, 608-611. eScholarID:1d9833 | DOI:10.1136/jnnp.2003.020552

2003

  • David D, Brown RJ. (2003). The impact of different directed forgetting instructions on implicit and explicit memory: New evidence from a modified process dissociation procedure. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, Section A: Human Experimental Psychology, 56, 211-231. eScholarID:1d9835 | DOI:10.1080/02724980244000431

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