Branagh O'Shaughnessy

Branagh O'Shaughnessy is a Lecturer in Psychology at the School of Education, Language and Psychology at York St John University, appointed in January 2025. Previously, they served as a Teaching Fellow at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, Ireland, and as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Trinity College Dublin's School of Social Work and Social Policy. They completed their PhD in Psychology at the University of Limerick in 2022 with a thesis examining homeless service users' experiences of empowerment.

O'Shaughnessy specializes in community psychology with a focus on homelessness, substance use disorders, and mental health. Their research employs participatory methods with marginalized populations to develop and evaluate empowering community well-being programs. They have made significant contributions to understanding the Housing First model and recovery experiences of homeless individuals with complex needs, particularly those with substance use disorders.

Their research portfolio shows a clear trajectory examining empowerment, recovery pathways, and capabilities in homeless services across multiple European countries. Their work often employs qualitative and mixed methods approaches, with an emphasis on service user perspectives and experiences. They have made notable contributions to understanding farmer mental health in Ireland, examining burnout, sleep issues, and substance use patterns in this high-stress occupation.

O'Shaughnessy has received prestigious Government of Ireland fellowships for both postdoctoral and postgraduate research. They have served as a consultant for the European Commission on Housing First implementation in Ireland and as an expert for documentary series on homelessness.

Their teaching responsibilities include leading the Clinical Psychology module (PSY6002M) and contributing to Research Methods courses. They supervise dissertation research, indicating their commitment to mentoring the next generation of psychology researchers.