Cecilia Essau

Cecilia Essau is a Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at the University of Roehampton’s School of Psychology and leads the Centre for Research in Psychological Wellbeing. She holds a PhD from the University of Konstanz (Germany) and a post-doctoral Habilitation from the University of Bremen (Germany). Her career includes academic roles across Canada, Austria, Germany, and Australia. She serves as a Visiting Professor at the University of Adelaide and advises the UNODC on evidence-based treatment programs for adolescent substance use disorders. She chairs the Family Justice Council Experts Working Group and has been awarded the British Psychological Society Fellowship, Norman Munn Visiting Scholar Award, and Distinguished Contribution Award for her work in child and adolescent mental health.

Education:

• Bachelor of Arts (Lakehead University, Canada)
• Masters of Arts (Lakehead University, Canada)
• PhD in Developmental and Cross-cultural Psychology (University of Konstanz, Germany)
• Habilitation in Developmental Psychopathology (University of Bremen, Germany)

Research Interests:

• Child and Adolescent Mental Health (Anxiety, Depression, Conduct Problems)
• Cross-cultural Psychology
• Prevention/Intervention Programs
• Williams Syndrome
• Psychopathic Traits
• Parenting Practices
• Mental Health Literacy

Her research emphasizes understanding psychopathology development and designing scalable interventions like the Super Skills for Life program, which has trained 25,000 practitioners and impacted over 1 million youth globally.

Grants & Collaborations: Secured funding from ESRC, MRC, Kavli Trust, and numerous international bodies. Active collaborations span 51 countries, including projects in Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, and Turkey. Current initiatives include evaluating the ToyBox Study for obesity prevention and examining pandemic impacts on child mental health.

Impact: Published over 316 articles and 23 books. Delivered 63 keynote addresses and 117 invited lectures globally. Supervised 50+ postgraduate students. Her work has shaped clinical practices in mental health assessment and intervention strategies worldwide.