Jo Birkett

Jo Birkett is a Lecturer and Clinical Psychologist at the University of Westminster’s Centre for Psychological Sciences. She holds a Masters in Counselling Psychology (2018) from Canterbury Christ Church University and specializes in trauma, community mental health, and innovative technologies like virtual reality for therapy. Her research emphasizes decolonizing psychology curricula and supporting marginalized groups such as survivors of human trafficking through community initiatives.

Education:

• Masters in Counselling Psychology (2018), Canterbury Christ Church University

Research Interests:

• Psychologically informed interventions in community settings
• Use of virtual reality for mental health accessibility
• Decolonizing and diversifying psychological education
• Trauma recovery via arts-based projects

Funded Projects:

• ESRC-funded research (2024): Assessing university suicide safety responsibilities
• OfS-funded project (2021): Enhancing therapy accessibility via virtual reality

Advising & Grants:

• Supervising doctoral research on cultural value transmission in Nigerian schools
• Active in training mental health support staff

Labs/Teams: Part of the Centre for Psychological Sciences, collaborating on interdisciplinary mental health initiatives.