Psychology Departmental PhD Fellowship Student

Current Research

Sleep has been recognised as having a direct impact on multiple mental health problems, however the nature of this relationship and the potential specificity of certain sleep problems with specific mental health problems still remains unclear. My research aims to shed greater insight into the nature of the association between sleep and adolescent mental health, specifically focusing on self-harm and suicide-related behaviours. This includes exploring the most relevant associations and the directionality of these, and what are the relevant underlying, or transdiagnostic, factors that help explain these relationships. I hope to provide guidance on how future sleep interventions can both address and prevent these outcomes.

Interests

Clinical psychology, with a particular focus on adolescent self-harm, suicide, and gambling behaviours

Understanding the biopsychosocial and contextual risk and protective factors to adolescent mental health

Designing and developing interventions via an evidence-based biopsychosocial and contextual approach

Biography

Michaela studied Psychology BSc at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, graduating in the top 5% of her cohort. During this time she developed a keen interest in clinical and positive psychology. This motivated her to found a student-run community support platform, Not Alone, which provides evidence-based training to volunteers to deliver both one-on-one and group sessions to peers. Furthermore, Michaela was introduced to the field of sleep research which she pursued simultaneously alongside her Clinical Psychology MRes at the University of Birmingham. Following her thesis (Adolescent Emotion Regulation Knowledge, Its Development and Application: Exploring Experiences of Playing an Emotion Regulation Game) receive a pass with no corrections, she pursued her passion for sleep and mental health through securing a Psychology Departmental PhD Fellowship at the University of Warwick.