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Dr Sue Wilbraham, PhD

  • Senior Lecturer in Applied Psychology
  • Institute of Health
  • Health and Wellbeing
Profile picture for Sue Wilbraham, PhD

Biography

  • Programme Leader MSc Psychology pathways & MSc Environment health and wellbeing
  • BSc, MSc and PhD Supervisor
  • Module leader for: Organisations and the Environment (Level 7), Outdoor spaces, health and wellbeing (Level 7), Research methods (Level 7), Negotiated learning (Level 5), Perspectives in psychology (Level 4)
  • Equality Diversity Inclusion Wellbeing Committee
  • UCU Environment Rep for University of Cumbria
  • Schwartz Round facilitator
  • Athena Swan rep for Institute of Health.

Qualifications and memberships

  • Chartered Psychologist - British Psychological Society (BPS)
  • Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2017)
  • PhD in Psychology - from University of Central Lancashire (2010)
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Learning & Teaching in Higher Education - from University of Cumbria (2009)
  • Certificate in Higher Education Teaching Toolkit - from University of Central Lancashire (2008)
  • BSc (Hons) Psychology: First Class - from University of Central Lancashire (2005)

Academic and research interests

My research centres around well-being in learning and teaching.  Current projects include: Implementation of the University Mental health charter; Identifying best practice in university mental health strategies; Supporting well-being in Postgraduate students; Understanding the impact of the physical environment at university.  I am committed to embedding equality, diversity and inclusion in all my work.

Research supervision

Current Research Students:

  • Alende Amisi - Understanding racialised experiences of students in Higher Education
  • Neave Dalby - University student loneliness experiences
  • Jim Greer - How can supervision provide emotional support and encourage emotional resilience in social workers?
  • Dan Gibbons - Investigating the organisation of identity in competitive gaming and esports
  • Nnaemeka Amanze -  Doing business within safe and just limits
  • Lt Col Sue Pope - Leadership Cultures and Wellbeing in the DMS workforce.

Completed Research Students:

  • Charlotte Hardacre - Authentic practice in family learning

Publications

Publications:

Christie, M., Elliott, D., & Wilbraham, S. (2025). Freedom, fun, friendship and freezing! Women’s perspectives of participation in open water swimming. Sport in Society, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2025.2470158

Wilbraham, S., Evans, C., & Carter, J. (2025). Time to address disability inclusion for university staff. Wonkhe. Retrieved from https://wonkhe.com/blogs/time-to-address-disability-inclusion-for-university-staff/ 

Wilbraham, S. J., Elliott, D., & Miller, P. K. (2024). It’s just how we do it: social processes in rapid weight loss for combat sports. Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/21642850.2024.2433517

Wilbraham, S., Jones, E., Priestley, M. & Hughes, G. (2024). Student and staff wellbeing is shaped by university surroundings. Wonkhe. Retrieved from https://wonkhe.com/blogs/student-and-staff-wellbeing-is-shaped-by-university-surroundings/ 

Amisi, A., Bates, E. A., & Wilbraham, S. J. (2024). How Does the Curriculum Contribute to the Experiences of Belongingness in Higher Education?. Psychology Teaching Review, 30(1), 96-106. https://doi.org/10.53841/bpsptr.2024.30.1.96

Wilbraham, S.J., Jones, E., Brewster, L., Priestley, M., Broglia, E., Hughes, G., & Spanner, L. (2024). Inclusion or Isolation? Differential Student Experiences of Independent Learning and Wellbeing in Higher Education. Education Sciences, 14(3):285. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14030285

Roscoe, J., & Wilbraham, S. (2024). ‘When it goes well, it works fantastically’: motivations to train and their impact on the practice of CBT. The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, 17(6). doi:10.1017/S1754470X24000060

Roscoe, J., Taylor, J., Harrington, R., & Wilbraham, S. (2022). CBT supervision behind closed doors: Supervisor and supervisee reflections on their expectations and use of clinical supervision. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research. 22 (4), 1056 - 1067 DOI: 10.1002/capr.12572 

Priestly, M., Hall., A., Wilbraham, S. J., Mistry, V., Hughes, G. & Spanner, L. (2022). Student Perceptions and Proposals for Promoting Wellbeing Through Social Relationships at University. Journal of Further and Higher Education. 46 (9), 1243-1256, DOI: 10.1080/0309877X.2022.2061844  

Brewster, L., Jones, E., Priestley, M., Wilbraham, S. J.,  Spanner, L. & Hughes, G. (2021). ‘Look after the staff and they would look after the students’ cultures of wellbeing and mental health in the university setting. Journal of Further and Higher Education.  46 (4), 548-56 DOI: 10.1080/0309877X.2021.1986473 

Jones, E., Priestley, M., Brewster, L., Wilbraham, S. J., Hughes, G., & Spanner, L. (2020). Student wellbeing and assessment in higher education: the balancing act. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2020.1782344

Wilbraham, S. & Caldwell, E. (2018). Children’s books are adding to science’s gender problem.  The Conversation.  Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/childrens-books-are-adding-to-sciences-gender-problem-98522

Wilbraham, S. J., Qualter, P., & Roy, M. P. (2018). Emotional intelligence and cortisol responses: Can laboratory findings be replicated in classrooms and using other EI measures?. Personality and Individual Differences, 120, 58-64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.08.021

Caldwell, E. F., & Wilbraham, S. J. (2018). Hairdressing in space: Depiction of gender in science books for children. Journal of Science & Popular Culture, 1(2), 101-118.  https://doi.org/10.1386/jspc.1.2.101_1

Conferences (last five years, by date):

  • Wilbraham, S. J.  & Hardacre, C. (2024). The Disorienting Dilemmas of Wellbeing in Higher Education: An Educator's Perspective. Presentation at International Transformative Learning Conference, University of Siena

  • Wilbraham, S. J. (2023). How student wellbeing is impacted by independent learning. Presentation at Learning and Teaching Fest Conference, University of Cumbria.

  • Corless, L., Wilbraham, S. J., Buckley, A., & Sharples, G. (2023). The Power of Stories: Using Schwartz Rounds in Higher Education to create caring cultures.  Presentation at Learning and Teaching Fest Conference, University of Cumbria.

  • Wilbraham, S. J. & Scott, J. (2019). Understanding and reducing student stress within assessment practice.  Presentation at Advance HE annual conference, Northumbria University.

 

Recent external roles

2024 - CCF Commissioned Researcher: DCMS KYN Stage 2 In-depth place-based evaluation