Overview
Victoria is Senior Research Tutor on the South Wales Doctorate in Clinical Psychology Training Programme, based at Cardiff University. Within this role Victoria leads the teaching on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, qualitative research methods and supervises doctoral dissertations.
A central focus for Victoria’s research is assessing the role of psychological flexibility processes for enhanced well-being and resilience. A secondary area of research and clinical specialism is work-related stress, trauma and burnout.
Biography
2014-Present
Senior Research Tutor (previously Clinical Tutor) South Wales Doctorate in Clinical Psychology
2007- Present
Clinical Lead & Clinical Psychologist, Bristol Psychology Services
Providing evidence based psychological therapy, with specialist experience in the assessment and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for one-off traumatic events. Primary therapeutic approaches: Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing (EMDR).
2007-2014
Specialist Clinical Psychologist, Bristol Royal Hospital for Children
Providing psychological therapy and consultation to parents, children and staff, working predominately in Paediatric Intensive Care.
2006-2007
Locum Clinical Psychologist posts in child disability and CAMHS,
2003-2006
Trainee Clinical Psychologist, Bristol Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.
Publications
2023
- Williams, M. and Samuel, V. 2023. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as an approach for working with climate distress. The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist
- Rea, S., Samuel, V., Ferreira, N. and Williams, M. 2023. Role of psychological flexibility and self-compassion in people on home parenteral nutrition: psychological, line care adherence and infection outcomes. Mediterranean Journal of Clinical Psychology 11(2) (10.13129/2282-1619/mjcp-3696)
- Duffy, M., Lawrence, D., Nicholas, S., Jenkins, R. and Samuel, V. 2023. An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the experience of the therapeutic relationship between service users and staff after physical restraint in a secure mental health service. International Journal of Forensic Mental Health (10.1080/14999013.2023.2223178)
- Simon, N., Cunningham, E., Samuel, V. and Waters, C. 2023. Videoconference-delivered group acceptance commitment therapy for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders: facilitators views and recommendations. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology (10.1080/02646838.2023.2180143)
- Samuel, V., Constable, C., Harris, E. and Channon, S. 2023. Developing the content of a brief universal acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) programme for secondary school pupils: InTER-ACT. Pastoral Care in Education 41(1), pp. 42-62. (10.1080/02643944.2021.1977991)
2022
- Johns, G., Waddington, L. and Samuel, V. 2022. Prevalence and predictors of mental health outcomes in UK doctors and final year medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Affective Disorders 311, pp. 267-275. (10.1016/j.jad.2022.05.024)
- Knight, L. and Samuel, V. 2022. Acceptance and commitment therapy interventions in secondary schools and their impact on students' mental health and well-being: A systematic review. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science 25, pp. 90-105. (10.1016/j.jcbs.2022.06.006)
- Johns, G., Samuel, V., Freemantle, L., Lewis, J. and Waddington, L. 2022. The global prevalence of depression and anxiety among doctors during the covid-19 pandemic: systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders 298(Part A), pp. 431-441. (10.1016/j.jad.2021.11.026)
- Peters, L., Hobson, C. W. and Samuel, V. 2022. A systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies that investigate the emotional experiences of staff working in homeless settings. Health and Social Care in the Community 30(1), pp. 58-72. (10.1111/hsc.13502)
2021
- Peters, L., Samuel, V. and Hobson, C. W. 2021. Shining a light on the experiences of staff working with young homeless people: a grounded theory study. Children and Youth Services Review 121, article number: 105843. (10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105843)
2020
- Large, R., Samuel, V. and Morris, R. 2020. A changed reality: Experience of an acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) group after stroke. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation 30(8), pp. 1477-1496. (10.1080/09602011.2019.1589531)
- Harris, E. and Samuel, V. 2020. Acceptance and commitment therapy: a systematic literature review of prevention and intervention programs for mental health difficulties in children and young people. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy 34(4), pp. 380-305. (10.1891/JCPSY-D-20-00001)
InTER-ACT
InTER-ACT: Interactive Training in Emotional Resilience – is a bespoke, accessible, three session ACT programme for increasing the psychological flexibility of secondary school aged pupils. This intervention was carefully developed based on extensive clinical experience working therapeutically with young people using ACT and has been methodically evaluated at every stage of development.
An initial acceptability and feasibility and feasibility study, involving consultation with young people and teachers, led to revisions to the original workshop content and this revised content was enhanced by a collaboration with an illustrator to create engaging visual illustrations for key concepts. A training programme was then developed to enable teachers and school counsellors to deliver the programme to broaden its reach.
This teacher/counsellor led intervention was evaluated across six UK schools within an Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) which assessed: i) efficacy; ii) fidelity to the ACT ethos and adherence to the programme content and iii) implementation processes via a qualitative study with school staff.
InTER-ACT has now been licenced and is being run by several charities across the UK. An ongoing research programme will now focus on evaluating the efficacy of InTER-ACT for young people referred with mental health difficulties (rather than within a universal classroom context).
ACT Congruent Behaviour and Psychological Flexibility Assessment
Victoria is leading a project to validate a comprehensive measure of psychological flexibility for adolescents. Victoria is also working with colleagues in Belfast to develop a situational judgment measure of ACT congruent behaviour.
Staff wellbeing
Prior to working on the DClinPsy programme, Victoria worked in Paediatric Intensive Care at Bristol Children’s Hospital which led to an interest in and concern for the wellbeing of staff working in uniquely traumatic contexts.
Victoria has overseen a number of research projects evaluating burnout and resilience amongst staff groups such as Intensivists, Oncologists, Play Specialists, staff working in services supporting young people who are homelessness and amongst medics over the COVID-19 pandemic. She is currently involved in research looking at the role of psychological flexibility processes on professional rugby players' mental health and coping amongst medical professionals.
Within her clinical role, Victoria has been working with the Hazardous Area Response Team, a specialist sub team of the Ambulance Trust, providing an ACT-based wellbeing programme.