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Biography
Stephen Joseph is the cluster convenor for counselling and psychotherapy teaching and training in the School of Education. Stephen is a senior practitioner member of the British Psychological Society's Register of Psychologists who specialise in Psychotherapy. Stephen is also an HPCP Registered Health and Counselling Psychologist. His research interests are in human flourishing and well-being.
Before joining the School of Education in 2013 Stephen was Professor of Psychology, Health and Social Care in the School of Sociology and Social Policy where from 2006 he co-convened the Centre for Trauma, Resilience and Growth (CTRG) with Professor Steve Regel and was an honorary consultant psychologist in psychotherapy in Nottinghamshire NHS Trust.
Before joining Nottingham, Stephen was at the University of Warwick (1999-2006) as Senior Lecturer/Reader in Health Psychology and Research Tutor on the Clinical Psychology training programme. Prior to that, he was at the University of Essex (1994-1999) as Lecturer/Senior Lecturer, and the University of Ulster (1991-1994) as lecturer.
Stephen studied as an undergraduate at the University of Ulster . His first degree is in Psychology (1983-86). He has a Masters degree in Social Psychology from the London School of Economics (1986-87) and a PhD in Psychology from the Institute of Psychiatry (1988-91) which was a social psychological investigation of emotional processing in survivors of the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster completed under the supervision of Professor William Yule. Stephen also trained as a person-centred counsellor at Metanoia Psychotherapy Training Institute (1996-2000).
Expertise Summary
Positive Psychology: Human flourishing and well-being.
Person-centred approach and client-centred therapy
Psychological trauma and posttraumatic growth
Research Summary
Stephen has three main areas of research.
First, Stephen is interested in the topic of human flourishing and well-being. What do we mean by well-being? How can well-being be measured? What are the factors that lead to well-being? In particular, Stephen is interested in authenticity and what it means to live authentically.
Second, Stephen is interested in the person-centred approach to psychotherapy, counselling and coaching that was originated by Carl Rogers. Can person-centred therapy help people live more authentically, and to experience greater flourishing and well-being?
Third, Stephen is interested in how people deal with life adversity - from accidents and illnesses to war and disaster. Specifically he is interested in posttraumatic growth. Can psychological trauma be a positive turning point in peoples' lives? How can therapists facilitate posttraumatic growth?
Stephen is keen to supervise doctoral research in any of the areas above.
In the past he has supervised students studying topics such as childbirth-related trauma, school bullying and its effects, posttraumatic growth in survivors of childhood abuse; resilience in cancer patients, measurement of religiosity and its its relation to well-being, self-acceptance, measurement of posttraumtic growth, and positive psychological approaches to well-being.