Vicky Brooks – Reasearch Clinical Psychologist

Vicky Brooks is a Cognitive Behaviour therapist specialising in CBT for psychosis. Having trained as a mental health nurse in 1996, Vicky worked in acute inpatient settings, A & E Liaison and as a care coordinator in community mental health teams and an early intervention in psychosis team.

Vicky completed the postgraduate diploma in CBT in 2008 and has since worked as a therapist within an Early Detection and Intervention Team (EDIT) with those considered to be at ultra high risk of developing psychosis and within an Early Intervention Service with individuals experiencing first episode psychosis.

Vicky recognises friends and family members as being at the heart of quality service delivery and the essential role they play in supporting each other and individuals experiencing psychosis. She is a trained trainer for the Meriden Family Programme providing Behavioural Family Therapy training and supervision to those working with families to improve the experience of contact with mental health services, promote recovery and wellbeing.

Vicky Brooks is passionate about developing evidenced based treatment options for psychosis and feels privileged to have worked as a trial therapist on the Early Detection and Evaluation 2, (EDDIE 2), FOCUS (Focusing On Clozapine Unresponsive Symptoms), COMPARE (Cognitive behavioural therapy or Medication for Psychosis – A Randomised Evaluation), research studies at PRU. Over the years, in all her roles, she has developed a keen interest in the effects of trauma on people’s lives and in particular the links between trauma and psychosis. Vicky is excited to have the opportunity to re-join the PRU team as a trial therapist on the STAR study.

Outside of PRU, Vicky Brooks works as a Joint Programme Lead for the PGCert in Advanced Applications of CBT to Psychosis & Bipolar Disorder (CBTp), and the second specialist year of PGDip CBT: CBTp Pathway at the GMMH Psychological Therapist Training Centre.

In her spare time Vicky enjoys spending time walking with her dogs and relaxing watching endless box sets on TV or reading a good book!