Eleanor Leigh

I am an Associate Professor and MRC Clinician Scientist Fellow at the Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford and Honorary Associate Professor at UCL. I am also an Honorary Clinical Psychologist at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust.

Our work is focused on improving our understanding and treatment of common mental health problems in adolescence, with an emphasis on cognitive behavioural approaches. To do this, I use a broad range of methods, including experimental and prospective methods, meta-analysis, and clinical trial designs.

My current research looks at: cognitive and behavioural mechanisms of adolescent anxiety; psychological therapies for adolescent social anxiety disorder; improving access to treatment with the use of digital therapy; how social anxiety affects academic achievement; and the peer environment and anxiety in adolescence.

Within the Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre Mental Health in Development theme, I lead work on understanding, measuring, and modifying mechanisms underpinning mental health problems in children and young people https://mhid.org.uk/. 

My work is or has been supported by the Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust, and the NIHR. Previously, I worked as a Clinical Psychologist at National & Specialist Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) at The Maudsley Hospital, London. I teach and train on a number of national training courses, including Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy) and CYP-IAPT courses. I am on the advisory board of JCPP Advances and the Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry.

For more information about our work please see our website: https://camy.web.ox.ac.uk

For information for young people on how to overcome social anxiety, you might be interested in our new book in the Overcoming For Teenagers series published by Little, Brown: https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/eleanor-leigh/overcoming-social-anxiety-and-building-self-confidence/9781472147417/