Kirsten Smith
MA (HONS), DClinPsy, DPhil
MRC Clinical Scientist Fellow
- Clinical Psychologist
Research Interests
My interests include psychological and neurobiological responses to traumatic experiences and the clinical translation of experimental research. My DPhil research focused on increasing our understanding of the processes involved in an intense or enduring grieving process or Prolonged Grief (PG) with a view to developing more effective psychological treatments to manage distress.
I was awarded an MRC Clinical Scientist Fellowship to develop and provide initial empirical support for a new therapist-assisted digital cognitive therapy for Prolonged Grief Disorder (ICT- PG).
I am a trustee on the board of a registered charity providing free facilitated group support to those who have lost loved ones to cancer (www.thelossfoundation.org). In acknowledging the scale and impact of loss to cancer, we aim to encourage discussion, provide information and raise awareness through our bereavement support services across the UK.
Key publications
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Impaired allocentric spatial processing in posttraumatic stress disorder.
Journal article
Smith KV. et al, (2015), Neurobiol Learn Mem, 119, 69 - 76
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Effectiveness of a Cancer Bereavement Therapeutic Group.
Journal article
Jerome H. et al, (2019), J Loss Trauma, 23, 574 - 587
Recent publications
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Support needs and barriers to accessing support: Baseline results of a mixed-methods national survey of people bereaved during the COVID-19 pandemic
Journal article
Harrop E. et al, (2021), Palliative Medicine
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Coping Strategies as a Causal Mediator of the Effect of Loss-Related Memory Characteristics and Negative Loss-Related Appraisals on Symptoms of PGD, PTSD and Depression
Journal article
SMITH K. and EHLERS A., (2021), Psychological Medicine
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Prolonged Grief and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Following the Loss of a Significant Other: An Investigation of Cognitive and Behavioural Differences
Journal article
Smith KV. and Ehlers A., (2021), PLoS One
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Validation of the new DSM-5-TR criteria for prolonged grief disorder and the PG-13-Revised (PG-13-R) scale.
Journal article
Prigerson HG. et al, (2021), World Psychiatry, 20, 96 - 106
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Prolonged grief and posttraumatic stress disorder following the loss of a significant other: An investigation of cognitive and behavioural differences.
Journal article
Smith KV. and Ehlers A., (2021), PLoS One, 16