Alasdair Churchard

Alasdair Churchard is an NIHR Pre-Doctoral Fellow in the University of Oxford Department of Psychiatry. His focus is on addressing ethnic inequalities in NHS psychotherapeutic services and he is investigating how to incorporate historical context into effective psychological therapy with people from racialised minorities, building on his existing work in this area. He is part of the CHiMES Collaborative.

Alasdair completed his undergraduate degree in History at the University of Cambridge in 2009. After working in homelessness services in London, he undertook an MSc in Experimental Psychology at the University of Sussex, before qualifying as a clinical psychologist in 2017 from University College London.

During his NIHR pre-doctoral fellowship, Alasdair's research focuses on why and how to incorporate an awareness of history into effective psychological therapy with people from racialised minorities. Historical awareness is crucial as past racial traumas continue to affect present-day experiences and attitudes towards healthcare. His primary focus is on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, aiming to enhance its cultural competence and effectiveness for minority ethnic communities.

In addition to his fellowship, Alasdair works clinically in Buckinghamshire Older People’s Psychological Services and has been a research tutor at The Oxford Institute of Clinical Psychology Training and Research since September 2021. His other research interests include homelessness, psychotherapy with and by people from minoritised ethnicities, and all aspects of psychological work with older adults. Alasdair carried out the first published research into links between autism and homelessness, showing that autistic people may be over-represented among the homeless population. He led the development of the Autism & Homelessness Toolkit, a guidance document for workers in the homelessness field, created in collaboration with organisations such as the National Autistic Society and St Mungo’s. He continues to develop psychological research and best practice in homelessness, collaborating with individuals and organisations at a national and international level.