Emma Cernis

I am a clinical psychologist and researcher specialising in dissociation and psychosis.

My current role is trial co-ordinator and lead therapist on Dr Felicity Waite's SleepWell trial, based in Prof Daniel Freeman's Oxford Cognitive Approaches to Psychosis (O-CAP) research group.

The SleepWell trial is a randomised controlled trial (RCT) assessing the feasibility and acceptability of a CBT intervention for insomnia for people aged 14-25 years with At Risk Mental State. At Risk Mental State presentations may include sub-clinical symptoms of psychosis such as hallucinations, hearing voices, or feeling significant mistrust of others (paranoia).

I have a long-standing interest in working with people with psychosis, having previously worked in the O-CAP team as a trial therapist on clinical trials of persecutory delusions including Feeling Safe and SlowMo. I also previously held an honorary clinical psychologist role within the Oxford Early Intervention for Psychosis service, where I specialised in working with people experiencing a first episode of psychosis and significant dissociative symptoms.

My recently completed Wellcome Trust Clinical Doctoral Fellowship on dissociation in the context of psychosis was supervised by Prof Daniel Freeman and Prof Anke Ehlers. This research followed on from my clinical psychology training doctorate at the Oxford Institute of Clinical Psychology Training, where my dissertation also focused on dissociation, and my specialist training was in child and adolescent trauma.

I am registered with the HCPC.

More information about the SleepWell study can be found here.