Dr Jessica Jones Nielsen

Overview

Dr Jones Nielsen, Associate Dean (People & Culture) of the School of Arts and Social Sciences, joined City, University of London in March 2013. She is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychology and served as the Programme Director for the HCPC approved and BPS Accredited DPsych in Counselling Psychology programme.

Dr Jones Nielsen was awarded a PhD in Counseling Psychology from the University of Florida, United States in 2010. Her PhD research investigated treatment adherence among a national sample of Hispanic primary care patients using a patient-centered culturally sensitive healthcare model.

After completing her postdoctoral clinical training at Duke University's Counseling and Psychological Services in 2011, she worked for two years as a Research Associate in Imperial College London's Department of Primary Care & Public Health before taking up her present post at City, University of London.

Qualifications

1. PhD, University of Florida, United States

Administrative roles

1. Chair, Staff Survey Advisory Group, City, University of London, Jan 2018 – present
2. Lead, SASS Athena Swan, Equality & Diversity, 2017 – present
3. Director, DPsych in Counselling Psychology Programme, 2014 – 2017

Employment

1. Associate Dean (People & Culture) for SASS, City University London, London, May 2017 – present
2. Senior Lecturer in Psychology, City University London, London, Aug 2014 – present
3. Lecturer in Psychology, City University London, London, Mar 2013 – Jul 2014
4. Research Associate, Imperial College London, London, Sep 2011 – Feb 2013
5. Psychology Resident Fellow, Duke University, Jul 2010 – Jul 2011

Memberships of professional organisations

1. Registered Psychologist (HCPC membership no: PYL 30309), Health & Care Professions Council Registered Psychologist, Nov 2013 – present
2. Chartered Member, British Psychological Society, 2013 – present

Awards

1. City, University of London (2018) The President's Award for Excellence in Learning and Teaching Award
2. Midlands Health Psychology Network Conference (2015) Research Presentation Award
3. People’s Scientific Conference (2013) Health Disparities Research Fellowship Award
4. University of Florida (2010) Office of Minority Graduate Program Dissertation Award
5. University of Florida (2009) University Women’s Club Graduate Scholarship
6. University of Florida (2009) Behavioral Medicine Research Team Outstanding Researcher Award
7. University of Florida (2009) Ted Landsman Memorial Award in Counseling Psychology for Service Excellence
8. American Psychological Association Division 38 Health Psychology (2008) Research Travel Grant
9. American Psychological Association Division 38 Health Psychology (2008) Student Poster Award
10. International Counseling Psychology Conference (2008) International Counseling Psychology Research Conference Scholarship
11. McKnight Doctoral Fellowship Foundation (2007) Russell V. Ewald Award for Academic Excellence and Human Service

Research Interests

Dr Jessica Jones Nielsen has a background in community-based participatory action research and examines the intersection between physical and mental health, and promoting engagement in positive health behaviours with particular emphasis on the experiences of low-income, ethnic minority community groups. She worked as research methods adviser in the Research Design Services at Imperial College London and as a university-based Psychology Resident Fellow at Duke University before joining City, University of London in 2013.
She initiated the Applied Psychology Training and Research Group at City, which joins together academics and clinicians in undertaking practice-based, service user-focused research in university and community settings. As the director for the research group, Dr Jones Nielsen has been involved in evaluating the effectiveness of mindfulness-based therapies and other related forms of psychological therapies in reducing anxiety, and this research has been funded by the British Psychological Society. Additionally, the group serves as a doctoral training and clinical placement for offering low-cost psychological counselling services to local community members.

Dr Jones Nielsen supervises research and professional doctorate students who are examining the experiences of underrepresented groups in mental health settings, using action research to improve the experiences of services users, and evaluating mental and physical health interventions for complex health issues. She is also keen to encourage postgraduate research projects that take a participatory action research approach. Recent doctoral research projects include work on the development of a text messaging interventions for patients with inflammatory bowel disease and an exploration of barriers to treatment for female problem gamblers.

Her research has been published in premier journals in her field, such as The Counseling Psychologist, Health Psychology and BMJ Open and her recent research projects include work on developing a weight achievement programme for BME women using a participatory action research approach, as well as developing and validating measurements and surveys. Dr Jones Nielsen also serves as an editorial board member of the Health Psychology Research, an international, open access, peer-reviewed journal.