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Helen Swaby

Helen Swaby

Senior Lecturer

School of Social Sciences

Role

Helen Swaby is a Senior Lecturer in Counselling and Psychological Therapies.

Career overview

Helen began her career working in Higher Education in 2012, following completion of an MSc in Forensic Psychology. Helen worked as a Research Assistant and then Research Fellow at Nottingham Trent University, conducting research with convicted populations around rehabilitation, reoffending and resettlement. Helen’s role at NTU also involved working for the Safer Living Foundation charity, a multi-award winning charity which she co-founded with colleagues in 2014. This involved project development, fundraising and research. Alongside her position at NTU, Helen completed her professional training as an integrative psychotherapist (MSc Integrative Psychotherapy), and became qualified in 2019. Helen has worked therapeutically with clients within the NHS, charity and university settings.

Helen went on to officially begin her Lecturing career in 2017 at Bishop Grosseteste University. Helen delivered teaching in the areas of counselling, psychology and mental health on both undergraduate and postgraduate courses, and attained Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, before securing a position as a Senior Lecturer at Nottingham Trent University in 2023.

Research areas

Helen’s research career started out with forensic populations, mostly in prison settings. The main focus of this early work was the evaluation of medication to manage sexual arousal in individuals convicted of sexual offences. This later broadened to exploring and understanding individuals (non-offending) who live with a sexual attraction to children in the community. Helen is involved in a number of projects under this theme with colleagues at Nottingham Trent University.

Alongside her forensic research, Helen has interests in the field of trauma-informed care, self-care for helping professions and the grief and loss experiences of parents.

Helen adopts a mixed-method’s approach and is experienced in qualitative data collection methods.

External activity

Throughout her various roles, Helen has worked / collaborated with:

  • The University of Nottingham Counselling Service
  • Reflections Counselling Service (City Hospital Nottingham)
  • Various charities including: The Leicester Counselling Centre, Circles UK (and other local Circles providers), Rethink Mental Illness
  • Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS)
  • Local prison establishments including: HMP Whatton, HMP Nottingham
  • Ministry of Justice
  • NHS England
  • External academic collaborators include: Jennifer Hamilton (Lincoln University), Gianina Postavaru (Leicester University), Elizabeth Hicks (Bishop Grosseteste University)

Course(s) I teach on