Dr Fiona Warren

Biography

I have been an active member of the British and Irish Group for the Study of Personality Disorders (BIGSPD), of which I am currently secretary, and of the Society for Psychotherapy Research (UK)

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Research Interests

My research interest is in Personality disorders, specifically:

• Treatment effectiveness
• Self-harm
• Effectiveness of staff training interventions.

My research has been primarily on the effectiveness of therapeutic communities, working for some years specifically studying Henderson Hospital NHS residential therapeutic community. I have also been involved in a collaborative review of the evidence for all treatments for personality disorders (http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/onlinepubs1.html). The evidence base for treatments for personality disorders has been improving steadily for the past two decades and this improvement may be reducing the previously prevalent “therapeutic pessimism” surrounding this disorder. However, new services and new treatment approaches continue to be developed and need to be subjected to evaluation.

Research Collaborations

Recent projects

Evaluation of a specialist training in working with personality disorders (funded by National Institute of Mental Health England)
http://www.bigspd.net/Programme%202006.htm

Research Needs Analysis for Therapeutic Communities in Prisons (funded by HMPrison Service, 2004)

Review of Treatments for Severe Personality Disorder (funded by Home Office, 2001)
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/onlinepubs1.html

Robert Baxter Fellowship (funded by The High Secure Psychiatric Services Commissioning Board, 1998-2000)
http://www.refer.nhs.uk/ViewRecord.asp?ID=1310
http://www.nfmhp.org.uk/research.htm#cppf

D.ClinPsych projects

As a research tutor on the Clinical Psych D course, I supervise both Service-related Research Projects (SRRP) and Major Research Projects (MRP). I am particularly keen to supervise SRRPs that concern the provision of services for clients who may have personality disorder and for those who self-harm, for example, assessing the degree to which services are meeting national and local guidelines and am always looking for regional psychologists, with or without experience of research supervision to co-supervise these studies.

Publications

Warren F, Zaman S, Dolan B, , Norton K., Evans C (2006) Eating Disturbance and Severe Personality Disorder: Outcome of specialist treatment for Severe Personality Disorder. European Eating Disorders Review;14 (2):69-78.

Drescher, U., F. Warren, et al. (2004). Towards evidence-based practice in medical training: Making evaluations more meaningful. Medical Education 38: 1288-1294.

Warren F, Evans C, Dolan B, Norton K. (2004) Impulsivity and Self-Damaging Behaviour in Severe Personality Disorder: The Impact of Democratic Therapeutic Community Treatment. Therapeutic Communities: The International Journal of Therapeutic Communities and Supportive Organizations;25(1):55-71.

Warren, F., Preedy, K et al. (2003). Review of Treatments for Severe Personality Disorder. London, Home Office Online Publication 30/03.
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/onlinepubs1.html.

Geraghty, R. Warren, F. (2003)Ethnic diversity and equality of access to specialist therapeutic community treatment for severe personality disorder Psychiatric Bulletin 27:1

Blount, C., Evans, C., Birch, S., Warren, F., Norton, K. (2002). The properties of self-report research measures: Beyond psychometrics. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice 75: 151-164.