Military psychologist becomes President of the British Psychological Society

He begins his one-year term at the Society’s Annual Meeting today (Wednesday 6 May). The AGM is held during the Society’s 2015 Annual Conference in Liverpool (5 to 7 May).

Professor Hacker Hughes was the Founder Director of the Veterans and Families Institute at Anglia Ruskin University and Is currently Visiting Professor of Military Psychology. He is also an independent psychological healthcare consultant with a practice in central London. He specialises in military and veteran psychological health and in the assessment and treatment of psychotrauma.

Professor Hacker Hughes said: “I am honoured to be following several highly distinguished psychologists to become the Society’s 81st President. I hope to use my time in the Presidency to help to increase psychology’s visibility in society and in the media and to maximise its impact on policy and legislation. Psychology has so much to offer in every sphere of life in the UK, and it is the role of our Society to show how we can be of help in so many ways. I urge all psychologists to join me in helping our Society to get this message across, not only this year but also in the years to come.”

Professor Hacker Hughes worked for the Ministry of Defence as a Consultant Clinical Psychologist from 1999 to 2011, where he had a particular interest in the psychological preparation of troops for military operations and in clinical interventions, especially early interventions, to minimise any psychological after-effects of combat. In this regard, he visited many operational theatres including Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan and worked with international colleagues around the world.

He became Head of Defence Clinical Psychology in 2007, was appointed Defence Consultant Advisor in Psychology in 2009 and was responsible for introducing a uniformed role for clinical psychologists into the British Army. His last NHS post was as Clinical Lead for the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Service in Mid Essex.

At the Society’s AGM it was also announced that Professor Peter Kinderman has been elected as President for 2016-7. He will serve a year as President Elect while Professor Hacker Hughes is President.

Professor Kinderman is professor of Clinical Psychology and Head of the Institute of Psychology, Health and Society at the University of Liverpool. His research interests are in psychological processes underpinning wellbeing and mental health, and in particular psychotic phenomena such as delusions and hallucinations. He has published widely on the role of psychological factors as mediators between biological, social and circumstantial factors in mental health and wellbeing. He is also interested in the application of such psychological science to public policy, having worked with the UK Department of Health, the Health Professions Council, the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency and the UK Office for National Statistics, amongst others.

Professor Kinderman is also passionate about bringing the best of psychological science and practice to the general public. He has worked with media organisations, including helping to design the ‘Headroom’ project for the BBC and hosting a two-part Horizon programme on mental health and diagnosis, has recently launched a free, online, open-access course exploring our understanding of mental health and wellbeing and published ‘A Prescription for Psychiatry’, which presents his vision for the future of mental health services for a general public readership.

Professor Kinderman said: “I'm delighted and honoured to have been chosen to serve as President of the Society, I would like to thank all those who voted for me, and I am hugely grateful to Dr Helen Nicholas and Professor Tanya Byron for proposing and seconding me. This is a massive privilege and I will do all I can, during my term of office, to ensure that psychological science and practice contribute effectively to our shared goal of enhancing society and improving psychological health and well-being.”

 


Professor Hacker Hughes was educated at Llandaff Cathedral School, Christ College Brecon and Birmingham University before a Short Service Commission in the Army (1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards, serving in Germany and Northern Ireland) and five years in sales and marketing management.  

He went on to gain a BSc (Hons) in Psychology from University College, London in 1990, an MPhil in Psychopathology from Darwin College, Cambridge in 1991 and a PsychD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Surrey in 1996. He also has a Diploma in Clinical Psychology from the British Psychological Society (1994) and an MSc in War and Psychiatry from King’s College, London (2007).

Follow Professor Hacker Hughes on @profjamiehh

The BPS is the representative body for psychology and psychologists in the UK. We are responsible for the development, promotion and application of psychology for the public good. For more information visit www.bps.org.uk


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