Dr Joanna Farr
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Overview
Overview
Biography
I research young people’s experience of mental health difficulties and emotional wellbeing, with a particular focus on using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), visual and longitudinal methods to access and express everyday lived experiences.
In 2021, I was awarded my PhD and joined Birkbeck as Lecturer in Psychology after holding research positions at the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families and Roehampton University of London.
Qualifications
- PhD Psychology, Birkbeck University of London, 2021
- MSc Psychology, Birkbeck University of London, 2013
ORCID
0000-0003-3263-8773 -
Research
Research
Research overview
My current research activities include:
Project 1: Capturing and expressing adolescent girls’ everyday experience of managing emotional wellbeing
Funded by Wellcome Trust Institutional Support Fund at BirkbeckThis project aims to develop an interdisciplinary approach to access adolescent girls’ everyday experiences of managing their feelings and make those experiences accessible to others. The intention is to push the boundaries of our understanding by extending this approach nationally and globally to access girls’ daily experiences across cultures and settings.
Project objectives follow from recognised challenges in girls’ mental health and wellbeing, and a need to understand their use of daily self-care strategies, unguided interventions and coping strategies. These play a key role in preventing and managing emotional and psychological difficulties, but currently are not understood.
Methodologically, it combines video diaries, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and film: 16 and 17-year-olds are invited to make daily video diaries on their phone then, drawing on these, in-depth interviews are conducted and short films developed.
It is a collaboration between Joanna Farr in Psychology (The IPA Research Group) and Bartek Dziadosz in Film, Media and Cultural Studies (The Derek Jarman Lab), supported by Dr Sarah Marks and Professor Jonathan Smith.
Project 2: The experience of first-episode psychosis and early intervention for young people diagnosed with bipolar disorder
This project uses IPA to understand how young people diagnosed with bipolar disorder experience first-psychotic episode and its aftermath, supported by NHS early intervention psychosis services. There is a strong rationale for early intervention for bipolar disorder: it is more responsive to treatment early on and has a high risk of episode recurrence in the first year. The clinical effectiveness of early intervention for psychosis broadly is well-established, but little is known about how this might best support and be tailored to this group specifically.
Research clusters and groups
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Supervision and teaching
Supervision and teaching
Supervision
Teaching
Teaching modules
- Qualitative Methods (PSYC074H7)
- Qualitative Research in Psychology (SCPS180H6)
- The Psychology of Individual Differences (SCPS206H7)
- Learning, Memory, and Cognition (SCPS207H7)
- Neuroscience (P) (SCPS208H7)
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Publications
Publications
Article
- Farr, Joanna and Smith, Jonathan and Rhodes, John (2024) The experience of mood change over time for people diagnosed with bipolar disorder: a longitudinal interpretative phenomenological analysis. Counselling Psychology Quarterly ISSN 0951-5070.
- Farr, Joanna and Rhodes, John and Baruch, E. and Smith, Jonathan (2024) Early intervention in psychosis for first episode psychotic mania: the experience of people diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Journal of Mental Health ISSN 0963-8237.
- Farr, Joanna and Rhodes, John and Baruch, E. and Smith, Jonathan A. (2023) First episode psychotic mania and its aftermath: the experience of people diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Psychosis: Psychological, Social and Integrative Approaches ISSN 1752-3429.
- Farr, Joanna and Rhodes, John and Smith, Jonathan A. (2023) Recovering from first episode psychotic mania: the experience of people diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Early Intervention In Psychiatry ISSN 1751-7885.
- Stapley, E. and Town, R. and Yoon, Y. and Lereya Suzet, T. and Farr, Joanna and Turner, J. and Barnes, N. (2022) A mixed-methods evaluation of a peer mentoring intervention in a UK school setting: perspectives from mentees and mentors. Children and Youth Services Review 132 (106327), ISSN 0190-7409.
- Farr, Joanna and Moore, A. and Bruffell, H. and Hayes, J. and Rae, J. and Cooper, M. (2021) The impact of a needs-based model of care on accessibility and quality of care within children's mental health services: a qualitative investigation of the UK i-THRIVE Programme. Child Care, Health and Development 47 (4), pp. 442-450. ISSN 1365-2214.
- Nizza, Isabella and Farr, Joanna and Smith, Jonathan A. (2021) Achieving excellence in interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA): four markers of high quality. Qualitative Research in Psychology ISSN 1478-0887.
- Farr, Joanna and Edbrooke-Childs, J. and Town, R. and Pietkiewicz, D. and Young, I. and Stapley, E. (2021) Counseling for young people and families affected by child sexual exploitation and abuse: a qualitative investigation of the perspective of young people, parents, and professionals. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse 30 (1), pp. 102-123. ISSN 1547-0679.
- Farr, Joanna and Di Malta, G. and Cooper, M. (2019) Pilot randomised controlled trial of counselling in a community mental health setting: pitfalls and learnings. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research 20 (1), pp. 3-8. ISSN 1746-1405.
- Farr, Joanna and Nizza, Isabella (2019) Longitudinal Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (LIPA): a review of studies and methodological considerations. Qualitative Research in Psychology 16 (2), pp. 199-217. ISSN 1478-0887.
- Farr, Joanna and Blenkiron, L. and Harris, R. and Smith, Jonathan A. (2018) “It's my language, my culture and it's personal!” Migrant mothers' experience of language use and identity change in their relationship with their children: an interpretative phenomenological analysis. Journal of Family Issues 39 (11), pp. 3029-3054. ISSN 0192-513X.