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Dr Paul O'Callaghan

O'Callaghan, PaulBSc, HDip (Education), Bacc (Philosophy), DECAP

Honorary Research Fellow

Email: pocallaghan02@qub.ac.uk

Address: David Kerr Building,
School of Psychology,
Queen’s University Belfast
Belfast BT7 1NN

Telephone: +44 (0)28 9097 4350

Biography

Prior to enrolling at Queen’s University in 2009, Paul taught English as an additional language in Argentina, ran a literacy and numeracy programme for young offenders and street children in Tanzania and set up a running club and journalism club in one of Kenya’s largest slums.

In 2012, he graduated with a Doctorate in Educational, Child and Adolescent Psychology in Queens. In the course of his studies he delivered five psychosocial and mental health interventions for war-affected children in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. His doctoral thesis on using Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy with war-affected and sexually exploited girls was published in the world’s top-ranked paediatric and child and adolescent mental health journal: The Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Paul currently works as an Educational Psychologist in Dungannon, Co Tyrone.

In 2013, Paul joined the School of Psychology as an honorary research fellow. His research interests include literacy difficulties, attachment and behavioural problems in school and the impact of trauma on children’s learning in school. He is also interested in conducting participatory research and designing and evaluating interventions with war-affected children, children who live or work on the streets, children associated with armed groups, children exploited as labourers or in the sex industry and children accused of witchcraft.

Publications, Papers in Print and Papers Submitted

Moran, A. & O’Callaghan, P. (2003). Field Independence and Problem Solving: A cross-cultural study. Irish Journal of Psychology, 24, 70-78.
O’Callaghan, P., Storey, L. & Rafferty, H. (2012). Narrative Analysis of Former Child Soldiers Traumatic Experiences. Journal of Educational & Child Psychology, 29(2), 87-97.

McMullen, J., O’Callaghan, P., Richards, J., Eakin, J. & Rafferty, H. (2012). Screening for Traumatic Exposure and Psychological Distress among War-Affected Adolescents in Post-Conflict northern Uganda. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 47(9), 1489-98.

O’Callaghan, P., McMullen, J., Shannon, C., Rafferty, H., & Black, A. (2013). A randomized controlled trial of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for sexually exploited, war-affected, Congolese Girls. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 52(4): 359-369.

McMullen, J., O’Callaghan, P., Shannon, C., Black, A. & Eakin, J. (in press). Group trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy with former child soldiers and other war-affected boys in the DR Congo: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

O’Callaghan, P. (in press). Delivering Interventions to Young People Exposed to War-Related Violence and Sexual Exploitation – Longstanding Struggles but Lasting Successes. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy.

O’Callaghan, P., McMullen, J. & Shannon, C. Debates in the Field of Interventions for War-Affected Children. (Under review).

O’Callaghan P, McMullen J, Shannon C, Rafferty H, Black A. A randomized trial of a trauma-focused and non trauma-focused intervention with war-affected Congolese youth. (Under review).

O’Callaghan, P., Branham, L., Shannon, C., Betancourt, T., Dempster, M. & McMullen, J. A Family-Focused, Psychosocial Intervention with Young People at Risk of Attack and Abduction in North-Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo: A Randomised Controlled Trial. (Under review).