Dr Lilia Psalta
LECTURER IN PSYCHOLOGY AND COURSE LEADER OF MSC FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY
[email protected]
+357 24694103
Qualifications
PhD Cognitive Neuroscience (University of York, UK, 2013)
PhD candidate in Clinical Psychology (University of Cyprus, Cyprus, 2018 – Present)
MSc Cognitive Neuroscience (University of York, UK, 2011)
MSc Counselling Studies (University of Hull, UK, 2005)
B.A Psychology (Spalding University, USA, 2003)
PGCert of Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, 2017
Completion of certified training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Psychotherapy (Levels I and II) (TACT Hellas, 2022)
Completion of certified training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (Externship), Certified EFT therapist – EFT Network Greece, April 2022
Completion of certified training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (Core Skills), Certified EFT therapist – EFT Network Greece, April 2021
Specialization
Cognitive Neuroscience, Clinical Psychology
Employment Track
Course Leader of MSc Forensic Psychology (2016 – Present)
Lecturer in Psychology – UCLan Cyprus (2015 – Present)
Special Teaching Staff – UCLan Cyprus (2014 – 2015)
Research Fellow – The University of Cyprus (2013 – 2015)
Teaching and Research Assistant – The University of York, UK (2010 – 2013)
College Tutor – Wentworth Graduate College, The University of York, UK (2010 – 2013)
Counsellor Psychotherapist, Private Practice, Cyprus (2005 – 2007)
Memberships (Academic/Professional)
- American Psychological Association (APA)
- British Psychological Society (BPS)
- Association for Psychological Science (APS)
- Association for the Treatment and Prevention of Sexual Abuse (ATSA)
- College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists (COSRT)
Research Interests
My research interests are based around Cognitive Neuroscience and Forensic Psychology.
More specifically, understanding the brain processes that allow us to perceive the visual world:
• Brain mechanisms underlying the perception of faces. The neural and behavioural basis of Lip Reading
• Perception of emotional signals from faces and bodies
• Configural and Featural processing of faces and bodies
• Emotional Contamination
In Forensic Psychology my areas of research interests are:
• Risk assessment
• The neurobiological bases of offending
• Increasing psychotherapeutic effectiveness of the treatment given to offenders
• Cybercrime violence
• Internet offending (Revenge-Porn, cyber-harassment, stalking etc.)
• New approaches to understanding cyber-offenders (Cognitive distortions, Emotion regulation, autistic like traits, Internet-addiction, Threat/Control-override Symptoms)
• Ghosting behaviours based on attachment theory
• Limplicit and Explicit evaluations of Sexual Aggression and Sexual Aggressive Behaviour
Roles and Responsibilities (including past roles and responsibilities)
Teaching and Course Leadership
- Course Leader of MSc in Forensic Psychology
- Module Leadership/Delivery: Methods and Practice of Psychological Inquiry, Introduction to Psychobiology and Cognition, Cognitive and Physiological Psychology, Psychology and Cognition, Neuropsychological Disorders and Techniques, Forensic and Criminal Psychology, Forensic Mental Health, Violence and Sex Offenders
Administrative Roles
- Senate (2022 – Present)
- School of Sciences Erasmus representative (2020 – Present)
- Member of Academic Standards and Quality Assurance Committee (ASQAC) (2016 – 2017)
Selective Publications
- Mikellides, G., Michael, P., Psalta, L., Stefani, A., Schuhmann, T., & Sack, A. T. (2022). Accelerated intermittent theta burst stimulation in smoking cessation: placebo effects equal to active stimulation when using advanced placebo coil technology. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 892075. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.892075
- Mikellides, G., Michael, P., Psalta, L., Schuhmann, T., and Sack, A. (2022). A retrospective Naturalistic Study Comparing the Efficacy of Ketamine and Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Treatment-Resistant Depression. Front. Psychiatry, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.513068
- Soteriades, E. S., Vogazianos, P., Tozzi, F., Antoniades, A., Economidou, E. C., Psalta, L., & Spanoudis, G. (2022). Exercise and Occupational Stress among Firefighters. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(9), 4986.
- Psalta, L., Beech, A., Raine, A. (2022). Forensic Psychology: Crime Justice, Law, Intervention – 3rd Edition (ed. Davies, G and Beech, A.). Understanding Risk Factors for Offending: The contributions of Neuroscience. Wiley & Sons Ltd.
- Michael, P., Constantinou Juhasz, S. B., Evagorou, O., Psalta, L., & Mikellides, G. (2022). High-Frequency Rtms Improves Quality of Life and Depressive Symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease: A Case Report. Olympia and Psalta, Lilia and Mikellides, Georgios, High-Frequency Rtms Improves Quality of Life and Depressive Symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease: A Case Report. Heliyon, 10 (8), 312196.
- Monogios, C., Paizee, A., & Psalta, L. The impact of Sexually explicit Material on Relationship Satisfaction. Archies of Sexual Behavior (Under Review).
- Psalta, L., Soteriades, E., Leka, S., & Spanoudis, G. Resilience and Neuroticism – Direct Predictors of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among firefighters. Comprehensive Psychiatry (under review).
- Mikellides, G., Michael, P., Psalta, L., Stefani, A., Schuhmann, T., & Sack, A. T. (2022). Accelerated intermittent theta burst stimulation in smoking cessation: placebo effects equal to active stimulation when using advanced placebo coil technology. A follow up study. Front. Psychiatry, Volume 13, Article 892075.
- Paizee, A.N., Michael, P., Evripidou, S., Mikellides, G., & Psalta, L. (2022). An Investigation of rTMS Therapy for Treatment Resistant Depression: A Single Case Design (in preparation).
- Soteriades, E.S., Psalta, L., Leka, D., Spanoudis, G. (2019). Occupational Stress and musculoskeletal Symptoms in firefighters. International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, 14 (32), 342-352.
- Psalta, L., Young, A.W., Thompson, P., & Andrews, T.J. (2015). Orientation-sensitivity to facial features explains the Thatcher illusion. Journal of Vision, 14: 9, 1-10.
- Psalta, L., Nikolaou, A., Soteriadis, E., & Spanoudis, G. (2015). Book of Best Practices: Fire Service of Cyprus – Epidemiology and management of occupational stress and musculoskeletal disorders in Fire-fighters (pp. 1-28). Nicosia, Cyprus: University of Cyprus ’15.
- Psalta, L., Young, A.W., Thompson, P., & Andrews, T.J. (2014). The Thatcher illusion reveals orientation-dependence in brain regions involved in processing facial expression. Psychological Science, 25: 128-136.
- Psalta, L., & Andrews, T.J. (2014). Inversion improves the recognition of facial expression in thatcherized images. Perception, 43: 715-730.
Selective Conference and Seminar Presentations
- Psalta, L (2016). “Combating Corruption in Law Enforcement Units” – Is it power or Individual Characteristics that explains corruption? Oral Presentation at the FBI National Academy Association, Cyprus.
- Psalta, L. Spanoudis, S., & Petinou, K. (2015). Language and Literacy Challenges in Diverse Populations. Oral presentation at the Association of Speech Pathologist and Speech Therapists of Greece (SELLE).
- Psalta, L. (2015). Epidemiology and management of occupational stress and musculoskeletal disorders in Fire-fighters. Proceedings of the 1st Conference on occupational stress (pp. 1-21). Nicosia, Cyprus: University of Cyprus ’15.
- Psalta, L. (2014). The Thatcher illusion reveals orientation-dependence in brain regions processing facial expression. Oral presentation at the 14th European Workshop of Imagery and Cognition (EWIC).
Selective Research Funding/ Grant Capture
- IDEALVis Project (Intelligent Data Exploration and Adaptive Meaningful Visualization): Work Package participation, Excellence/0918/0366. 2019-2021 (Funding: €250K).
- Epidrasi Prevention Program. Project (ACT, prevention program for substance misuse in minors): Funding Authority: National Antidrug authority Cyprus. Work Package Leader. 2019-2021 (Funding: €21K).
- Research Promotion Foundation /0308 (ΒΙΕ)/21. Epidemiology and management of occupational stress and musculoskeletal disorder in firefighters. This study was funded by the Republic of Cyprus and the European Regional Development Fund through the Cyprus Research Promotion Foundation (RPF) under a grant agreement. Position at the project: Special Scientist.
- Facial expression and identity recognition (fMRI study). This work was supported by a grant from the WellcomeTrust (WT087720MA). Date September 2014. Position: PhD Student.
Supervision of Projects/PhDs
PhD Supervision (2nd Supervisor) – “The effectiveness of Risk Matrix 2000 and Static-2002R when used with Greek and Greek-Cypriot sex offender population: Do the history of foster care, substance abuse, employment problems and school maladjustment predict sexual and violent reconviction?”
Other Scholarly and Outreach Activities
- SKVC Expert, Evaluation of MSc Forensic Psychology programmes in Lithuania, Centre for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (SKVC) (2017)
- Journal of Vision Reviewer (2017-2018)
- Plos One Reviewer (2016)
- Organizer and Chair of the 1st Forensic Psychology Conference with title ‘Forensic Mental Health’ (25-26 June, 2018)
- Establishment of several Memorandum of collaborations (MoUs) with social partners (e.g. Center of prevention Mesogeios/Kimonas, Hope For Children, CARITAS, Cyprus Red Cross, SPAVO)
- Neurophysiology and Emotion, Noldus Training, June 2021
- Organised a variety of seminars within the Forensic Psychology field:
o Mental Health Week Awareness. A series of workshops, trainings, lectures on mental health, March 2022
o Mental Health Week Awareness. A series of workshops, trainings, lectures on mental health, October 2020
o Child sexual Abuse (4 workshop Series, presenter: Dr. Olga Themeli), 25/11/20, 2/12/20, 9/12/20 and 16/12/20
o Dealing with Violent behaviour in offenders with major mental health issues, 18th of November 2020
o Raising Awareness on Violence Against Women (co-organised with SPAVO), 4th of November 2020
o Forensic Psychological Practice UK Collaborators, 14th of October 2020
o Mental Health Week awareness 7th-11th of October 2019. A series of workshops, trainings, lectures on mental health
o Conference on Sex Offenders from the 13th to 14th of June 2019
o Psychiatric patients in prison settings, 6th of June 2019
o Working Therapeutically with Children (presenter: Dr Fani Panayianni),13th of March 2019
o Human Trafficking (presenter: Nicola Smith), 26th of February 2019
o Anti-Drug workshop: Dealing with students’ addiction (co-organised with Mesogeios Organization), 16th of February 2019
o Treatment of violent offenders (presenter: Dr Pavlina Antoniou), 6th of February 2019
o Art exhibition for the prevention of discrimination against mental health, 16th October 2018
