Dr Heather Price

As a psychosocial practitioner and researcher, Heather is concerned with the ways in which individuals influence (and are influenced by) interpersonal relationships and wider group and socio-cultural processes. She considers how emotions are theorized within the mental health field and has a particular interest in psychoanalysis

Heather has taught Masters students in Psychosocial Studies, Psychoanalytic Studies, Social Work and Education, including via online platforms through distance learning. She has taught at every undergraduate level and has led modules in Mental Health and Counselling, Individual Development and Childhood and Family Studies. She also teaches modules on reflective practice for placement students and is a doctoral supervisor and examiner

Heather is currently the lead researcher on a qualitative ethnographic research evaluation commissioned by the Mulberry Bush School (MBS), a residential National Centre of Excellence for the education of mostly looked-after children with severe emotional and behavioural difficulties. The team is studying the key constituents of the Mulberry Bush’s ‘reflective practice’ training model for therapeutic childcare and specialist educational practitioners. 

Heather worked with Dr Eric Ansong and the London Bubble Theatre Company to evaluate ‘Speech Bubbles’, a speech, communication and language needs drama intervention at Key Stage One. Their comparison study obtained statistically significant findings that formed the basis of Pro Bono Economics / Ernst and Young’s ‘value for money’ assessment of the intervention.

Heather also co-led the evaluation of ‘Tottenham Thinking Space’ with Alice Sampson. Now ‘Haringey Thinking Space’, TTS is an award-winning community therapy project set up by Haringey Council and the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust in the wake of the 2011 riots, to build strength and resilience in local neighbourhoods

Heather is a qualified, BACP registered Couple and Individual Psychodynamic Psychotherapist.”

Heather’s research uses practice-near methodologies and typically includes detailed description and careful attention to processes of reflexivity and emotional and relational dynamics.

“Heather is the lead researcher on a collaborative qualitative research project commissioned by the Mulberry Bush Organisation (MBO), a National Centre of Excellence for training, research, care and education for children with SEMHD. The team is studying mechanisms of change underlying the implementation of the organisation’s training programmes (August 2018 to September 2019).

Heather previously led commissioned research using a psychosocial ethnographic methodology to evaluate the therapeutic milieu at the Mulberry Bush School, part of MBO. The research model involved participation and observation in the classrooms and houses (May 2015 to May 2018).

She was also lead researcher working in collaboration with London Bubble Theatre Company to evaluate outcomes from ‘Speech Bubbles’, a speech, communication and language needs drama intervention at Key Stage One; the project piloted the use of one of the Communication Trust’s progression tools as a research instrument.

Together with Alice Sampson (LSE), Heather led research evaluating Tottenham Thinking Space (TTS), a peer-led, professionally facilitated community therapy project funded by Haringey Council and the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust (September 2013 to February 2016).

Heather is an advisor for the British Academy funded project, ‘Charting the Links between Community Therapies, Psychiatric Diagnosis and Mental Health Policy: A Study of the Archives of Hawkspur Camp (1936-1940) and Mulberry Bush School (1948-2000)’.

She is submissions editor for the peer reviewed journal, Psychodynamic Practice, and a peer reviewer for the Journal of Psychosocial Studies and Qualitative Research.”

Price, H.  S. ‘Beyond Love and Behaviour Management: the psychodynamic reflective milieu at the Mulberry Bush School’, the Dartington Service Design Lab Centre for Social Policy, Fellows’ Meeting, 3rd December 2018

Price, H. S. (2018) Editorial, Psychodynamic Practice, 24:4, 313-318, DOI: 10.1080/14753634.2018.1534480

Price, H.S. (commissioned for submission April 2019) “The Mulberry Bush School” entry, E. Burman and D. Thomas Cook (Eds) (2018) The SAGE Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood Studies, Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA

Price, H., Herd, J., Jones, D and Sampson, A. ‘Between Love and Behaviour Management: the psychodynamic reflective milieu at the Mulberry Bush School’ (2018) special issue of the Journal of Social Work Practice on Psychodynamic and Systems Theories Perspectives on Residential Child Care, 32:4, 391-407, DOI: 10.1080/02650533.2018.1503167

Price, H., and Ansong, E. (2018) 'An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the ‘Speech Bubbles’ Drama Intervention Programme, 2015-17', Final Report, available at http://www.londonbubble.org.uk/page/reports-research-writing/

Price, H., Herd, J., Jones, D. and Sampson, A. (2017) ‘Keeping the Children Close: Towards an Understanding of Therapeutic Provision at the Mulberry Bush School’ Final Report, see https://www.mulberrybush.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/UEL-Key-Findings-Jan-2018.pdf

H. Price (2017) ‘Ch 4: Language and Communication Difficulties’, in R. Lupton, T. Bibby and C. Raffo (Eds) Responding to Educational Disadvantage in Schools: A Reader for Teachers, Basingstoke: Palgrave

Heather Price (2016) ‘Speech Bubbles’ Drama Intervention Programme: Preliminary Executive Summary of Effectiveness http://www.londonbubble.org.uk/page/reports-research-writing/

Heather Price and Alice Sampson (2015) An Evaluation Assessing the Progress of Tottenham Thinking Space (prepared for Haringey Council), DOI: 10.15123/PUB.5099, available at  https://tavistockandportman.nhs.uk/training/conferences-events/thinking-space/

Price, H.S. (2013) Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: a Research Study with Dost Centre for Young Migrants and Refugees: a Relationship-based, 360° Service, available at  http://dostcentre.org/dost-home-away-home/

Price, H.S. and Cooper, A.M. (2012) ‘In the field: Psychoanalytic Infant Observation and Epistemological Realism’, in C. Urwin and J. Sternberg, Infant Observation and Research: Emotional Processes in Everyday Lives, London: Routledge

Day Sclater, S., Jones, D., Price, H. S. and Yates, C. (2009) ‘Introduction' in S. Day Sclater, D. Jones, H. Price and C. Yates (Eds) Emotion: New Psychosocial Perspectives, Basingstoke: Palgrave

Price, H. S. (2009) ‘Emotional Literacy in Schools: A Psychosocial Perspective', in S. Day Sclater, D. Jones, H. Price and C. Yates (Eds) Emotion: New Psychosocial Perspectives, Basingstoke: Palgrave

Selected Presentations and Conference Papers:

Price, H.S. ‘Findings from the UEL Qualitative Research Project, 2014-16’, ‘Implications of Research for Practice’ Training Day, Mulberry Bush School, Jan 2017

Price, H. S. ‘The Mulberry Bush School: How to evaluate a psychoanalytically-informed intervention, using psychoanalytic insights?’3rd Psychoanalysis and Education Conference, University of Sheffield, October 2015

Price, H. S. with Lees, H. et al ‘Refusing to progress, refusing to process: what is not learning, unlearning, going backwards for?’ Symposium, ‘Education: Below the Surface’, BERA Annual Conference, Queens University, Belfast, September 2015

Price, H.S. ‘Evaluating the Tottenham Thinking Space Project’, Roundtable Session, BSA Annual Conference 2015, Frontiers Stream, Glasgow Caledonian University, April 2015

Price, H. S. and Deveci, Y. ‘Life at the Border: Discretionary Landscapes’, 1st Annual Conference for the Association of Psychosocial Studies (5th of the national network), December 2014

Price, H.S. ‘Counteracting audit pressure with reflection: Using ‘work discussion’ methods with teachers’ UCL Institute of Education/ Manchester University 2014-16 ESRC Seminar Series, ‘Bridging the Structure/Agency Divide: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Disadvantage and Education’, UCL Institute of Education, March 2014

Price, H.S. and Deveci, Y. ‘Life at the Border’, Tavistock Policy Seminar Series, Tavistock Clinic, June 2013

Price, H. S. ‘What transformative impact does Dost have on young people’s lives?’, Dost Centre for Young Refugees and Migrants,  February 2013

• Experienced doctoral supervisor and examiner 
• Programme Leader, B.A. (Hons) Psychosocial Studies; Programme Leader, B.A. (Hons) Psychosocial Studies with Professional Practice (led on design and validation); Third Sector Placement Co-ordinator
• Deputy Course Tutor, MA Psychoanalytic Studies; infant observation seminar leader, dissertation workshop leader, MA dissertation supervision on a range of clinical practitioner programmes at the Tavistock Clinic, including MA in Emotional Factors in Teaching and Learning 
• Experienced Committee member: Quality, Teaching and Learning, Student Success and Research Degrees 
• Internal Advisor, Tavistock Relationships Validation of MA in Couple and Individual Psychodynamic Psychotherapy; External Advisor, University of Chester Validation of MA in Education
• UEL Link Tutor, Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust 
• Experienced in preparation of online (and distance) teaching and learning material

Best Personal Tutor, UEL Student-led Awards, 2013

Fellow, Higher Education Academy
Founding Member and Member of the Steering Committee, Association for Psychosocial Studies; Member, British Education Research Association; Member, British Sociological Association

Journal reviewer: Qualitative Research

Current Modules:

• PS7003 The Relational Turn in Psychoanalysis, Culture and Society
• PS6001 Psychosocial Practice, Reflection and Reflexivity
• PS5004 Psychosocial Work Reflection
• PS5001 Research and Reflective Practice
• PS5003 Mental Disorder and Psychological Treatment
• PS4001 Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Past Modules:

Heather has taught modules at undergraduate level on Childhood, Youth and Family Studies, Individual Development across the Life Course, the Individual and Society, and Counselling; she has also taught dissertation workshops for final year MA in Education and MA in Psychoanalytic Studies students, and has taught modules on Psychoanalytic Studies and Psychosocial Studies at Masters level.