Claire Vella

Claire completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology at the University of Sussex, where she was awarded funding by Action on Hearing Loss to complete a six-week research project on somatic tinnitus. She then completed her MSc in Forensic Psychology at the University of Portsmouth and was involved in a pilot evaluation of a novel intimate partner violence intervention run by Portsmouth City Council.

Since then, she has experience of working with young children with disabilities and educational needs, adults working with probation services, and adults with a range of enduring mental health difficulties. She has also worked for Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust as a research assistant on a range of randomised controlled trials for different mental health interventions.

Based on her experiences, Claire has developed a keen interest in the role of social connectedness for young people’s mental health. She will be working with her supervisors Professor David Fowler and Dr Clio Berry to investigate the relationship between social connectedness and young people’s mental health difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic. She will also be undertaking a feasibility RCT study of an existing evidence-based social connection intervention known as ‘Groups 4 Health’ to identify important information about the feasibility, accessibility, and acceptability of the intervention for young people aged 16-25 in the Sussex area.