School of Psychology

Welcome to the School of Psychology

On one of our Psychology courses at Leeds Trinity University, you will explore how psychology can be used to tackle real-world challenges like mental health, educational attainment, sports performance, and criminal behaviour through evidence-based strategies, creating healthier, more effective communities, and driving positive change.

Whether you choose to study the pathway in Psychology, Forensic Psychology, Counselling Psychology, Child and Educational Psychology or Sport Psychology, you will gain a comprehensive foundation in psychological science that will allow you to progress onto specialised psychological training.

All Psychology courses are accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) enabling graduates to start their career journey specifically in psychology-related professional practice, or more broadly in sectors including education, public health and policy, community and social work, data analysis and user research, academia, and charitable organisations.

Our achievements

1st in Yorkshire and top 10 in the UK for ‘learning resources’ among universities in the UK included for Psychology (non-specific).

National Student Survey (NSS) 2024

96% of Leeds Trinity University graduates are in employment or further study within 15 months.

Graduate Outcomes, Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) published 2024

Leeds Trinity University is top in Yorkshire and top 10 in the UK for 'satisfaction with teaching'.

The Guardian University Guide 2025

Our courses

Undergraduate courses

Course title	Award	Year of entry	Link to view course
Counselling Psychology	BSc (Hons)	Year of entry: 2025	View course
Counselling Psychology with Foundation Year	BSc (Hons)	Year of entry: 2025	View course
Forensic Psychology	BSc (Hons)	Year of entry: 2025	View course
Forensic Psychology with Foundation Year	BSc (Hons)	Year of entry: 2025	View course
Psychology	BSc (Hons)	Year of entry: 2025	View course
Psychology and Child Development	BSc (Hons)	Year of entry: 2025	View course
Psychology and Child Development with Foundation Year	BSc (Hons)	Year of entry: 2025	View course
Psychology with Foundation Year	BSc (Hons)	Year of entry: 2025	View course
Sport Psychology	BSc (Hons)	Year of entry: 2025	View course
Sport Psychology with Foundation Year	BSc (Hons)	Year of entry: 2025	View course

Postgraduate courses

Course title	Award	Year of entry	Link to view course
Forensic Psychology	MSc	Year of entry: 2025	View course
Psychology (Conversion)	MSc	Year of entry: 2025	View course

Study courses accredited by the British Psychological Society

Our undergraduate and MSc Psychology (Conversion) degrees are all accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS)  which makes you eligible for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership on successful completion of the course.

Our MSc Forensic Psychology degree is also accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), thereby accounting for Stage 1 of the Qualification in Forensic Psychology.

Make more happen with our specialist facilities

All our facilities have been designed with flexibility in mind, allowing us to adapt to a wide range of research methods. Whether conducting behavioural studies, physiological assessments, cognitive experiments, or interdisciplinary projects, our labs can be easily reconfigured to meet specific research needs.

Some of our facilities and equipment include:

Biophysics lab
BioPac Student Lab system - measuring equipment for EEG, EOG, EMG, ECG, GSR and respiration rates
Observation labs
Workshop
A dedicated IT Suite
Cold Pressor Task
Gorilla - an online psychology platform
Professional standard assessment kits - WISC, WAIS and more

A School with connections

Supporting the Criminal Justice System

Around one in six people are victimised by stalking in their lifetime, with 45% being linked to Intimate Partner Abuse. Yet, despite Stalking being identified as a key risk factor in the homicide timeline, several reported cases have shown that stalking is not identified or being responded to appropriately.

Funded by the Home Office, led by West Midlands Police, and in collaboration with HMPPS Psychology Services, Forensic Psychology Consultants Ltd, Black Country Womens Aid, and academics from Leeds Trinity University, the University of Derby, and Leicester University, the focus of the project is to understand how risk is assessed in stalking cases and the effectiveness of the Early Awareness Stalking Intervention (EASI).

The aim of EASI is to deliver a rehabilitative treatment for people who have engaged in stalking behaviours or are at risk of doing so in the future. It also aims to improve victim/survivor safety. The evaluation, led by Professor Karin Spenser, will help answer the following questions – does EASI work to reduce reoffending and/or increase victim safety? How does it work? Under what conditions? For whom does it work?

Student writing notes while using a laptop..

Psychology Week

Thia year's Psychology week took place between Tuesday 5 and Friday 8 November and featured guest speakers, workshops and a Careers and Volunteering Fair. Our keynote speakers for included:

Professor Steve Peters (Consultant Psychiatrist and author of best-selling self-help book ‘The Chimp Paradox’)
Professor Brendan Gough (Critical Social Psychologist and Director of Research at Leeds Beckett University),
Associate Professor Helen Hughes (Director of the University of Leeds Business School’s Behaviour Lab)
Andy’s Man Club.

This followed on from the successful inaugural Psychology Week which took place in February 2024. During the week, students engaged with a range of keynote sessions from external speakers including Dr Rufus May (Clinical Psychologist), Dr Lydia Gunning (Senior Research Fellow for Born in Bradford), Dr Rachael Wheatley (Forensic Psychologist) and Professor Mark Nesti (Sport Psychologist). There were also several workshops hosted by organisations including Men’s Talk and the Mental Health Museum.

Discover more

Alumni panel assembled for Psychology week 2024..

Supporting Tinnitus UK

Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the absence of sound, so-called ‘ringing in the ears’. 1-in-8 adults have tinnitus, equating to approximately seven million adults in the UK. It is more common in the elderly and those exposed to loud noises at work (e.g. factory workers, the military, and musicians). Two per cent of the adult population state that tinnitus has significantly reduced their quality of life, and it has strong comorbidities with clinical depression, clinical anxiety, concentration difficulties, poor sleep quality, and insomnia. In addition, up to 1-in-30 children have tinnitus – that’s one in every classroom.

Funded by a Global Connections Bridging Grant from the Australian Academy of Technology & Engineering, researchers from Leeds Trinity University have helped to enhance and validate the smartphone app MindEar (previously Tinnitus), helping MindEar to win Hearing Technology Innovator Awards in 2022 and 2024.

Dr James Jackson is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Tinnitus UK and is leading work on online interventions for tinnitus, patient experience, and prevalence of tinnitus post-COVID. He runs training workshops for tinnitus helpline volunteers, audiologists and other healthcare professionals who seek to provide a better service for tinnitus patients.

Meet our alumni

Our alumni have been making an impact since we opened our doors in 1966. Read more about our exceptional graduated and how they got to where they are today.

Photo of Ellie O'Donoghue at Scape School..

Ellie O'Donoghue - Managing Partner, ScapeSchool

"I always knew I wanted to work with children but was never 100% sure which path to take so the course Leeds Trinity offered was perfect for me."

Meet Ellie

Alison Heaton

"All the expectations I had from the things which drew me to Leeds Trinity (its excellent reputation for teaching, its employability-focused approach, its ethos that students are known by name and not seen as a number, and the helpfulness of staff) were met by my experience there."

Meet Alison

Sadiya Salim, Local Authority Officer, Child Friendly Leeds

"I was very welcomed and met some amazing friends. The staff (especially psychology staff) go above and beyond to ensure you receive the correct level of support."

Meet Sadiya

Shreya Aila - Assistant Psychologist at a Mental Health Hospital in India

"Lecturers ensured a personalised teaching experience by catering to every student's needs and the smaller classrooms enabled regular teacher-student support sessions."

Meet Shreya

Our people

Name	Position	Link to full profile
Dr Alison Torn	Associate Professor (Learning and Teaching)	Research profile
Caspar Wynne	Psychology Technician	Research profile
Dr Fayme Yeates	Lecturer in Psychology	Research profile
Professor Karin Spenser	Deputy Dean of Psychology
Dr Louisa Peters	Lecturer in Psychology
Dr Mark Durkin	Lecturer in Psychology	Research profile
Dr Paul McGivern	Senior Lecturer Cognitive Psychology	Research profile
Anna Moore	Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychology	Research profile
Dr Ben Morris	Senior Lecturer in Psychology	Research profile
Dr Chris Rowley	Deputy Head of School: Psychology	Research profile
Dr Helen Heaviside	Senior Lecturer in Psychology	Research profile
Dr James Jackson	Reader in Psychology	Research profile
Dr Jamie Cruickshank	Senior Lecturer in Psychology	Research profile
Dr Laura De Pretto	Senior Lecturer in Psychology	Research profile
Dr Rachel Conlon	Lecturer in Psychology	Research profile
Dr Richard Simpson	Lecturer in Psychology (Sport Psychology)	Research profile
Dr Russell Woodfield	Lecturer in Forensic Psychology	Research profile
Dr Shames Maskeen	Lecturer in Developmental Psychology	Research profile
Dr Steve Jones	Head of the School of Psychology	Research profile
Dr Tim Gomersall	Senior Lecturer in Psychology	Research profile
Dr Zacharia Nahouli	Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychology	Research profile

Cutting-edge research

View our research

Research within the School of Psychology comes under four research themes which reflect the substantive areas of research and knowledge exchange activity our staff are currently involved in.

These themes serve to support collaborations, provide targeted research mentoring opportunities, strengthen the quality and impact of our research, and foster a meaningful and inclusive research culture.

Research themes

Psychological Wellbeing Across Populations

Exploring wellbeing experiences, trends, influences, and interventions across diverse populations globally.

Areas include: sport and performance, prison, educational, clergy, laity and clinical domains.

Academic Leads

Dr Chris Lewis
Dr Richard Simpson

Health and Behaviour Changes

Exploring how behaviour changes impact health and the factors that drive or hinder healthy habits.

Areas include: chronic stressors, health interventions, environmental issues, and cyberpsychology.

Academic Leads

Ben Morris
Dr Paul McGivern

Identities, Communities, and Social Justice

Examining how identities and communities intersect with social justice, focusing on equity and systemic change.

Areas include widening participation and transitions into higher education, gendered and racial identities, online communities, and supporting individuals through criminal justice processes.

Academic Leads

Dr Candice Whitaker
Dr Zac Nahouli

Cognition and Development

Studying how cognitive processes evolve over time, focusing on learning, memory, and developmental stages.

Areas include: experimental assessments, learning, and cognitive differences.

Academic Leads

Dr Tim Vestner
Dr Fayme Yeates