Our experts

Area of expertise

• Psychosis
• Trauma
• Complexity

Background 

Dr Monica Charalambides is a Clinical Psychologist currently working with the Psychological Interventions Clinic for Outpatients with Psychosis (PICuP). She has interests and expertise in psychological therapy and CBT approaches to trauma and a range of other complex and enduring mental health difficulties as well as approaches such as Compassion Focussed Therapy (CFT).

She delivers clinical supervision to psychological therapists, trainees, and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) therapists. She leads on the Equality and Diversity initiative within the service; a combined effort with her role as co-ordinator for Equality and Inclusion stream on the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy) course at King’s College London (KCL).

She also spearheads the Carers for Psychosis Project, a brief intervention being trialled and delivered as a means of remote support during the COVID-19 pandemic. She provides supervision on the Post Graduate Diploma in CBTp at University College London (UCL) and contributes to teaching across a range of courses within King’s Health Partners and UCL. 

Education and Training

Monica obtained a First Class BSc (Hons) in Psychology from Brunel University. She completed her DClinPsy at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London, completing a thesis in trauma and psychosis.

Her work in the field has spanned over 10 years, beginning as a research assistant on various psychosis studies at the IoPPN and then entering her career with a post at an early detection and ‘at risk’ for psychosis service in South London and Maudsley (OASIS). Here she began and completed a PGDip in CBTp at KCL, building on her specialism and expertise in the area.

In 2017 she took on a role as Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist at the National Psychosis Inpatient Unit at Bethlem Royal Hospital where she expanded her experience to treatment resistant patients and more severe and enduring presentations. She transitioned back to the PICuP Clinic in 2019.

Publications 

Baumeister, D., Ward, T., Garety, P., Jackson, M., Morgan, C., Charalambides, M., Chadwick, P., Howes, O. & Peters, E. (2020) Need for care, adversity exposure and perceived stress in clinical and healthy voice-hearers. Psychological Medicine 1-7. doi:10.1017/S0033291720002433

Charalambides, M (2018). CBT for psychosis: Working with the experience. Medical Woman, Nov (1)

Demjaha, A et al. (2017). Antipsychotic treatment resistance in first episode psychosis: Prevalence, subtypes and predictors. Psychological Medicine, 44 (11), 1981-1989

Peters E, Ward T, Jackson M, Morgan C, Charalambides M, Woodruff P, Jacobsen P, Chadwick P, McGuire P, Garety P (2016). Clinical, socio-demographic and psychological characteristics in individuals with persistent psychotic experiences with and without a 'need for care.' World Psychiatry, 15 (1), 41-52

Charalambides, M, Morgan C, Murray RM (2011). Epidemiology of Migration and Serious Mental Illness: the Example of Migrants to Europe In: Tsuang M, Tohen M, Jones P. eds. Textbook in Psychiatric Epidemiology 3rd Edition. Sussex: John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Morgan C, Charalambides M, Hutchingson G, & Murray RM (2010). Migration, Ethnicity, and Psychosis: Toward a Socio-Developmental Model. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 36 (4), 655-664

Charalambides, M, Lappin JM, Morgan KD et al. (2009). Is there room for the ‘little brain’ in psychosis? An MRI study examining cerebellar volume and neurological function in first episode psychosis. 12th International Congress on Schizophrenia Research. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 35, 205

Lappin JM, Charalambides M, Morgan C, Patel M, Dazzan P, Fearon P (2009). The prevalence of depot antipsychotic and Clozapine prescribing in the AESOP 10-year follow study. Mental Health Research Network Report