Our experts

Area of Expertise

• Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), its risk factors and associated outcomes
• Comorbidity between ADHD and substance use disorders (SUD)
• Assessment and treatment of young persons with neurodevelopmental disorders
• Interplay between environmental risk factors and adversity and neurodevelopmental trajectories

 

Biography

Rafael A. González has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a specialty in neuropsychology. From early in his career, his academic interests have been focused on the characteristics of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and its symptom course. His PhD was partly funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) focusing on evaluating neurodevelopmental traits and familial correlates of risk behaviours that might lead to adverse mental and physical health outcomes.

His thesis work examined the neurocognitive characteristics of adults with ADHD, and validated assessment methods for clinical practice in Spanish-speaking adults. Dr González has led National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) funded grants focusing on quantifying the relationship between ADHD and substance misuse, using dimensional and structural equation modeling techniques (e.g. CFA, latent class analysis).

After relocating to London, Dr. González completed a Post-doctoral Research Fellowship in the Queen Mary University of London Centre for Psychiatry, on the epidemiological component of a research programme funded by the NIHR 'Improving Risk Management in Mental Health'. His current research interests and outputs are focused in identifying developmental and environmental risk factors of violence, morbidity and adverse outcomes.

In his clinical practice, he has extensive training in cognitive-behavioural (CBT) and integrative therapies, through an American Psychological Association - accredited graduate psychology program in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Through his doctorate he trained extensively in the cognitive assessment of attention and executive functions, and completed placements at New York University (NYU) Comprehensive Epilepsy Center and a year-long psychiatric inpatient internship.

Dr González has been working in Children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), specialist neurodevelopmental teams in London since 2016. He is currently a Senior clinical psychologist in the SLaM Conduct Problems Clinic and Adoption and Fostering Team.

Education and Training

• BSc University of Puerto Rico, 2000 - Psychology
• MSc Carlos Albizu University, 2003 - Clinical Psychology
• PhD Carlos Albizu University, 2007 - Clinical Psychology
• Postdoctoral fellowship Queen Mary University of London, 2014 - Psychiatric Epidemiology

Publications

Sánchez-García N, C, González R, A, Ramos-Quiroga J, A, van den Brink W, Luderer M, Blankers M, Grau-Lopez L, Levin F, R, Kaye S, Demetrovics Z, van de Glind G, Schellekens A, Vélez-Pastrana M, C: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Increases Nicotine Addiction Severity in Adults Seeking Treatment for Substance Use Disorders: The Role of Personality Disorders. Eur Addict Res 2020 [Epub ahead of print] .

Coid J, González RA, Kallis C, Zhang Y, Liu Y, Wood J, Quigg Z, Ullrich S. Gang membership and sexual violence: associations with childhood maltreatment and psychiatric morbidity. British Journal of Psychiatry. 2020 Apr 27;:1-8. doi: 10.1192/bjp.2020.69.

Coid J, Gonzalez Rodriguez R, Kallis C, Zhang Y, Bhui K, De Stavola B, Bebbington P, Ullrich S. Ethnic disparities in psychotic experiences explained by area-level syndemic effects.  British Journal of Psychiatry. 2019 Oct 30;:1-7.

González RA, Vélez-Pastrana MC, McCrory E, Kallis C, Aguila J, Canino G, Bird H. Evidence of concurrent and prospective associations between early maltreatment and ADHD through childhood and adolescence. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2019 Jun;54(6):671-682.

Coid JW, Hu J, Kallis C, Ping Y, Zhang J, Hu Y, Zhang T, Gonzalez R, Ullrich S, Jones PB, Kirkbride JB. Urban Birth, Urban Living, and Work Migrancy: Differential Effects on Psychotic Experiences Among Young Chinese Men. Schizophr Bull. 2018 Aug 20;44(5):1123-1132.

Pérez-Pedrogo C, Martínez-Taboas A, González RA, Caraballo JN, Albizu-García CE. Sex differences in traumatic events and psychiatric morbidity associated to probable posttraumatic stress disorder among Latino prisoners. Psychiatry Res. 2018 Jul;265: 208-214.

Young S, González RA, Fridman M, Hodgkins P, Kim K, Gudjonsson GH. The economic consequences of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in the Scottish prison system. BMC Psychiatry. 2018 Jun 25;18(1):210.

Young S, González RA, Fridman M, Hodgkins P, Kim K, Gudjonsson GH. Health-related quality of life in prisoners with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and head injury. BMC Psychiatry. 2018 Jun 22;18(1):209.

Young S, González RA, Mullens H, Mutch L, Malet-Lambert I, Gudjonsson GH. Neurodevelopmental disorders in prison inmates: comorbidity and combined associations with psychiatric symptoms and behavioural disturbance. Psychiatry Res. 2018 Mar;261:109-115.

Román-Ithier JC, González RA, Vélez-Pastrana MC, González-Tejera GM, Albizu-García CE. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms, type of offending and recidivism in a prison population: The role of substance dependence. Crim Behav Ment Health. 2017 Dec;27(5):443-456.

Young S, González RA, Wolff K, Mutch L, Malet-Lambert I, Gudjonsson GH. Transitions and Motivations for Substance Misuse in Prison Inmates With ADHD and Conduct Disorder: Validation of a New Instrument. J Dual Diagn. 2017 Apr-Jun;13(2):91-100.

Young S, González RA, Wolff K, Xenitidis K, Mutch L, Malet-Lambert I, Gudjonsson GH. Substance and Alcohol Misuse, Drug Pathways, and Offending Behaviors in Association With ADHD in Prison Inmates. J Atten Disord. 2017 Jan 1; [Epub ahead of print]

Barnicot K, Gonzalez RA, McCabe R, Priebe S. Skills use and common treatment processes in dialectical behaviour therapy for borderline personality disorder. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 2016: 52:147-156.

Coid JW, Ullrich S, Kallis C, Freestone M, Gonzalez R, Bui L, Igoumenou A, Constantinou A, Fenton N, Marsh W, Yang M, DeStavola B, Hu J, Shaw J, Doyle M, Archer-Power L, Davoren M, Osumili B, McCrone P, Barrett K, Hindle D, Bebbington P. Improving risk management for violence in mental health services: a multimethods approach. 2016 Nov;. doi: 10.3310/pgfar04160.

González RA, Igoumenou A, Kallis C, Coid JW. Borderline personality disorder and violence in the UK population: categorical and dimensional trait assessment. BMC Psychiatry. 2016 Jun 3;16:180.

Young S, González RA, Mutch L, Mallet-Lambert I, O'Rourke L, Hickey N, Asherson P, Gudjonsson GH. Diagnostic accuracy of a brief screening tool for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in UK prison inmates. Psychol Med. 2016 May;46(7):1449-58.

González RA, Gudjonsson GH, Wells J, Young S. The Role of Emotional Distress and ADHD on Institutional Behavioral Disturbance and Recidivism Among Offenders. J Atten Disord. 2016 Apr;20(4):368-78.

González RA, Kallis C, Ullrich S, Barnicot K, Keers R, Coid JW. Childhood maltreatment and violence: mediation through psychiatric morbidity. Child Abuse Negl. 2016 Feb;52:70-84.

Vélez-Pastrana MC, González RA, Rodríguez Cardona J, Purcell Baerga P, Alicea Rodríguez A, Levin R Frances. Psychometric properties of the Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale: A Spanish-Language Version in a community sample of puerto rican adults., Psychol Assess, 2016 Vol: 28, 483-498.

Young S, Sedgwick O, Fridman M, Gudjonsson G, Hodgkins P, Lantigua M, González RA. Co-morbid psychiatric disorders among incarcerated ADHD populations: a meta-analysis. Psychol Med. 2015;45(12):2499-510.

González RA, Vélez-Pastrana MC, Ruiz Varcárcel JJ, Levin FR, Albizu-García CE. Childhood ADHD symptoms are associated with lifetime and current illicit substance-use disorders and in-site health risk behaviors in a representative sample of Latino prison inmates. J Atten Disord. 2015 Apr;19(4):301-12.

González RA, Kallis C, Coid JW. Adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and violence in the population of England: does comorbidity matter?. PLoS One. 2013;8(9):e75575.

Gonzalez P, Gonzalez R, Martinez K & Quirk GJ. Childhood Trauma is Correlated with Impaired Conflict Resolution in Stroop-Type Tasks in Adults. The Clinical Neuropsychologist (Jan 2012); 26(3):399-399.

Vélez-Pastrana MC, González-Rodríguez RA, Borges-Hernández A. Family functioning and early onset of sexual intercourse in Latino adolescents. Adolescence. 2005;40(160):777-791.