Dr Felicitas Rost

Senior Lecturer

Psychology

felicitas.rost@open.ac.uk

Biography

Professional biography

Qualifications

PhD, MSc, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

Professional biography

I am a Senior Lecturer in Psychology and Counselling based in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS). I teach, supervise, and research within the fields of mental health and psychotherapy. I am also a BPC certified Psychodynamic Psychotherapist currently working in the Charity Sector.

My professional identity is shaped by two beliefs: The need to build bridges between psychotherapy research and clinical practice and the promotion of a pluralistic research culture. As such, integrating theory with practice has always been important to me and my teaching and research have been heavily influenced by that.

Whilst my own orientation is psychoanalytic, I am against the narrow parochialism that can stifle theoretical and clinical development. I am passionately in favour of what works for whom: we need to be able to offer choice and a sufficient knowledge base from which to advise individuals seeking psychological help as well as treatment guideline developers and those who commission psychotherapies.

I have just joined the Open University in 2022. Before that I was at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust for 13 years, where I was Research Lead and taught on various academic and training courses. I also supervised, which I continue to do, clinical doctorate students training in child and adolescence psychotherapy. I have a PhD in Psychology from UCL.

Professional Affiliations

Society for Psychotherapy Research (SPR): General Vice President since January 2024.

Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, Professional Doctorate in Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (M80): Research Supervisor and Visiting Lecturer

Talking Therapies Task Force: Co-chair and Member of the Executive Committee

University College London: Honorary Senior Research Fellow

Journal Editorial Board Member

Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (from 2015)
Psychotherapy Research (from July 2022)
Counselling and Psychotherapy Research (2018 - 2021)

Research interests

My area of interest is in psychotherapy outcome and process research. More specifically, my focus has been on psychoanalytic treatment, mental health problems with a particular interest in loss, developmental trauma, chronic depression, and problems with sexuality and violence.

I am also interested in the person’s private theories and lived experiences of their problems and difficulties (including, for example, that of depression, paraphilia or with their couple relationships), as well as in exploring taxonomies and prototypes using Q-methodology.

I have worked in a variety of developmental and adult mental health research projects within the NHS and private sector. It followed a natural progression from carrying out front-line quantitative and qualitative research with particularly vulnerable participant groups (including infants and toddlers) to managing the day-to-day running of a large-scale RCT on the effectiveness of psychotherapy for chronic depression. This led on to the developing and overseeing of an extensive service evaluation, collecting real-world data, from forensic patients receiving psychotherapy, to being the Principal Investigator of two studies currently: One investigates the cost of patients with highly complex emotinoal needs, the other is a pilot study of psychodynamic couple’s therapy.

I integrated a qualitative part into all research programs to provide a dialogue between robust quantitative, formal qualitative and clinical research methodology. I believe a perspective from several angles provides us with a closer estimation of a true understanding of whatever we study.

I have become very interested in Q-methodology, an innovative technique capable of bridging the divide between nomothetic and idiographic inquiry. It provides an avenue for psychological and counselling research to study process and outcome that could be utilised more often. I have been running workshops and recently published a paper that aims at making this method more accessible to students and clinicians:

Rost, F. (2021). Q‐sort methodology: Bridging the divide between qualitative and quantitative. An introduction to an innovative method for psychotherapy research. Counselling & Psychotherapy Research, 21(1): 98-106. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12367

Ongoing Research Projects:

Since 2022. Co-Investigator of Pilot Study: What happens after leaving residential childcare? Research into young people’s experiences and outcomes post-placement at the Mulberry Bush School. OU Team: Heather Price, Caryn Onions, David Jones, Felicitas Rost, Katie Rix. Project Partners: School of Psychology and Counselling, Mulberry Bush School.

Since 2019. Principal Investigator of Pilot and Feasibility Study: Change with Psychodynamic Couple Psychotherapy (REC/IRAS: 2777737). The study assesses change in couple’s distress after 12-months psychodynamic couple psychotherapy. It also investigates couple’s private theories on problem and change formulation. Co-Investigators: Joanna Rosenthall, Leezah Hertzman, Nikolas Heim, Sasha Kreel, Andreas Vossler. Sponsor: Tavistock and Portman NHS. Protocol: Access protocol here.

Since 2018. Principal Investigator of the HEARD Study – A Health Economic Analysis of the cost of Highly Complex Emotional Needs in public sector health and social care services (REC/IRAS: 19/HRA/2595). Co-investigators: Sue Mizen, Oliver Dale, Frederico Cardoso, Hope Kent, Samantha Rosser. Sponsor: Talking Therapies Task Force. Partners: Centre for Mental Health, Devon Partnership NHS Trust, West London NHS Trust.

Since 2009: Tavistock Adult Depression study (TADS), a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of the effectiveness of psychoanalytic psychotherapy for treatment-resistant depression (PI: Prof Peter Fonagy). I am principal investigator of the qualitative adjunct exploring problem formulation, pathogenesis, and change formulation of patients and therapists. My for PhD I developed a Q-sort measure to assess subtypes of chronic depression and explored important differential treatment effects. We completed the health economic analysis of the TADS and are currently writing up two systematic case studies in collaboration with Dr Jochem Willemsen on a successful and a non-successful outcome.

Teaching interests

Supervision and Viva examination

I feel honoured to have had the opportunity to supervise a range of BSc and MSc theses at UCL and the Tavistock Clinic over the years that included both quantitative and qualitative projects within the field of psychology and psychotherapy. I have also supervised ten Professional Doctorates in Psychology and Child and Adolescence Psychotherapy Training. I have also been Internal and External Examiner for both Clinical Psychology and Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Professional Doctorates.

If you are interested in doing a Doctorate or PhD with me, please do email me.

Teaching at the Open University

I currently co-chair of the production of a new level 2 module D230 Advancing your counselling practice. It is one of two new modules for the new Counselling Qualification (R86 – BSc Counselling). I am also contributing to the delivery of the level 3 module DD310 Counselling and forensic psychology: investigating crime and therapy which is going through a mid-life review.

Previously, I have contributed to the production of D110 Exploring Psychological Worlds: Thinking, feeling, doing, a Level-1 module by writing content on attachment and systemic psychotherapy. I have also co-produced a level 2 Short Course Advanced Working with the therapeutic relationship (DX003) that offers continuous professional development on how to gain an advanced, evidence-based understanding of working effectively with the therapeutic relationship. This is a suit of three 25-hour CPD short courses.

Teaching interests

My teaching is informed by my clinical practice. Most of my previous teaching has centred around introduction to psychoanalytic theories and concepts, mental health assessment and diagnosis with a specific focus on depression, loss, developmental trauma, attachment, and personality functioning. I also enjoy teaching a variety of quantitative and qualitative research methods, statistics, and project design at undergraduate, postgraduate and professional training level.

Impact and engagement

I got involved with the Society for Psychotherapy Research (SPR) as a student member in 2009 and held various offices since, including the presidency of the UK Chapter from 2017-2020.

As part of my presidency, I led on a review that identified serious methodological flaws in the NICE guideline for depression in 2017. These rendered the treatment guidelines not fit for purpose and threatened to produce treatment recommendations that would be misleading and impede good care and patient choice. To do something about it, I initiated and spear-headed a 5-year-long stakeholder campaign calling on NICE to revise the guidelines. I brought together more than 50 UK mental health organisations and over 60 MPs and peers from across all major parties supported our campaign. Together we achieved something unprecedented: NICE did revise the guidelines twice! Although NICE has not addressed all our methodological concerns, as a result of our campaigning we now have a much-improved guideline with a far greater emphasis on personalised care, service user choice and shared decision-making.

In 2019, I received the British Psychoanalytic Council's ‘Outstanding Professional Leadership Award’ for my work on the campaign.

You can find the ampaign positions statement here: bit.ly/3bEuDJS and read out full response to the publication of the guideline here: https://t.co/R1fN6pdqm8

External collaborations

Invited talks and keynotes

Dec 2024: Invited speaker on ‘How Research Knowledge and Expertise Addressed ‘Real World’ Issues and Achieved Significant Impact on NICE Depression Treatment Guideline’ for the Open Psychology Research Centre lecturer Series.

Oct 2024 Invited speaker on ‘The NICE Stakeholder Campaign (2017-2022)’ for the Society for Psychotherapy Research online Webinar.

Nov 2023: Invited speaker at Round Table “Peer-learning through experiences of policy engagement” at the Open University, FASS Policymaking 2-day in-practice training event.

Jan 2023: Invited Speaker on ‘The NICE Guidelines for Depression’.at Clinical Research Symposium organised by Ariel University, Israel.

Jan 2023 Invited speaker on ‘Psychotherapy in the Era of Evidence-based Practice’ at Learning Event, organised Maudsley NHS Trust, London

Feb 2023 Keynote speaker at Research Academy organised by the Metanoia Institute on ‘Negotiating Art and Science in Psychotherapy Research’.

Apr 2022 Invited Speaker on ‘The NICE Guidelines for Depression’ at Springfield University Hospital, London, UK

July 2021 Keynote speaker at the Research Impact Symposium organised by the Open University on ‘Using research to impact counselling and psychotherapy practice and mental health policy - NICE stakeholder campaign’

Apr 2021 Keynote speaker at Association of Clinical Psychologists UK Annual conference (online), on ‘Psychotherapy in the Era of Evidence-Based Practice and why it’s time for a Sea-Change for NICE Guideline Developments’.

May 2019 Keynote speaker at the Working with research in practice - universities and colleges conference, organised by University of Cambridge & British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, on ‘Psychotherapy in the Era of Evidence-Based Practice’.

Apr 2018 Public Talk on ‘Time for a Sea-Change: NICE Guidelines Need a Revised Methodology. A report of an ongoing stakeholder campaign against the draft guideline on depression’ organised by the British Psychological Society, London

May 2018 Invited speaker at The New Savoy Conference, London on ‘Systematic reviews for an ageing NHS. Does NICE need to change its methodology?’

Sep 2018 Keynote speaker at Research Academy organised by the Metanoia Institute on ‘Psychotherapy in the Era of Evidence-Based Practice’.

Mar 2017 Keynote speaker at Psychotherapy Symposium organised by the Psykoterapiecentrum, Stockholm, Sweden, on ‘Long-Term Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy for Treatment-Resistant Depression. Primary and Secondary findings from the Tavistock Adult Depression Study’.

May 2017 Keynote speaker at the Depression Conference organised by the Psychoanalytical Institute, Lausanne, Switzerland on ‘Long-Term Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy for Treatment-Resistant Depression’

Sep 2016 ‘Perversions, paraphilias and personality disorder: Implementing psychoanalytic research at the Portman Clinic’ presented at the Annual Research Lecture at The British Psychoanalytic Society (Co-presenters: J Yakeley, S Blumenthal)

Dec 2016. ‘What moderates outcome and what are some of the mechanisms involved in the treatment in relation to it?’ presented at the Annual Phil Richardson Research Memorial Lecture organised by the APP, London (Co-presenters: D. Taylor, P. Fonagy)

May 2015. ‘The Tavistock Adult Depression Study Part II: Clinical Microscope & Statistical Telescope’ presented at the Annual Research Lecture of Institute of Psychoanalysis, London (co-presenters: F. Hume, D. Taylor, P Fonagy)

Jun 2014 Keynote speaker at the International Symposium on Chronic Depression ‘Tavistock Adult Depression Study: Matching the Complexity of the Condition. Clinical, Conceptual and Empirical Research’ Sigmund-Freud-Institute, Frankfurt, Germany (Co-presenters: D. Taylor, P. Fonagy)

Conference presentations and method workshops (Past 6 years):

Rost, F. (2024). The merits and challenges of method and evidence integration. Society for Psychotherapy Research Conference, Brno, Czech Republic, September 12-14, 2024.
Rost, F. (2024). Innovative ways of working psychotherapeutically with Complex Emotional Needs. Society for Psychotherapy Research Conference, Brno, Czech Republic, September 12-14, 2024.
Rost, F. (2024). A Health Economic Analysis of the Cost of Highly Complex Relational Disturbance (HEARD): A study focusing on the hidden costs to make a case for a new national treatment strategy in the UK” Society for Psychotherapy Research Conference, Ottawa, Canada, June 26-29, 2024.
Rost, F. (2023). Q-Methodology: Making Measures Clinically Meaningful. Society for Psychotherapy Research Conference, Dublin, Ireland, June 21-24, 2023.
Rost, F.(2023). ‘Introduction to Q-sort Methodology’. Methodology Workshop, University of Louvain, Belgium
Rost, F. (2022). Integrating qualitative and quantitative methods in psychotherapy research: the way forward? Society for Psychotherapy Research Conference, Rome, 22-24 September 2022
Rost, F. (2022) Q-Sort Methodology: Bridging the divide between qualitative and quantitative methodology.’ Methodology Workshop, SPR, Denver, USA
Rost, F. (2021) ‘Routine Outcome Monitoring (ROM) at the Portman Clinic: A national health psychoanalytic psychotherapy clinic for forensic patients in the UK’ Society for Psychotherapy Research Conference, Heidelberg, Germany/Online June 2021
Rost, F. (2021) ’Subtypes of Pedophilia: A Q-methodological study’. Society for Psychotherapy Research Conference, Heidelberg, Germany/Online, June 2021
Rost, F. (2019) ‘Patients experience and conceptualization of their pedophilic disorder: a qualitative study’. Society for Psychotherapy Research Conference, Krakow, Poland, September 2019
Rost, F. (2019) ‘Therapists' private theories on the helpful and hindering factors of long-term psychoanalytic psychotherapy for treatment-resistant depression (TADS study). Society for Psychotherapy Research Conference, Krakow, Poland, September 2019.
Rost. F. (2019). Q-Sort Methodology: Bridging the divide between qualitative and quantitative methodology.’ Methodology Workshop, SPR conference, Krakow, Poland.
Heim, N, Rost, F. ‘Paraphilias, Violence and Personality Disorder: Changes in personality functioning as a result of long-term psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Society for Psychotherapy Research Conference, Krakow, Poland, September 2019
Rost, F. (2019) ‘Therapist's private theories on curative and hindering factors in long-term psychoanalytic psychotherapy for treatment-resistant depression’ Society for Psychotherapy Research Conference, Buenos Aires, Argentina, June 2019