Dr Hannah Hale

I joined the Open Psychology Research Centre (OPRC) in December 2023. I am a Research Fellow and Principal Investigator on two research projects: ‘Open Kindergartens, an alternative model of low-threshold family support for parents with children aged 0 to 3 years’; and ‘Transitions beyond domestic abuse: Psychotherapeutic approaches and symbolic resources.’ Also, as a Research Associate, I support the research activity of the OPRC until July 2025. 

I completed my PhD at Queens’ College, University of Cambridge in 2006. My Phd used social representations theory to explore constructions of military masculinities. Then I took up a lecturing post in Psychology at Southampton Solent University before a year at the Geary Institute at UCD in Ireland. Following this, I was a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Derby, mostly teaching Social and Cultural Psychology and qualitative methods. For five years from this point, I was a full-time Mother and lived in the Middle East. Back in the UK, I took up a research fellow post at the University of Glasgow on a study exploring mental health in the Scottish police force. I moved on to a research fellow position at the University of Stirling for 5 years. I’ve been on quite a wide range of projects. A few have been funded by charities, some by the ESRC and Scottish Government. I mostly led projects evaluating interventions to support families with early years children and babies in deprived communities. I’ve been a research fellow on a project on children and families affected by domestic abuse. The last project I worked on at Stirling implemented a co-produced arts-based intervention aimed at reducing road traffic accidents in Malawi.

Research Interests
I specialise in mental health, identity, masculinities and the concept of self in contexts such as the military, police force and domestic relationships. I draw on socio-cultural theories such as social representations, symbolic resources and the dialogical self. Other areas that I specialise in pertain to concerns around deprivation, inequality and the developing needs of families with early years children and babies.

Counselling/Psychotherapy
I am also a Pluralistic Counsellor with a private practice. I specialise in abuse, power and trauma, drawing on the existential therapeutic modality. I work online mostly and have the option for clients to visit me in a beautiful and tranquil space in the Scottish Highlands.