Dr Sue Wilbraham, PhD
- Senior Lecturer in Applied Psychology
- Institute of Health
- Health and Wellbeing

- Email: susan.wilbraham@cumbria.ac.uk
- Tel: +44 (0)1228 616173
- Location: Carlisle - Fusehill Street
Biography
- Programme Leader MSc Psychology pathways & MSc Environment health and wellbeing
- BSc, MSc and PhD Supervisor
- Module leader for: Organisations and the Environment (Level 7), Outdoor spaces, health and wellbeing (Level 7), Research methods (Level 7), Negotiated learning (Level 5), Perspectives in psychology (Level 4)
- Equality Diversity Inclusion Wellbeing Committee
- UCU Environment Rep for 探花视频
- Schwartz Round facilitator
- Athena Swan rep for Institute of Health.
Qualifications and memberships
- Chartered Psychologist - British Psychological Society (BPS)
- Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2017)
- PhD in Psychology - from University of Central Lancashire (2010)
- Postgraduate Certificate in Learning & Teaching in Higher Education - from 探花视频 (2009)
- Certificate in Higher Education Teaching Toolkit - from University of Central Lancashire (2008)
- BSc (Hons) Psychology: First Class - from University of Central Lancashire (2005)
Academic and research interests
My research centers around well-being in learning and teaching. Current projects include: Implementation of the University Mental health charter; Identifying best practice in university mental health strategies; Supporting well-being in Postgraduate students; Understanding the impact of the physical environment at university. I am committed to embedding equality, diversity and inclusion in all my work.
Research supervision
Current Research Students:
- Alende Amisi - Understanding racialised experiences of students in Higher Education
- Neave Dalby - University student loneliness experiences
- Jim Greer - How can supervision provide emotional support and encourage emotional resilience in social workers?
- Dan Gibbons - Investigating the organisation of identity in competitive gaming and esports
- Nnaemeka Amanze - Doing business within safe and just limits
- Lt Col Sue Pope - Leadership Cultures and Wellbeing in the DMS workforce.
Completed Research Students:
- Charlotte Hardacre - Authentic practice in family learning
Publications
Publications:
Christie, M., Elliott, D., & Wilbraham, S. (2025). Freedom, fun, friendship and freezing! Women’s perspectives of participation in open water swimming. Sport in Society, 1–25.
Wilbraham, S., Evans, C., & Carter, J. (2025). Time to address disability inclusion for university staff. Wonkhe. Retrieved from
Wilbraham, S. J., Elliott, D., & Miller, P. K. (2024). It’s just how we do it: social processes in rapid weight loss for combat sports. Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, 12(1).
Wilbraham, S., Jones, E., Priestley, M. & Hughes, G. (2024). Student and staff wellbeing is shaped by university surroundings. Wonkhe. Retrieved from
Amisi, A., Bates, E. A., & Wilbraham, S. J. (2024). How Does the Curriculum Contribute to the Experiences of Belongingness in Higher Education?. Psychology Teaching Review, 30(1), 96-106.
Wilbraham, S.J., Jones, E., Brewster, L., Priestley, M., Broglia, E., Hughes, G., & Spanner, L. (2024). Inclusion or Isolation? Differential Student Experiences of Independent Learning and Wellbeing in Higher Education. Education Sciences, 14(3):285.
Roscoe, J., & Wilbraham, S. (2024). ‘When it goes well, it works fantastically’: motivations to train and their impact on the practice of CBT. The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, 17(6). doi:10.1017/S1754470X24000060
Roscoe, J., Taylor, J., Harrington, R., & Wilbraham, S. (2022). CBT supervision behind closed doors: Supervisor and supervisee reflections on their expectations and use of clinical supervision. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research. 22 (4), 1056 - 1067
Priestly, M., Hall., A., Wilbraham, S. J., Mistry, V., Hughes, G. & Spanner, L. (2022). Student Perceptions and Proposals for Promoting Wellbeing Through Social Relationships at University. Journal of Further and Higher Education. 46 (9), 1243-1256, DOI:
Brewster, L., Jones, E., Priestley, M., Wilbraham, S. J., Spanner, L. & Hughes, G. (2021). ‘Look after the staff and they would look after the students’ cultures of wellbeing and mental health in the university setting. Journal of Further and Higher Education. 46 (4), 548-56 DOI:
Jones, E., Priestley, M., Brewster, L., Wilbraham, S. J., Hughes, G., & Spanner, L. (2020). Student wellbeing and assessment in higher education: the balancing act. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 1-13.
Wilbraham, S. & Caldwell, E. (2018). Children’s books are adding to science’s gender problem. The Conversation. Retrieved from
Wilbraham, S. J., Qualter, P., & Roy, M. P. (2018). Emotional intelligence and cortisol responses: Can laboratory findings be replicated in classrooms and using other EI measures?. Personality and Individual Differences, 120, 58-64.
Caldwell, E. F., & Wilbraham, S. J. (2018). Hairdressing in space: Depiction of gender in science books for children. Journal of Science & Popular Culture, 1(2), 101-118.
Conferences (last five years, by date):
- Wilbraham, S. J. & Hardacre, C. (2024). The Disorienting Dilemmas of Wellbeing in Higher Education: An Educator's Perspective. Presentation at International Transformative Learning Conference, University of Siena
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Wilbraham, S. J. (2023). How student wellbeing is impacted by independent learning. Presentation at Learning and Teaching Fest Conference, 探花视频.
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Corless, L., Wilbraham, S. J., Buckley, A., & Sharples, G. (2023). The Power of Stories: Using Schwartz Rounds in Higher Education to create caring cultures. Presentation at Learning and Teaching Fest Conference, 探花视频.
- Wilbraham, S. J. & Scott, J. (2019). Understanding and reducing student stress within assessment practice. Presentation at Advance HE annual conference, Northumbria University.
Recent external roles
2024 - Commissioned Researcher: DCMS Stage 2 In-depth place-based evaluation