Biography
Susannah attained a first class BA in Sociology from the University of Sheffield, and was awarded the John Westergaard Prize for the best undergraduate dissertation. This research explored how and why male police officers repress mental health illnesses. Susannah also gained an MSc from the University of Edinburgh reading Psychology of Mental Health and completed a dissertation looking at custody suite officers’ perceptions of trauma informed training.
Research
Susannah began her PhD, titled ‘Protecting the Protectors: what is next for police officers’ mental health’ in Lent 2022 under the supervision of Dr Justice Tankebe and Dr Adrian Grounds.
Susannah’s PhD is a qualitative exploration of armed police officers’ experiences of mental (ill) health, trauma and stress. Specifically, this research focuses on what events officers find traumatic, how they respond to such events and their coping strategies. This research also delves into what current support structures are in place and how officers perceive these structures, in order to inform policy initiatives.
