Dr Gerald Jordan (he/him) leads the Reach Collective and is a Lecturer/Assistant Professor in the School of Psychological Science at the University of Bristol. He received his PhD from McGill University and completed postdoctoral fellowships at Yale University and McGill University. He has authored 48 publications, one book chapter, and 72 conference presentations. He has attracted funding from bodies in Canada, the UK, and the USA. In his downtime, he enjoys playing video games, hiking, fishing, and playing the guitar.

Sophie studied BSc Psychology at the University of Warwick, MSc Mental Health (Youth) at the University of Birmingham and now PGCert Genomic Medicine also at UoB. As part of my MSc, she was a member of Gerald’s supervision group investigating post-traumatic growth following diagnosis of serious mental health disorders in young people. Her academic interests are addressing health inequities in order to enrich clinical, genomic and pharmacological research in mental health, and to ensure that social determinants of health are not overlooked in these fields. Outside of research, she enjoys editing the science pages of the campus newspaper, doing ballet, playing Animal Crossing and learning languages (mainly French and Irish).

Catrin Street-Mattox is completing a PhD at the University of Birmingham funded by the Hillary Green Fellowship. Her research examines how challenging social experiences, like stigma, impact compassion among youth with BPD. She received her Masters by Research from Oxford Brookes University and has a BA in Philosophy. Before starting her PhD, she was a secondary school teacher and a specialist further education lecturer for students with additional learning needs and mental health conditions. In her free time, she likes going to the gym, playing computer games, going to the theatre, and chilling at home with her cats.

Simren Bahia completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology with a minor in Business Management at Keele University in 2015. She then went on to complete her Masters in Counselling at the University of Worcester in 2016. She’s worked clinically for a number of years in forensic and mental health settings within the NHS, social care, and the private sector. In 2022, she started the Forensic Clinical Psychology Doctorate at the University of Birmingham and as part of this she’s been conducting research in the area of clinical and forensic psychology, focusing on treatment for trauma in forensic secure care for men who have perpetrated violence. Her interests include yoga, baking, and spending time with friends and family (helps manage all the stress of the doctorate!). She loves spending the rest of her time ticking off new places to travel to, explore and eat.

William Kent is currently a Trainee Clinical Psychologist on the Clinical Psychology Doctorate at the University of Birmingham. He completed his BSc in Psychology at the University of Chester in 2015, and then began a PhD in Psychology, completing this in 2022. Will’s PhD research explored the development of a stress-management intervention for oncology nurses. His current research thesis is exploring statistical predictors of post-traumatic growth, and the potential utility of psychological flexibility in the development of post-traumatic growth.

Urvi Shukla is a postgraduate student pursuing an MSc in Mental Health at the University of Birmingham. With an unwavering passion for mental health research, she is dedicated to advancing the field of psychology through rigorous scientific inquiry and evidence-based practices. She is eager to explore diverse perspectives using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Her commitment to collaborating with multidisciplinary teams aims to enhance our understanding of human behaviour and mental health. She has a wide range of research interests, including suicide and suicidal behaviour, post-traumatic stress and growth, mood disorders, and mental health stigma. She is enthusiastic about contributing to meaningful research in the field of mental healthcare.