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Dr Sue Wilbraham, PhD

  • Associate Professor in Environment, Health and Wellbeing
  • Institute of Health
  • Health and Wellbeing
Profile picture for Sue Wilbraham, PhD

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 University of Cumbria
  • 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 University of Cumbria (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

I am a Chartered Psychologist and a member of the Division of Health Psychologists with the British Psychological Society. My research interests relate to public health, environmental psychology, and to health and wellbeing in Higher Education. I have published research relating to wellbeing in universities (assessment practice, staff wellbeing, social relationships, independent learning, physical environment), sport (Muay Thai, Open Water Swimming), EDI (disability inclusion, gender representation), and community interventions for loneliness.

As UCU environment rep for University of Cumbria I seek to drive change within our organisation while embedding sustainability in all my teaching and research. I am passionate about equality, diversity and inclusion; I am co-chair of our Disabled and Neurodiverse staff network (DANN) and am part of our LGBTQ staff network.

Research supervision

Current Research Students:

  • Alende Amisi - Understanding racialised experiences of students in Higher Education
  • Neave Dalby - University student loneliness experiences
  • Amanda Wilson - Head teacher wellbeing
  • Leah Suma - Gender equality in just transitions 
  • 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. https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2025.2470158

Wilbraham, S., Evans, C., & Carter, J. (2025). Time to address disability inclusion for university staff. Wonkhe. Retrieved from https://wonkhe.com/blogs/time-to-address-disability-inclusion-for-university-staff/ 

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). https://doi.org/10.1080/21642850.2024.2433517

Wilbraham, S., Jones, E., Priestley, M. & Hughes, G. (2024). Student and staff wellbeing is shaped by university surroundings. Wonkhe. Retrieved from https://wonkhe.com/blogs/student-and-staff-wellbeing-is-shaped-by-university-surroundings/ 

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. https://doi.org/10.53841/bpsptr.2024.30.1.96

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. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14030285

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 DOI: 10.1002/capr.12572 

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: 10.1080/0309877X.2022.2061844  

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: 10.1080/0309877X.2021.1986473 

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. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2020.1782344

Wilbraham, S. & Caldwell, E. (2018). Children’s books are adding to science’s gender problem.  The Conversation.  Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/childrens-books-are-adding-to-sciences-gender-problem-98522

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. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.08.021

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.  https://doi.org/10.1386/jspc.1.2.101_1

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

  • Wilbraham, S. J. (2023). How student wellbeing is impacted by independent learning. Presentation at Learning and Teaching Fest Conference, University of Cumbria.

  • 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, University of Cumbria.

  • 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 - CCF Commissioned Researcher: DCMS KYN Stage 2 In-depth place-based evaluation