Peter Kinderman

Peter Kinderman (born 1965) is professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Liverpool, and is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist. He was born in Sussex, and attended Kings College, Cambridge as an undergraduate. After leaving university, he worked at St James’ Hospital Leeds, before his professional training in Clinical Psychology at the University of Leeds. He then worked in the National Health Service as a Clinical Psychologist before taking a job as a junior lecturer at the University of Liverpool, where he registered for a Ph.D. supervised by Richard Bentall. Not long after being awarded his doctorate, he moved to the University of Manchester, before later returning to the University of Liverpool.
His research interests are in psychological processes underpinning well-being and mental health, and in particular psychotic phenomena such as delusions and hallucinations. He has published widely on the role of psychological factors as mediators between biological, social and circumstantial factors in mental health and well-being. He is also interested in the application of such psychological science to public policy. In 2000, he received the British Psychological Society's Division of Clinical Psychology 'May Davidson Award', an annual award for outstanding contributions to the field of clinical psychology, in the first ten years after qualifying.
He is currently (2016 - 2017), President of the British Psychological Society, having twice been elected Chair of the Society's Division of Clinical Psychology; from 2004 to 2005, and again from 2010-2011. In that role, he worked with the UK Department of Health, the BBC, the Health Professions Council, the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency and the UK Office for National Statistics, amongst others.
His most recent publications are:
Kinderman P (2014) A Prescription for Psychiatry: Why We Need a Whole New Approach to Mental Health and Wellbeing. Palgrave Macmillan, London.
Kinderman P (2014) New Laws of Psychology: Why Nature and Nurture Alone Can't Explain Human Behaviour. Constable & Robinson, London.
He has recently launched a free, online, open-access course exploring our understanding of mental health and well-being.