Dr Amy Richardson

Research

Amy's research expertise is in the area of health psychology. Her PhD thesis investigated the psychological support needs of people with head and neck cancer and their family members. The thesis also examined whether the provision of a brief targeted psychological intervention could improve psychological well-being and health-related quality of life in this patient group.

Since the completion of her PhD, Amy has become interested in how health psychology can be applied to public health, particularly with respect to the development of interventions that can promote psychological adaptation to chronic illness and disability. She is also currently exploring opportunities to reduce disparities in physical health among people with serious mental illness in New Zealand.