MA (Applied) Clinical and Community PsychologyPhD, Suicide and Mental Health Research Group
Contact details
Tel +64 4 806 4496
Email denise.steers@otago.ac.nz
Research interests and activities
Denise completed her PhD (2020) which explored the decision making process for infants born intersex/ variations in sex characteristics (VSC) or medically known as Disorders of Sex Development - Poster - DSD [PDF 1MB]. Denise is currently working on developing a parent resource for children with a VSC along with various other projects involving health care experiences for Trans men and EMDR referral barriers for people with serious mental health Issues. Denise has a clinical psychology background in child, adolescent and family mental health. Her research interests are focused on the complexity of sex, gender and sex characteristics, and the lived experience of people marginalised in society from a human rights perspective.
Since joining the Suicide and Mental Health Research Group Denise has worked on variety of projects, including:
- Media influences on suicidal behaviour in young people
- Informal coercion in community psychiatric care
- Suicidality and mental illness: From self-stigma to self-management
- Multi-level intervention for suicide prevention
- Ultra Brief Intervention in Primary Care
- "13 Reasons Why": Exploring young people's perspectives
- Decision making for people born with a Variation in Sex Characteristics
- Gender affirmation surgery project
- Referrers experiences for a RCT of EMDR for PTSD in patients with a SMI in a forensic setting
Publications
Ballantyne, A., Steers, D., & Gray, L. (2023). Prompting lifestyle interventions to promote weight loss is safe, effective and patient-centred: No. Journal of Primary Health Care, 15(4), 385-387. doi: 10.1071/HC23163
Ballantyne, A., Gray, L., & Steers, D. (2023). Fat bias and weight stigma in primary care. Proceedings of the New Zealand Primary Health Care, General Practice & Rural Health Research Symposium. (pp. 12). Retrieved from https://www.otago.ac.nz/wellington/departments/primaryhealthcaregeneralpractice
Jones, L., Carroll, R., Parker, G., Steers, D., Ormandy, J., & Filoche, S. (2023). Developing a transgender and non-binary inclusive obstetrics and gynaecology undergraduate medical curriculum in Aotearoa/New Zealand: Where are we at, and where do we need to be? Australian & New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/ajo.13746
Bell, E., Levack, W., Flewett, T., Steers, D., Dean, S., & Hansby, O. (2023). Factors influencing recruitment to real-world psychological therapies research. Proceedings of the New Zealand College of Clinical Psychologists (NZCCP) National Conference. Retrieved from https://www.nzccp.co.nz
Steers, D., & Andrews, G. (2021). My body, my decision: The lived experience of young people with a variation in sex characteristics in New Zealand. European Journal of Public Health, 31(Suppl. 3), ckab164.167. doi: 10.1093/eurpub/ckab164.167