Adrian Wells,

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper ''Piled Higher and Deeper'' (also known as ''PhD Comics''), is a newsp ...

, CPsychol, is a British clinical psychologist who is the creator of

metacognitive therapy Metacognitive therapy (MCT) is a psychotherapy focused on modifying metacognitive beliefs that perpetuate states of worry, rumination and attention fixation. It was created by Adrian Wells based on an information processing model by Wells and Ger ...

. He is Professor of Clinical and Experimental

Psychopathology Psychopathology is the study of abnormal cognition, behaviour, and experiences which differs according to social norms and rests upon a number of constructs that are deemed to be the social norm at any particular era. Biological psychopathol ...

at the

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The university owns and operates majo ...

, U.K. and is also Professor II of Clinical Psychology at the

Norwegian University of Science and Technology Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including th ...

Research

Wells has contributed to the understanding of mechanisms underlying vulnerability to

psychological disorders A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitt ...

, the maintenance of

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental hea ...

problems and their treatment. His work has informed the areas of

social anxiety disorder Social anxiety disorder (SAD), also known as social phobia, is an anxiety disorder characterized by sentiments of fear and anxiety in social situations, causing considerable distress and impaired ability to function in at least some aspects ...

, generalised anxiety disorder, trauma reactions (such as

post-traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on a ...

obsessive–compulsive disorder Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental and behavioral disorder in which an individual has intrusive thoughts and/or feels the need to perform certain routines repeatedly to the extent where it induces distress or impairs general ...

and depression. His research has particularly focused on developing models and treatment for these disorders using

cognitive behavioural therapy Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a psycho-social intervention that aims to reduce symptoms of various mental health conditions, primarily depression and anxiety disorders. CBT focuses on challenging and changing cognitive distortions (suc ...

and

. He has authored over 200 publications in books and peer-reviewed journals.

Key publications

Wells' first book ''Attention and Emotion: A Clinical Perspective'' (co-authored with Gerald Matthews) presented a critique and framework for applying cognitive psychology to the understanding of psychopathology. It was awarded the 1998

British Psychological Society The British Psychological Society (BPS) is a representative body for psychologists and psychology in the United Kingdom. History It was founded on 24 October 1901 at University College London (UCL) as ''The Psychological Society'', the orga ...

Book Award for significant contributions to psychology and remains a definitive text in this field, recently being reprinted for a 20th anniversary edition. Wells has authored a comprehensive treatment manual for

anxiety disorders Anxiety disorders are a cluster of mental disorders characterized by significant and uncontrollable feelings of anxiety and fear such that a person's social, occupational, and personal function are significantly impaired. Anxiety may cause physi ...

using cognitive behavioural therapy, which is widely used in U.K. mental health settings and includes a model and treatment for social anxiety disorder (developed with D. M. Clark) which was recommended by the

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department of Health and Social Care in England that publishes guidelines in four areas: * the use of health technologies withi ...

as the most effective treatment. Wells is the originator of

, a new psychological treatment which is undergoing extensive evaluation in controlled trials. He has written a treatment manual for the application of this model and treatment to anxiety and

mood disorders A mood disorder, also known as an affective disorder, is any of a group of conditions of mental and behavioral disorder where a disturbance in the person's mood is the main underlying feature. The classification is in the '' Diagnostic and Stati ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, Adrian Living people British psychologists Clinical psychologists Academics of the University of Manchester Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people)