Skills and experience

My current role as Lecturer in Psychological Therapy in Primary Care for the MSc in Pychological Therapy at Dundee University (a BABCP accredited course) involves recruiting students onto the course, clinical supervision of the trainees, teaching at masters level and dissertation supervision. Programme development is ongoing and as a team we are always looking for ways to improve the service and keep our skills up to date. I receive regular supervision for my own competencies.

I am currently treating referrals of complex anxiety and depressive disorders as listed.

I have experience of, and accept, medico-legal referrals in the speciality of FND.

I was part of the CODES randomised controlled trial (RCT) for three years as a CBT therapist. This involved treating complex patients with a diagnosis of Dissociative Seizures using CBT. I received training in London and received supervision regularly for this by experts in the field. This is a specialist area where clients have the diagnosis of Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). I have had 20 years experience of treating this client group as a physiotherapist and 8 years as a CBT therapist

I worked for three years on the ‘physio4fmd’ RCT treating clients with Functional Motor disorder. This role has also involved training AHPs to implement basic CBT skills to enhance treatment.

During my time on these research studies I also worked with most other categories of functional neurological disorder.

As a dual trained therapist I have developed and run group therapy for long term conditions for self-management and fatigue management sessions.

Recent Professional Achievements

• Associate Fellow (AFHEA) in recognition of attainment against the Professional Standards Framework for teaching and learning support in higher education
• Qualified and working in the separate professions of Physiotherapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). This is both clinical and academic
• CBT clinician for the CODES national research study
• CBT and Physiotherapist for national study Physio for Functional Motor Disorders national research study

Both CODES and PHYSIO4FMD were multi-centre randomized control trials for functional neurological disorders.

Publications

• LaFaver, Kathrin & Ricciardi, Lucia. (2022). Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Approaches in Functional Movement Disorder. 10.1007/978-3-030-86495-8_26.
• Goldstein LH, Robinson EJ, Mellers JDC, Stone J, Carson A, Reuber M, Medford N, McCrone P, Murray J, Richardson MP, Pilecka I, Eastwood C, Moore M, Mosweu I, Perdue I, Landau S, Chalder T; CODES study group. Cognitive behavioural therapy for adults with dissociative seizures (CODES): a pragmatic, multicentre, randomised controlled trial. Lancet Psychiatryi. 2020 Jun;7(6):491-505. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30128-0. Epub 2020 May 20. PMID: 32445688; PMCID: PMC7242906.
• Nicholson, C, Edwards, M.J,. Carson, A.J,. Gardiner, P., Golder, D., Hayward, K., Humblestone, S., Jinadu, H., Lumsden, C., MacLean, J., Main, L., MacGregor, L., Nielson, G., Oakley, L., Price, J., Ranford, J., Ranu, J., Sum, Ed., Stone, J. (2020) Occupational therapy consensus recommendations for functional neurological disorder Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry. doi: 10.1136/jnnp-2019-322281
• Paula Gardiner et al (2017) Occupational Therapy for Functional Neurological Disorders: a scoping review and agenda for research. CNS Spectrum. 1-8.
• Jon Stone et al (2015) Functional Neurological Disorders: mechanisms and treatment. Journal of Neurology 263(3)
• Jon Stone et al (2016) Functional Disorders in Neurology: Case Studies Neurologic Clinics 34(3):667–681.
• Sutherland J K, Cowan (Gardiner) P (2005) Using special interest sessions to design and implement a fatigue management group for multiple sclerosis patients. Psychiatry Bulletin 29, 388-391
• Cowan (Gardiner) P (2008) Evidence for the main management and treatment strategies for spasticity in multiple sclerosis. Skills for Nurses no 4 May-June pp 28-30.
• JA Freeman, M Gear, P Cowan et al (2010) The effect of core stability training on balance and mobility in ambulant individuals with MS: A multi centre series of single case studies. Multiple sclerosis 16(11) 1377-1384.
• JA Freeman, P Cowan (Gardiner), S Hourihan et al (2014) Management of sleep disturbance in Multiple Sclerosis: a survey of current practice in the UK. British Journal of Neuroscience Nursing vol 9, 5, 279-285.
• Marietta L. van der Linden Sasha M. Scott, Julie E. Hooper, Paula Cowan (Gardiner), Thomas H. Mercer (2014) Gait kinematics of people with Multiple Sclerosis and the acute application of Functional Electrical Stimulation. Gait and Posture vol 39 (4), 1092-1096.

Videos

• Tutor MSc Psychological Therapies in Primary Care (Dundee University)

Formal Teaching

2021 - present		Lecturer for MSc in Psychological Therapies in Primary Care (Dundee and Stirling Universities)
2019 - 2021		Tutor on the South of Scotland CBT Programme
2017 - present		Supervisor on the postgraduate South of Scotland CBT course
2016 - present		Postgraduate teaching on functional neurological disorders
2016 - 2018		External lecturer on the South of Scotland CBT course
2000 - 2018		Undergraduate teaching for second year medical student (biannually) (Glasgow University).
2016 - 2018		Undergraduate teaching for physiotherapist- CBT and physiotherapy (Glasgow Caledonian University).
2017 - 2018		Postgraduate teaching for North Lanarkshire on Functional Neurological Disorders
2017 - 2020		Postgraduate teaching on Physiotherapy and CBT
2010 - 2018		Postgraduate Teaching for AHP- Long Term Conditions including FND
2016		Neurology Registrar Teaching on Functional Neurological Disorders
2017		Postgraduate teaching Parkinson’s Specialist Nurse conference