Dr Stacey Heath

Professional biography

I am a social and environmental psychologist drawing from social psychology and human geography. My research interests are centred on group processes and behaviour change (in particular relation to community change, well-being, resilience, engagement and loneliness) and adopt an interdisciplinary approach of social and environmental psychology, human geography and health. More specifically, I am interested in exploring the ways that social psychological theories and geographical contexts can assist in the exploration of contemporary social issues.

By adopting this approach, I address issues related to:

A) The psychology of groups in large scale group change such as (but not limited to) migration, regeneration and disasters and their relation to health, wellbeing and community resilience;

B) The rhetoric of mobilization employed by social movements in response to community change;

C) The role of social psychology in facilitating behaviour change through participatory research, interventions, and social prescribing; and

D) How a hybridisation of disciplines (specifically social psychology and human geography) can help us to understand the ways in which social dynamics can be harnessed to facilitate successful and sustainable group change in the context of anthropogenic climate change.

I have taught across an array of social psychology, research methods, and human geography undergraduate and masters courses.

I have facilitated groups 4 health and groups 4 education (see https://www.groups4health.com/) groups and, as part of my PhD project and an impact accelerator grant, I developed and facilitated several SUSTAIN programs collaboratively with local councils and the NSPCC to community members that are (or have been) undergoing community change – such as regeneration.