Research Interests

I am a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Canterbury, currently delivering courses in forensic psychology, research methods and statistics.

My research focusses on prevention and rehabilitation approaches for sexual offending and family violence offending, including the assessment and communication of offending risk, and understanding the mechanisms underlying treatment change.

I have also led a number of evaluations of offending-related intervention programmes, including: the Ministry of Justice’s Police Safety Order (PSO) Brief Risk and Needs Assessment pilot; the Family Violence Courts initiative; and, the NZ Defence Force’s Sexual Assault Response Team. Additionally, I have led or been involved in a number of evaluations and research projects in the broader social sector, including evaluations of Oranga Tamariki's Family Start Programme, and the Ministry of Health's Healthy Homes Initiative.

I have strong experience in qualitative evaluation methodologies and a special interest in quantitative research methods including quasi-experimental techniques. I have also increasingly been utilising Statistics New Zealand's Integrated Data Infrastructure to conduct research exploring the social connectedness and wellbeing of New Zealand populations, including offenders, victims of crime, and sole parents.