Katherine is a Research Associate in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department. Her work explores how young people and their families experience care within the NHS, with the aim of informing evidence-based care and improving service delivery.Katherine joined King’s in October 2020 as part of the LISS-DTP studentship. She completed her masters in Mental Health studies, during which time she worked as a Research Assistant on a feasibility randomised controlled trial of exposure-based cognitive-behaviour therapy for anxiety disorders in pregnancy (ADEPT).

Katherine completed her PhD with the King's Women's Mental Health (KWMH) Section, at the IoPPN. Throughout her PhD she ran the EXPAND Study (Exploring Parental emotional support needs After Nicu Discharge), a mixed methods study exploring parental mental health, service use and support needs after an infant’s discharge from Neonatal Intensive Care.

Prior to her studentship, Katherine completed a BSc in Psychology at Cardiff University and went on to work as an Assistant Psychologist and Research Assistant across Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.

Research Interests

• Child and adolescent mental health
• Perinatal mental health
• Parenting and mental health

Research Groups

MINDS-RG

Expertise and Public Engagement 

Katherine’s work has contributed towards recently published guidance for Neonatal Psychology Provision within the NHS (https://acpuk.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Outpatient-staffing-standards_psych_April2025-final.pdf), and has been referenced within the House of Lords Preterm Birth Committee’s enquiry, considering the prevention and consequences of preterm birth (https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld5901/ldselect/ldpreterm/30/30.pdf).

Katherine has provided teaching for neonatal service user and stakeholder events, and has presented at national and international conferences, discussing the emotional support needs of families and the importance of delivering trauma-informed care. She has also been interviewed on the ‘Miracle Moon’ Podcast.

Key Publication

Challacombe, F., Sabin, K., Jacobson, S., Tinch-Taylor, R., Potts, L., Carter, B., & Lawrence, V. (2023). Patient and therapist experiences of exposure therapy in pregnancy: a qualitative analysis of the ADEPT feasibility trial of intensive and weekly CBT.