Staff profiles
Dr Sarah Cook
Reader in occupational therapy Dip COT, M.Ed, PhD
Fellow of the College of Occupational Therapists
Phone 0114 225 5672
E-mail s.p.cook@shu.ac.uk
Research interests
Mental health, recovery and rehabilitation, health promotion, vocational rehabilitation, community based initiatives. Building on her experience as a user of mental health services, Sarah has involved service users in all phases and levels of research projects.
Sarah was the first occupational therapist to be awarded a personal post-doctoral research award from the Department of Health (2003 - 2007).
Recent projects
- primary care study of an inner city service for people with severe mental health problems
- participatory research on dance and mental health
- Delphi study developing an intervention schedule defining occupational therapy for people with psychotic conditions in community settings
- pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) of occupational therapy for people with psychotic conditions, including monitoring of adherence to the intervention schedule
- economic evaluation combined with the above RCT
- qualitative study of service user views on what helps people in their daily lives
- learner autonomy: student staff research partnerships (2008-2009)
- Rehabilitation Effectiveness and Activities for Life (REAL): a multicentre study of rehabilitation services and the efficacy of promoting activities for people with severe mental health problems (2009-2014)
Sarah has been contracted by various service user led organisations, voluntary sector agencies and NHS Trusts and following her work in developing countries promoting and teaching community based rehabilitation, she has worked for a range of international agencies.
Doctoral students
Sarah welcomes students interested in investigating the experiences of people with mental health problems, and the effectiveness of recovery focussed interventions such as occupational therapy, engagement in creative activities and self management strategies. She has a particular interest in user involvement in research and service delivery.
Sarah can support a range of both quantitative and qualitative methodological approaches and methods.
Sarah is currently supervising the following PhD students
- Colette Fegan - recovery through volunteering for users of mental health services
- Jennifer Creek - the mechanisms by which occupational therapy interventions influence the health of individuals and communities
- Jim Turner - the development and evaluation of the 'pictorial metaphor technique' in cognitive analytic therapy
Research collaborations
The recent qualitative study of service user views was carried out in collaboration with Eleni Chambers, ScHARR, University of Sheffield. Sarah is working with the occupational therapy research leads in various NHS Trusts. The multi-centre REAL programme is led by Helen Kilaspy at University College London. Sarah is a member of the research advisory forum for Improving Quality and Effectiveness of Services Therapies and Self-management on longer term depression (IQUESTS.)
Research outputs: key publications since 2001
Cook, S (2008) The link between work and health is everybody's business (Word 366KB) Sheffield Health and Work Strategy Group, Evaluation Report, January 2008
Cook, S (2006) Intervention Schedule: Occupational Therapy for people with psychotic conditions in community settings, v:final
Books and book sections
Cook S, Ledger K and Scott N (2003) Dancing for Living, Women's experience of 5 Rhythms dance and the effects on their emotional wellbeing. Sheffield: UK Advocacy Network. ISBN: 0 9537303
Cook S and Spreadbury P (2001) Clinical governance and clinical audit. in Creek J (Ed.) Occupational Therapy and Mental Health, third edition. Churchill Livingston, Edinburgh.
Creek M, Beynon S, Cook S, Tulloch T. (2001) Occupational Therapy in Primary Care. in Creek J (Ed.) Occupational Therapy and Mental Health, third edition. Churchill Livingston, Edinburgh.
Articles
Cook S, Chambers E (2009) What helps and hinders people with psychotic conditions doing what they want in their daily lives. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72(6), 238-248.
Cook, S. and Burrell, M. (2007) Defining an occupational therapy intervention for people with psychosis. British Journal of Occupational Therapy. 70(3) 96 -106.
Cook S and Ledger K. (2005) A service user led study promoting mental wellbeing for the general public, using 5 rhythms dance. International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 6(4): 41-51.
Creek J, Ilott I, Cook S, Munday C. (2005) Valuing Occupational Therapy as a Complex Intervention. British Journal of Occupational Therapy. 68(6) 281-284.
Cook S, Howe A and Veal J. (2004) A different ball game altogether: staff's views on a primary mental healthcare service. Primary Care Mental Health 2(2): 77-89.
Cook S (2003) Generic and Specialist Interventions for People with Severe Mental Health Problems: Can Interventions be Categorised? British Journal of Occupational Therapy. 66(1): 17 - 24.
Cook S and Howe A. (2003) Engaging People with Enduring Psychotic Conditions in Primary Mental Health Care and Occupational Therapy. British Journal of Occupational Therapy. 66(6) 236 - 246.
Editorials and other reports
Cook S, Chambers E, Coleman J, Hart M. (2005) The challenge of recruiting people with schizophrenia to trials (letter). British Journal of General Practice, Dec;55(521):965.
Conference abstracts
Research - Walking, talking and building with Jennifer Creek. Festschrift in honour of Jennifer Creek on the occasion of her retirement. York, 1 September 2009
