About

I am a Senior Lecturer in Psychology with a specialism in qualitative research methods. 

Research interests

My background has been in the analysis of ‘everyday interactions’ using Discursive Psychology and Conversation Analysis. I have particular interests in interactions with children and in investigative interviewing. Past research has examined interaction in police interviews with children reporting alleged sexual offences, explicating how police officers follow and depart from advice outlined in official best practice guidelines.

I also conduct research using phenomenological methods across distinct areas of focus. Recent work has focused on occupational wellbeing within a range of different professions.

Recent publications

• Childs, Spenser, K., & Adhikari, J. (in press). “I wasn’t broken when I joined, I was when I left”: Experiences of powerlessness among women veterans. Traumatology
• Mason, S., & Childs, C. (2024).  Managing emotions and occupational demands: A phenomenological exploration of the experiences of child exploitation support workers. British Journal of Social Work, bcae173
• Childs, C. & Holland, F. (2024) Young peoples’ lived experiences of shifts between face-to-face and smartphone interactions: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. Journal of Youth Studies, 27(1), pp. 57-72
• Childs, C. & Howard, C. (2023). The Yin-Yang of Spirituality: An Introduction to the Special Issue. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 37(4)
• Childs, C. (2022). Emotion in Conversation. In Schiewer, G., L., Altarriba, J., and Chin, N., B. (Eds.). Language and Emotion: An International Handbook. Berlin: De Gruyter
• Spenser, K., Childs, C., & Adkihari, J. (2021). WAF0042-Inquiry: Women in the Armed Forces: From Recruitment to Civilian Life. UK Parliament
• Parker, V., & Childs, C. (2019). Stresses, challenges, and rewards of home-based applied behaviour analysis intervention for children with an autism spectrum disorder. Research and Practice in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 1-10
• Childs, C., & Walsh, D. (2018) Paradoxical invitations: challenges in soliciting more information from child witnesses. Research on Language and Social Interaction, 51(4), 363-378
• Childs, C., & Walsh, D. (2017). Self-disclosure and self-deprecating self-reference: Conversational practices of personalization in police interviews with children reporting alleged sexual offences. Journal of Pragmatics, 121, 188-201
• Childs, C., & Hepburn, A. (2015). Emotion discourse. In Tileaga, C., Stokoe, E. (Eds.), Discursive Psychology: Classic and Contemporary Issues. London: Routledge
• Symeonides, R., & Childs, C. (2015). The personal experience of online learning: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. Computers in Human Behaviour, 51, 539-545
• Childs, C. (2015). Formulations. In Tracy, K. (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Language and Social Interaction. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell and International Communication Association
• Childs, C. (2014). From reading minds to social interaction: Respecifying Theory of Mind. Human Studies, 37(1), 103-122
• Childs, C. (2012). ‘I’m not X, I just want Y’: Formulating ‘wants’ in interaction. Discourse Studies, 14(2), 181-196
• Childs, C. (2012). Directing and requesting: Two interactive uses of the mental state terms ‘want’ and ‘need’. Text and Talk, 32(6), 727-749
• Childs, C., & Murray, C. (2010). 'We all had an experience in there together': A discursive psychological analysis of collaborative paranormal accounts by paranormal investigation team members. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 7(1), 21-33

Membership of professional bodies

• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Qualifications

Undergraduate qualifications

• BA (Hons) Psychology/Writing, Manchester Metropolitan University

Research qualifications

• MRes Psychology, The University of Manchester
• PhD Social Psychology, Loughborough University

Recent conferences

During the last few years, I have presented work on police interviews with children at a range of conferences and to police constabularies. In December 2022, in Singapore, I presented work on experiences of developing self-identification within 12-step groups for sex addiction.

In the media

• BBC Radio Derby, Breakfast Show, The act of hugging returning after social distancing, May 2021
• BBC Radio Derby, Breakfast Show, The benefits of hugging, January 2021
• BBC Radio Derby, Breakfast Show, Touch deprivation during social distancing, June 2020
• BBC One, Inside Out, Tattoo Stigma, March 2020
• BBC Radio Derby, Breakfast Show, The Mandella effect, July 2017

Teaching responsibilities

My main areas of teaching are qualitative research methods, Sexuality and Gender and Social Psychology. My main teaching responsibilities are in the following modules:

• Advanced Qualitative Analysis for Psychology (module leader)
• Qualitative Methods: The Individual in Society (module leader)
• Psychology of Sexuality and Gender (module leader)

I also lecture for a range of other modules on the BSc Psychology.