Dr Emma Černis BA, MSc, DClinPsy, DPhil

DPhil Biomedical & Clinical Sciences, Oriel College, University of Oxford, 2021

DClinPsych Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford, 2017

MSc Mental Health Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College, London, 2011

BA Experimental Psychology, St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford, 2010

HCPC-Registered: PYL34827

Dr Emma Černis is Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Birmingham, where she carries out translational and applied research into dissociative experiences. She has extensive experience of clinical research including co-ordinating clinical trials and delivering trial-standard cognitive-behavioural therapy for adults and young people. 

Emma’s work has defined a discrete subset of dissociative experiences (‘felt sense of anomaly’ (FSA) dissociation), which describes distressing and impairing subjective sensations of ‘strangeness’ or detachment. Her earlier work, funded by a competitive Wellcome Trust Clinical Doctoral Fellowship, demonstrated links between this subset and other mental health problems, and identified possible psychological factors maintaining these dissociative difficulties. Emma’s current research includes testing the cognitive model arising from this earlier work and using these findings to develop a translational psychological treatment for FSA-dissociation.

Before taking up her current post, Emma spent ten years in various roles in Professor Daniel Freeman’s ‘Cognitive Approaches to Psychosis’ research team at the University of Oxford. As a result, she has a strong clinical academic background in the field of psychosis, particularly regarding At Risk Mental State presentations, delusions, and paranoia.

Clinically, Emma’s practice and supervision style is primarily influenced by CBT and related ‘third-wave’ approaches. She has experience in working with psychotic symptoms across the lifespan, and with children, young people and families affected by sexual harm. In January 2025, Emma founded the Midlands Dissociation & Depersonalisation Centre (MDDC), through which she offers therapy, supervision, consultation, and clinical training specific to dissociative presentations, including Depersonalisation-Derealisation Disorder.

Dr Černis contributes to teaching and supervision across the undergraduate, postgraduate, and applied doctoral courses within the School of Psychology. 

Emma’s teaching responsibilities include:

• MSci Psychology and Psychological Practice: LM Placement module – module lead / MSci Placements Tutor.
• Undergraduate psychology programmes: LH Psychological Therapies: CBT and Beyond module – module team.
• Undergraduate psychology programmes: LH Dissertation Project – research supervisor.

Dr Černis is happy to consider supervision of PhD research where these align with her research interests (see below). Please note that Emma’s work focuses on dissociation in its own right and her work is trauma-informed, rather than trauma-focused: this means she does not consider supervision of projects where the main research question is to understand trauma.

Prospective candidates should enquire by contacting the Postgraduate Research (PGR) Programme Administrator at the School of Psychology, or the Institute Operations Officer at the Institute of Mental Health. Any enquiries must include a CV, a 1-2 page project proposal, and a brief outline summarising your plans for funding the proposed project.

Emma also supervises a number of Trainee Clinical Psychology research dissertations at the University of Birmingham and beyond. She is happy to consider external supervision of Trainee projects where subject specialism in dissociation is sought.

Current / former doctoral supervisees include:

Gwynnevere Suter (2023-present): “A deeper investigation into the relationship between dissociation and reality monitoring” (Funding: LES College Studentship).

Rachael Bowes – ClinPsyD, University of Birmingham – (2025-present)

Graham Reid – DClinPsych, University of Oxford – (2025-present)

Megan Kay – ClinPsyD, University of Birmingham – (2024-present)

Christopher Jones – ClinPsyD, University of East Anglia – (2024-present)

Célia Esteban Serna – DClinPsych, University of Oxford – (2024-present)

Dr Černis’ research interest is in dissociative experiences (transdiagnostic dissociative experiences, or Depersonalisation-Derealisation Disorder). This includes:

• psychosocial causal and maintenance factors of dissociation,
• dissociation in adolescence,
• dissociation as a risk factor for other mental health problems,
• consideration of preventative interventions and early intervention in dissociation,
• development and evaluation of intervention techniques for reducing dissociation,
• and experimental paradigms and methods for elucidating or testing proposed mechanisms of dissociation.

Committees, networks & advisory groups:

• National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Mental Health Incubator for careers in mental health research: member of advisory group (2020 – 2023)
• DIS.connected: international network for early careers researchers in the field of dissociation: co-founder (2019 – 2023); Chair (2023 – present)

Public engagement and non-academic writing:

Please see entries on UoB Pure: https://research.birmingham.ac.uk/en/persons/emma-cernis