Dr Barry Coughlan is Director of the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Programme at the University of Limerick, Ireland. Barry qualified as a Clinical Psychologist in 2003 and has worked in a number of health services across the Mid-West region of Ireland, most recently in adult disability services. He has a special interest in the emotional wellbeing and mental health of young people and adults with developmental disability, autism spectrum disorder and complex need....
Barry holds an honours degree in Applied Psychology from University College Cork, a PhD from University College Cork and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, from University College Dublin. His clinical and research focus includes mental health & emotional wellbeing in intellectual disability, Complex Learning Difficulties & Disabilities, Special Educational Needs, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Ageing and Disability, Deinstitutionalisation & Community integration.
Barry's clinical practice, teaching and research are primarily focussed on evidence-based practice issues pertaining to the identification, assessment and treatment of mental health issues in young people and adults with intellectual disability and complex need. He has supervised over 60 PhD’s to completion, covering a wide range of applied clinical topics. He is currently external examiner on a number of undergraduate and doctoral clinical programmes in Ireland, the UK and New Zealand.
He holds an international publications profile and is in regular demand for international workshops and symposia in his field, most recently in Australia, New Zealand, Romania & the UK. Barry has worked with the Australian Ministry of Education, as a consultant on the National Partnership Project – More Support for Students with Disabilities and was a member of the International Advisory Board for the Complex Learning Difficulties & Disabilities (CLDD) Project in the UK, a member of the Advisory Board for the Development of Training Materials for Special Education in the 21st Century in the UK, and has been involved in funded collaborative international research in the UK, USA and Romania.