About Clinical Psychology with Dr. Paul Chadwick

Hello! 

I'm guessing you are visiting this page because you are curious about who I am. 

Like many people, I'm different things to different people at different times. I'm currently an author, psychologist, parent, son, brother, friend, and husband! 

Professionally, I’ve worked as a clinical psychologist and research scientist for over thirty years. My work has mostly focused on behavior change, helping people improve their physical and mental health and create a fairer and less dangerous world for vulnerable individuals. 

I’ve designed and researched dozens of health psychology interventions aimed at changing the way people eat, preventing or managing health problems, and overcoming addictions such as smoking, alcohol, and sex. 

I’ve always worked with issues relevant to my life and those I care about. It makes the work meaningful for me and hopefully more effective for those I work with. 

Like many psychologists, I have experienced mental health issues throughout my life, both prior to qualifying as a psychologist and afterwards. The knowledge and skills I learned during my psychology training have been invaluable in helping me navigate life’s complexities. 

Most recently, and for various reasons, I stopped drinking. This has been the singularly most transformative experience of my adult life (well, apart from meeting my partner and having kids!). And it’s not just me – millions of people are struggling with drinking too much and are seeking a healthier relationship with alcohol. 

Giving up alcohol was hard. Unexpectedly hard. It took every tool in my professional toolkit to stop, along with a few more tools that I had to develop along the way. I write about this in my free blog: Control Issues, and my self-help books. My goal is to use my professional and personal knowledge and skills to empower people to change their relationship to problematic and unwanted behavioral patterns. 

When I am not working, I can usually be found trying to dunk myself in ice-cold water, painting, printmaking, or writing terrible poetry (like Captain of a Vogan Constructor Fleet terrible - IYKYK!). I enjoy lifting reasonably heavy things in the gym, and sometimes I can be persuaded to go for a run. 

If you want a more technical description of my professional life, you can read my 'official' biography below...

Dr. Paul Chadwick is a distinguished clinical and health psychologist with over three decades of experience in behavior change, transforming the lives and behaviors of children, adults, families, and communities.  

Since qualifying in 2001, Paul has balanced his time between clinical practice and academia, developing and researching mental health interventions and behavior change programs aimed at improving physical health and addressing social injustice. A pioneer in the application of health psychology to public health, Paul’s initiatives have significantly impacted the lives of adults, children, and families worldwide. His efforts to reduce gender-based violence in low-income nations have been recognized with the prestigious Paris Peace Prize.  

Paul has held senior leadership positions at some of the most esteemed academic centers for behavior change science, including the world-renowned UCL Centre for Behaviour Change. He serves as an advisor to the UK's national and local governments. Notably, he co-led Public Health England’s Behavioural Insights team during the COVID-19 pandemic and previously directed the UK Department of Health and Social Care’s Policy Research Unit in Behavioural Science until April 2022. Currently, he is the Director of the Behavioural Science in Public Health Network, which is the UK's largest community of practice for health and social care professionals utilizing behavioral and social science to create more effective, efficient, and equitable public services.