Research
Whilst psychotherapy is my first love, I enjoy being involved in clinical research wherever possible. I have acted as Lead Researcher and Principal Investigator for a number of studies. I also provide research supervision for undergraduate and postgraduate students, including practitioner psychologists in training. I have peer-reviewed for psychotherapy journals and coordinated research studies within my current NHS post. Please contact me regarding potential collaborations or research supervision.
Some of my research interests include the following:
Chairwork interventions including cognitive behavioural chairwork, motivational chairwork, and Voice Dialogue
Chairwork refers to an assembly of experiential techniques which utilise chairs and their relative positions for therapeutic purposes. These include empty-chair techniques, two-chair techniques, and role-playing techniques. I have published papers and provided teaching on how these techniques can be incorporated into CBT ("cognitive behavioural chairwork"), the treatment of eating disorders, and used to enhance motivation.
I am interested in exploring the efficacy of chairwork techniques, their mechanisms of action, and how they compare against other clinical interventions.
The internal eating disorder 'voice' or 'self'
Many individuals with eating difficulties describe experiencing an internal 'voice' of their eating disorder or an eating disorder 'self'. I am currently involved in a studies exploring how to work with these experiences, including the Voice Dialogue approach and Relating Therapy.
I have an interest in supporting further studies related to the eating disorder voice / self, including its role in maintaining disordered eating, its overlap with voice-hearing in other psychiatric disorders, and how the anorexic voice can be treated.
CBT and Schema Therapy component studies
I am interested in research exploring the efficacy of specific components of CBT and schema therapy, particularly those which are used in the treatment of eating disorders (e.g. weight monitoring, imagery rescripting and chairwork).
Selected publications
Books
Pugh, M. (2019). Cognitive Behavioural Chairwork: Distinctive Features. Abingdon, Oxon: UK
Chapters
Pugh, M. (2019). Resolving ambivalence and overcoming blocks to change: A multi-modal and schema-informed approach. In S. Simpson & E. Smith (Eds.), Schema Therapy for Eating Disorders: Theory and Practice for Individual and Group Settings. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Pugh, M., & Rae, S. (2019). Chairwork in schema therapy: Applications and considerations in the treatment of eating disorders. In S. Simpson & E. Smith (Eds.), Schema Therapy for Eating Disorders: Theory and Practice for Individual and Group Settings. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Articles
Pugh, M. (2019). A little less talk, a little more action: A dialogical approach to cognitive therapy. The Cognitive Behavioural Therapist, 12, e47, 1-24
Pugh, M., & Salter, C. (2018). Motivational chairwork: An experiential approach to resolving ambivalence. European Journal of Counselling Theory, Research and Practice, 2, 1-15.
Pugh, M., & Waller, G. (2018). Childhood trauma, dissociation, and the internal eating disorder 'voice'. Child Abuse and Neglect, 86, 197-205.
Pugh, M. (2018). What can chairwork offer CBT? CBT Today, 46, 16-18 (available to view at https://www.babcp.com/Membership/CBT-Today.aspx)
Hormoz, E., Pugh, M., & Waller, G. (2018). Do eating disorder voice characteristics predict treatment outcomes in anorexia nervosa? A pilot study. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, In press.
Plateau, C. R., Brookes, F. A. & Pugh, M. (2017). Guided recovery: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of service-users' experiences of guided self-help for bulimic and binge eating disorders. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpra.2017.08.004.
Pugh, M. (2017). Pull up a chair. The Psychologist, 30, 42-47.
Pugh, M. (2017). Chairwork in cognitive behavioural therapy: A narrative review. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 41, 16-30.
Pugh, M. & Waller, G. (2016). Understanding the anorexic voice in anorexia nervosa. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 24, 670-676.
Pugh, M. & Waller, G. (2016). The anorexic voice and severity of pathology in anorexia nervosa. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 49, 622-625.
Pugh, M. (2016). The internal ‘anorexic voice’: A feature or fallacy of eating disorders. Advances in Eating Disorders: Theory, Research and Practice, 4, 75-83.
Pugh, M. (2015). A narrative review of schemas and schema therapy outcomes in the eating disorders. Clinical Psychology Review, 39, 30-41.
Waller, G., Evans, J. & Pugh, M. (2013). Food for thought: A pilot study of the pros and cons of changing eating patterns within cognitive-behavioural therapy for the eating disorders. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 51, 519-525.
Pugh, M. & Vetere, A. (2009). Lost in translation: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of mental health professionals’ experiences of empathy in clinical work with an interpreter. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 82, 305-321.
