School of Social Sciences and Professions staff profiles content store_hidden Angie Cucchi Our staff

After completing a BSc in Psychology and Criminology at Middlesex University, London, she worked as a project worker in a residential home for people with severe and enduring psychotic illnesses. This experience ignited Dr Cucchi’s interest in the mind and she went on to complete a Masters (MSc) in Mental Health Studies at King’s College London, and a Postgraduate Diploma (PgDip) in Counselling Psychology at the University of East London. Dr Cucchi eventually completed a Doctorate in Counselling Psychology (DPsych CoP) at City, University of London, whilst also working for a variety of adult mental health services.

Dr Cucchi won the BPS Division of Counselling Psychology (DCoP) 2015 Research Prize and also won the 2015 BPS-DCoP Trainee Prize. Her research and clinical interests lay in cross-cultural issues in the phenomenology and idioms of distress, with a specific focus on Eating Disorders and Personality Disorders. Details of Dr Cucchi's published research projects to date can be found on her ResearchGate profile.

In addition to being an academic engaged in teaching and research, Dr Cucchi has more than 14 years' experience of working therapeutically with people in the NHS. She specialises in Mentalization Based Therapy and Schema Therapy, but also routinely uses a variety of therapeutic modalities such as person-centred and psychodynamic approaches, as well as cognitive behavioural therapy. Lastly, Dr. Cucchi has a special interest in systemic and post-modernist approaches, which she regularly uses to explore the impact of systems and environmental factors on the development and maintenance of psychological and psychiatric distress.

During her professional career, she has taught on various undergraduate, postgraduate and Doctorate programmes, developing and contributing to many modules that ranged from Mental Health, Counselling Psychology, Clinical and Abnormal Psychology, Counselling Skills and various therapeutic modalities such as Humanistic, Psychodynamic, Systemic, integrative approaches and CBT. These are also some of the modules she will be teaching at London Metropolitan University. Dr Cucchi is the Programme Director of the Doctorate in Counselling Psychology.

Her expertise and interest in cross-cultural research and practice fueled her ambition to develop a new programme on Cross-Cultural Psychology that incorporates voices from the field that have been silenced for too long. These voices include, but are not exhaustive of Feminists therapy, African Psychology, Multi-cultural Therapy, Anti-Colonial Approaches, Aboriginal Narrative Therapy, working with LGBT, Service Users and Spiritually-modified Therapy. She is passionate about diversifying the profession and believes we all have a duty to contribute to the de-colonisation of the curricula, from undergraduate to Doctorate level.

• Saleem, Z.A., Cucchi, A., Salman, S. K., Mahmood, D. & Abd Ali, Z. T. (2023). Mental Disorders Among a Sample of Children from Baghdad: Sociodemographic and Referral Pathway. World Journal of Advance Healthcare Research.

• Al Shidhani A, Al Samani A, Al Malki T, Al Shukaili B, Al Toubi A, Chan MF, Al Harthi L, Al Sibani N, Al Saadoon M, Cucchi A, Al Adawi S. The Relation between emotional eating and perceived stress among students in tertiary education in Oman: A single-center study. Taiwan J Psychiatry, 2023;37:29-35.

• Cucchi, A. (2022). Integrating Cognitive Behavioural and Islamic Principles in Psychology and Psychotherapy: A narrative review.  Journal of Religion and Health.

• Al Khatri, M., Al Huseini, S., Almaqbali_, Cucchi, A.,…  & Al-Adawi, S. (accepted for publication). Socio-demographic characteristics and clinical profile of suicide attempters attending the Emergency Department at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Oman: A retrospective study. Journal of Psychiatric Practice.

• Al Sukaili, M., Al Alawi, M., Al Huseini, S., Al Shukaili, A., Al Muharrami, M., … Cucchi, A. & Al Adawi, S. (in press). Exploring factors associated with depressive symptoms among patients with chronic pain: a cross-sectional multicentre study. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease.

• Al-Farsi, O.A., Al-Farsi, Y.M., Al-Sharbati, M.M., Al Adawi, S., Cucchi, A. Essa, M. & Qoronfleh (2021). Quality of Life among Caregivers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Intellectual Disability, and Typical Development. Applied Research Quality Life. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-020-09896-1
• Al Hemiary, N., Cucchi, A., Al Nuaimi, A., Al Saffar, H. & Al Ani, K. (2020). Inter-personal versus Content: assessment of communication skills in Iraqi physicians. Heliyon. 6, 10, e05145, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05145
• Cucchi, A. (2020). Borderline Personality Disorders: from the developmental theory of the "self" and mentalising to "systems theory”. Journal of Psychological Therapies, 5(2), 168-188. doi: 10.33212/jpt.v5n2.2020.168
• Cucchi, A. (2020). Learning to stay still: reflective practice in the context of supervision—integrating the personal and the professional. Journal of Psychological Therapies, 5: 1–6. doi:10.33212/jpt.v5n1.2020.1
• Cucchi, A., Liuzza, M.T., Saleem, Z. & Al Hemiary, N. (2020). A study on the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Obsessive Compulsive Behaviour in Iraq: lessons for cross-cultural practice. International Journal of Cognitive Therapy, 1-15, 10.1007/s41811-019-00065-3
• Randall, J., Cucchi, A. & Stamatopoulou, V. (2019). Making the most of your supervision: Reflecting on selves in context. In: Randall, J. (Ed). Surviving Clinical Psychology: London, Routledge.
• Cucchi, A. (2019). The importance of communication that keeps at its core emotional states: Evidence from the Middle East. Innovations in Global Health Professions Education https://dx.doi.org/10.20421/ighpe2019.01.10
• Al-Balushi, N., Al-Alawi, M., Al Shekaili, M., Al-Balushi, M., Mirza, H., ... Cucchi, A. & Al-Adawi, S. (2018). Predictors of Burden of Care Among Caregivers of Drug-Naive Children and Adolescents With ADHD: A Cross-Sectional Correlative Study From Muscat, Oman. Journal of Attention Disorder, https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054718808381
• Cucchi, A., Hampton, J., Perkins_Moulton, A. (2018). Using the validated Reflective Functioning Questionnaire to investigate mentalizing in individuals presenting with eating disorders with and without self-harm. Peer J, 6:e5756https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5756
• Cucchi, A. (2017). A journey through the ‘rational mind’ and the ‘paradoxical logic of the unconscious’: Implications for treatment guidelines. Counselling Psychology Review, 32, 3, 47-56.
• Cucchi, A. (2016). An academic, professional and personal journey towards change using schema therapy: from symptom- focus to personal growth. Counselling Psychology Review, 31, 1, 38-49
• Cucchi, A. (2016). Differences in mentalising ability in individuals presenting with eating disorders with and without concurrent self-harm: a comparative study. Counselling Psychology Review, 31, 1, 31-37
• Cucchi, A., Ryan, D., Konstantakopoulos, G., Stroumpa, S., Şafak Kaçar, A., Renshaw, S., Landau, S. & Kravariti, E. (2016). Lifetime prevalence of non-suicidal self-injury in patients with eating disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychological Medicine, http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0033291716000027
• Cucchi, A. (2016). Why I chose to pursue quantitative research in an increasingly qualitative Field. Division of Counselling Psychology Research Hub http://www.bps.org.uk/networks-and-communities/member-microsite/division-counselling-psychology/why-quantitative

• 2024 – March- ongoing. Official CBT trainer for the Iraqi Psychiatry Association in conjunction with the Ministry of Health. Iraq

• 2024 – March. Workshop on ‘Mastering Stress: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for managing stressful thoughts. Erbil, Iraq

• 2024 - January. Workshop on 'Building resilience and wellbeing following substance misuse'- Comunita San Patrignano, Italy. 

• February 2024 Keynote speaker at the '17th Scientific Conference of Al Hindiya Hospital'. Presentation and workshop on Addressing Trauma and Hardship in Children. Karbala, Iraq

• November 2023 'Iraqi Psychiatric Association Conference'. Workshop on Systemic and 
  Narrative approaches to trauma: beyond the individual. Baghdad, Iraq. 

• 2023 - November 'Iraqi Psychiatric Association Conference'. Presentation 1: Mental Disorders Among a Sample of Children from Baghdad: Sociodemographic and Referral Pathway. Presentation 2: Systemic and narrative approaches to trauma: beyond the individual. Baghdad, Iraq. 

• March 2023 'Middle Eastern Psychological Association MEPA' conference'. Integrating Cognitive Behavioural and Islamic Principles in Psychology and Psychotherapy' Kuwait
• October 2019 “Conference on the future of teaching: integrating traditional and modern approaches”. Integrating Western and Islamic Teachings in Psychology, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
• September 2019 “The 6th Arab International Conference on the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. “Mentalising the child: breaking intergenerational transmission of trauma”. Muscat, Oman
• September 2019 “Cambridge International Conference on Mental Health”. Mentalisation based treatment in Eating Disorders. Cambridge, UK
• March 2019 “Middle Eastern Psychological Association”. Cross-cultural Psychology: Working with Western models. Kuwait.
• November 2018 “Medical Humanities in the Middle East”. The importance of communication that keeps at its core emotional states. Evidence from the Middle East. Doha, Qatar.
• October 2018 “International Psychology Conference Dubai”. Talk 1: Mentalizing in Eating Disorders and Personality Disorders: the role of emotions. Talk 2: a study on the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Obsessive Compulsive Behaviour in Iraq: lessons for cross-cultural practice.
• July 2018- “Psychiatry and the Art”. Dance and Mental Health, Malta
• May 2018- “Career and Mental Health”. Counselling Psychology as a career. King’s College London, London.
• March 2018; 2017-2016-2015 “Psychology Undergraduate Conference”. Counselling Psychology: what is it?, Kingston University, London
• July 2016- Psychology of Women Section (POWS). Eating Disorders and Self Harm: a feminist perspective Windsor, UK
• May 2015- Second annual Post-graduate Psychology Conference. Mentalising in Eating Disorders and Self Harm. London, UK

External lecturing and training

• 2019- ongoing. Training and supervision of the Iraqi CBT Association in collaboration with the University of Baghdad and the Iraqi Medical Board for Specialisation.
• 2019 Workshop on “Family and children Mentalisation-based interventions to break intergenerational transmissions of maltreatment” (Mentalising the child II: a skills based workshop). Sultan Al Qaboos University, Muscat (Oman).
• 2019 Workshop on Counselling Psychology & basic Counselling Psychology Skills. Universita di Bologna (Italy).
• 2018 Workshop on Mentalisation Based Therapy for qualified psychiatrists and psychologists and trainees at Sultan Al Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat (Oman).
• 2017-ongoing Clinical supervision of Qualified and trainee Counselling Psychologists, Psychotherapists and Psychiatrists.

Consultancy work

• Oct 2020- ongoing Consultancy supervision work for the Doctorate Programme at the University of Kent. Oct. 2020 Consultancy work at ONIT Group IT Experience (Italy) – Managing anxiety and stress during COVID-19.