Expert understanding from the heart of the UK

Who?

Dr Emma Černis

CENTRE LEAD & CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST

BA(Hons), MSc, DClinPsy, DPhil
HCPC Registration Number: PYL34827

Hello and thank you for visiting the Midlands Dissociation & Depersonalisation Centre webpage. I’m Emma - a qualified and registered Clinical Psychologist, and also a leading researcher in the field of dissociation and depersonalisation.

Whether you’re here because you are considering working with me in therapy, or as a clinician seeking supervision or training - I hope I can help. With over a decade of experience in understanding, researching, teaching about, and working with dissociation and depersonalisation, I will bring a wealth of knowledge to our time working together.

As a therapist, I am non-judgemental, calm, and caring. I really want to understand your unique experience, and help you work towards living the life you want. I might have “book knowledge” - but you are the expert in you. That means therapy with me is about working together, with open minds, to figure it all out as a team. Why not book in a free call to see if you think we could work together?

Here as a mental health professional? In supervision, you can expect a containing space with a knowledgeable and compassionate clinician, focused on helping you deliver excellent client care. As a trainer, I am engaging and enthusiastic (my attendees’ words, not mine!). Or if you just want a one-off consultation, I’d love to help. Find out more via the ‘For Clinicians’ page.

Prounounced “Churr-niss” | Pronouns: she/her

Why?

A mission to make a difference

I first came across depersonalisation over a decade ago when I was working in a research group at the University of Oxford. Immediately, I was curious about how dissociative experiences feel and wanted to know more. Through my first investigations, I was shocked how little research there had been into dissociative experiences.

Naturally, when I went on to train as a clinical psychologist, I focused my research thesis on dissociation. Immediately after I qualified, I went on to complete an entire PhD on the topic.

I now work four days a week at the University of Birmingham as Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology. In that role, I carry out and supervise research into dissociative experiences.

My mission is to improve the care offered to people experiencing dissociation, and the understanding and confidence of mental health professionals working with it. The Midlands Dissociation & Depersonalisation Centre was built with that mission in mind.

In the Press

Break free of the bubble, today.

Experience

  • Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (DPhil) - Oriel College, University of Oxford

    Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy) - Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford

    Mental Health (MSc) - Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London

    Experimental Psychology (BA Hons) - St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford

  • 2023-2024 - Clinical Psychologist, Forward Thinking Birmingham, Birmingham Women’s & Children’s NHS Foundation Trust

    2020-2022 - Lead Trial Therapist, SleepWell, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust

    2018-2020 - Honorary Clinical Psychologist, Oxford Early Intervention in Psychosis, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust

    2017-2018 - Trial Therapist, Feeling Safe & SlowMo trials, Oxford Cognitive Approaches to Psychosis, University of Oxford

    2016-2017 - Horizon, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust

  • Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC): PYL34827

  • Černis, E., Loe, B. S., Lofthouse, K., Waite, P., Molodynski, A., Ehlers, A., & Freeman, D. (2023). Measuring dissociation across adolescence and adulthood: Developing the short-form Černis Felt Sense of Anomaly scale (ČEFSA-14). Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1352465823000498

    Černis, E., Beierl, E., Molodynski, A., Ehlers, A., & Freeman, D. (2021). A new perspective and assessment measure for common dissociative experiences: ‘Felt Sense of Anomaly’. PLOS ONE, 16(2), e0247037. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0247037

    Černis, E., Ehlers, A., & Freeman, D. (2022). Psychological mechanisms connected to dissociation: Generating hypotheses using network analyses. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 148, 165–173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.01.049

    Černis, E., Freeman, D., & Ehlers, A. (2020). Describing the indescribable: A qualitative study of dissociative experiences in psychosis. PLOS ONE, 15(2), e0229091. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0229091

Let’s collaborate.