Roisin Whelan

Exploring the autobiographical memories of young people who offend

Profile

Roisin Whelan was born and raised in Ireland and has lived in New Zealand for over 20 years. She completed her undergraduate and honours study at Victoria, before beginning her PhD studies in 2016. She has had a life-long interest in the role of ‘life stories’ and how they influence our behaviour and our wellbeing. Her PhD research is investigating the life stories and autobiographical memories of boys detained in youth justice residences. The research aims to analyse the young people’s perspective on their lives in order to better understand the challenges they face and the strengths they possess, with the aim of using this knowledge to develop policy and interventions to support this vulnerable population. Roisin is being supervised by Doctor Clare-Ann Fortune, Professor Karen Salmon and Doctor Tia Neha. Roisin is also in the Clinical Psychology Diploma Programme and is scheduled to resume her clinical training in 2021.

Qualifications

BSc Hons

Research Interests

Complex trauma, autobiographical memories, life stories, children and adolescence development

PhD Topic

Exploring the autobiographical memories of young people who offend

Supervisor: