Dr Luisa Perrino Photo

Dr Luisa Perrino

Senior Lecturer in Psychology and Substance Use & Misuse Studies
School of Human and Social Sciences

Dr Luisa Perrino is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology as well as Addiction Studies at the University of West London.

Her PhD was conducted on socio-cognitive factors (motives and expectancies) which inform decision making regarding drinking and abstaining from alcohol. Recently, she has worked on research regarding the use of Positive Behavioural Support Planning (PBSPs) for patients with complex mental health in order to reduce restrictive practice in forensic settings.

She has published research with a team that is looking at initial validation of the use of PBSPs in West London Mental Health Trust. Two researches that are currently being collected for consist of the use of Cannabidiol (CBD) by individuals with Mental Distress and Fibromyalgia (Survey; https://uwlpsych.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0AmpZL3pIPg4vKB); and Psychological factors that affect presence and transition into and out of virtual reality: An explorative mixed methods study (experiment).

Teaching

I am a Senior Lecturer in Psychology as well as Substance Use and Misuse Studies. My PhD was conducted on socio-cognitive factors (motives and expectancies) which inform decision making regarding drinking and abstaining from alcohol. Recently, I have worked on research regarding the use of Positive Behavioural Support Planning (PBSPs) for patients with complex mental health in order to reduce restrictive practice in forensic settings.

  • Research and publications

    Publications

    Milani, R. M., & Perrino, L. (2021). Alcohol and mental health: co-occurring alcohol use and mental health disorders. In The Handbook of Alcohol Use (pp. 81-106). Academic Press.

    Milani, R. M., Nahar, K., Ware, D., Butler, A., Roush, S., Smith, D., ... & O’Donnell, J. (2020). A qualitative longitudinal study of the first UK Dual Diagnosis Anonymous (DDA), an integrated peer-support programme for concurrent disorders. Advances in Dual Diagnosis.

    Clark, L. L., Lekkai, F., Murphy, A., Perrino, L., Bapir‐Tardy, S., & Barley, E. A. (2020). The use of positive behaviour support plans in mental health inpatient care: A mixed methods study. Journal of psychiatric and mental health nursing, 27(2), 140-150.

    Perrino, L. (2017). An exploration of cross-national differences in the drinking behaviour of Italians and English: A multi-method exploratory study (Doctoral dissertation, University of West London).

  • Conferences

    Community Mental Health Workshop, Ealing Council, UWL & Thrive Tribe London, Healthy London Partnership. I facilitated workshops to gain professional, service user and general public opinions on initiatives that could facilitate better mental health for the Ealing borough. February 2018.

    Conference Violence against women: Mapping the landscape. I presented academic research at this conference on substance misuse and decision making (Neurobiological correlates). October 2018.

    Mental Health and Well-being public lecture (UWL Westmont hub). I presented academic research on neurobiological correlates that are frequently highlighted in dual diagnosis. October 2018.

    Dual Diagnosis Conference: Improving management of co-occurring mental health, alcohol and drugs: Dual Diagnosis (De Vere West One, London), Healthcare Conferences UK, March 2019. Presentation of research findings on exploring substance misuse workers and substance misuse nurses’ experiences and knowledge regarding dual diagnosis service users