Monika Anna Walczak

Short presentation

I am very interested in child clinical psychology, and more specifically anxiety disorders in childhood. My personal interest in the anxiety disorders stems from  more than 3 years’ experience of working with adults affected by anxiety disorders. As part of my bachelor degree I completed a clinical  internship at Anxiety Programme at St.Patrick’s hospital in Dublin, Ireland. The programme combined CBT and mindfulness based therapies. Additionally, I have worked as a volunteer for OCD Ireland -a national organisation for people with OCD, BDD and Trichotillomania. I have often witnessed the debilitating long-term consequences of untreated anxiety disorders. Most recently, I  have worked with children with ASD and other internalizing and externalizing disorders, thus I understand the importance of the early assessment and effective interventions. In consequence, I have developed special interest in childhood anxiety disorders.

Current research

My PhD project focuses on possible predictors of CBT treatment nonresponse in anxious children.Although Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is presently the best validated psychotherapeutic intervention for children and youth affected by anxiety disorders, approximately 40% of children still fulfil diagnostic criteria post treatment, indicating that improvements are necessary. The purpose of my current research is to examine predictive value of child and family factors, including attachment and parental behaviours, that could help us identify children, who require modified line of treatment.

Teaching and supervision areas

• Child Clinical Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Anxiety Disorders