Dr Phil Coombs EdD, MSW, MA, BsC (hons.) PGCE
Lecturer in Education Studies, Education Psychology and Counselling
Summary
I am a lecturer in Education Studies, Education Psychology and Counselling. My research interests and subject specialisms include psychodynamic practice, child development and psychology, children, schools and families.
About
I teach on the following degree programmes and provide research supervision in
- Education Studies
- Education, Psychology and Counselling
- Foundation Degree in Early Years and Education Learning Support
- MA in Education Studies
Ï㽶ÊÓƵ interests include
- Psychodynamic psychotherapeutic practice
- Children’s mental health and emotional well-being
- Children’s story, narrative, and discourse analysis.
Professional Associations, memberships:
- Association for Psychodynamic Practice and Counselling in Organisational Settings
- Group for the Advancement of Psychodynamics and Psychotherapy in Social Work
Professional Training
- Therapeutic Supervision, APPCIOS
- Personality Development over the life stage
- Therapeutic Communication Skills with Adolescents
- both through the Northern School of Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy
Teaching
I am interest in all aspects of psychodynamic practice, work groups and human relations including systems psychodynamics and the Psychology of Education.
Ï㽶ÊÓƵ
Systems psychodynamic practice in secondary Education
Publications
Books
Coombs, P., & Hughes, A. (2000). Hughes, A. & Coombs, P.J. (2000). An accessible guide to the Human Rights Act 1998, (2nd. Ed. 2003). British Institute of Learning Disabilities.
Reports
Bullough, S. (2025). A evaluation of the English Premier League's inspire programme on behaviour and attendance in UK schools 2024-25.
Theses / Dissertations
Coombs, P. (2019). Are you sitting uncomfortably? Then I'll begin. An autoethnographic account of social defences in a secondary school assembly hall. (Doctoral thesis). Supervised by Williams, A.