Prior to founding Warren Larkin Associates in 2017, Warren spent 24
years in the NHS, working predominantly with individuals and families
experiencing serious mental health difficulties. First as an assistant
working on the long-stay psychiatric wards at Prestwich Hospital and
then as Clinical Psychologist in Manchester working in a service
created to provide and research the impact of CBT and Family
Interventions for people experiencing psychosis.
Warren went on to lead one of the two national centres of excellence
in psychological care for psychosis – chosen to share and
disseminate innovative practice in first episode psychosis services
(FEP). This initiative contributed to a case for change which led to
increased funding and the introduction of the two-week referral to
treatment time in FEP services in England.
Warren then spent 5 years as Network Clinical Director, responsible
for Children and Families Services across Lancashire. Warren was
responsible for the quality and safety of care and for research and
innovation. This experience led to Warren’s passion for public health
and prevention work.
Warren is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and is also Visiting
Professor at Sunderland University where he is working with the
Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellbeing, to develop their research
programme and training curricula for a broad range of health care
professionals.
Warren completed a 2-year tenure as the Clinical Lead for the
Department of Health Adverse Childhood Experiences programme
and is now working with NHS Health Scotland to implement routine
ACE inquiry in GP practices in some of the most deprived areas in
Scotland.
He has a long-standing interest in the relationships between childhood
adversity and outcomes later in life and has published numerous
research articles on the topic of adverse childhood experiences,
trauma and psychosis and published an edited book in 2006 (now
commissioned for a second edition) exploring this theme.
Warren has also been involved in policy development and has acted
as an advisor to a number of UK and foreign government agencies.
He was a member of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health
Services National Task Force, the NICE expert reference group on
first episode psychosis, the ‘Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation’
advisory group and was a contributing author of the recently published
Personality ‘Disorder’ Consensus Statement. He is currently
supporting UNICEF in the Western Balkans to develop trauma-
informed policy and practice.
Warren developed the routine enquiry about adversity in childhood
(REACh) approach as a way of assisting organisations to become
more trauma-informed and to train professionals to ask routinely
about adversity in their everyday practice.
He is currently writing a book about trauma, adversity, and resilience
and why we urgently need to focus on prevention in order to improve
health and wellbeing for future generations.
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