Dr Dominic McSherry

Overview

Dr Dominic McSherry is a developmental psychologist whose work for over 25 years has been focused on understanding the impact of experiencing adversity and trauma in childhood across the lifecourse, and using that knowledge to inform theory, policy and practice.

His work has been focused primarily on children who enter care due to maltreatment, and either remain in care throughout their childhood, return home to birth parents, or are adopted. He has attracted over £3Million in external research funding as PI to support this work.

He has led several largescale research projects in the area of children in care and adopted, some notable examples of which are: the OFMDFM-funded 'Mind Your Health' study (2015), which developed the first national profile of the physical and mental health of children and young people in care in Northern Ireland; and the ongoing ERSC-funded 'Care Pathways and Outcomes' study, the only longitudinal study in the world that has followed a full population of children (n=374) who were under the age of five and in care in Northern Ireland in March 2000, through to early adulthood.

A strong feature of his work is the high level of co-design and co-production with external partner organisations involved. Dominic has published extensively in this area through journal articles, research reports, books, book chapters, and conference papers.

He is a member of a number of UK research project scientific advisory committees, and a member of the ESRC and MRC peer review colleges. He has been guest editor for two journal special issues: 'Understanding Outcomes for Care Experienced Children', Children Australia, 2018; and 'Adoption and Trauma', Child Abuse and Neglect, 2021. He is currently Editor in Chief for the Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma (JCAT). He also represents the School of Psychology within the Faculty-level Institute of Mental Health Sciences.

View research outputs

Teaching and Supervision

Research Project Coordinator (PSY 824) - MSc in Applied Psychology (Mental Health & Psychological Therapies)
BSc Hons Psychology research project supervisor
BSc Hons Social Psychology research project supervisor
MSc Applied Psychology research project supervisor
PhD supervisor
School of Psychology Employability Lead
Joint Module Coordinator (PSY510) - Development of Social Behaviour
Placement Preparation Coordinator (PSY334)
Module coordinator for short course on Early Adversity and Developmental Trauma - Designed specifically for care experienced people in Northern Ireland, to support their pathway to University

Other Roles

Member of National Advisory Committee, Action for Children
Trustee, National Children's Bureau
Early Invention and Prevention in Mental Health Steering Group Member, Department of Health, Northern Ireland
Student Mental Health Steering Group Member, Department of Health, Northern Ireland
External Moderator, BSc Psychology, University of Sussex
Member of Senate
Member of Honorary Degrees Committee
Chair of Research Project Steering Group - 'Collage' Research Project: Exploring care experienced young people's mental health help seeking behaviours, University of Birmingham, UK

International Activitiies

Visiting Professor

Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy, 28th February - 30th March 2022
Chair of External Expert Advisory Board - 'INVOLVEment' Research Project: Providing better mental health services to youth with backgrounds as national minorities, indigenous peoples and refugees, University of Stavanger, Norway

Call for Papers

Child Abuse & Neglect - The International Journal

The main aim of this issue is to explore and examine the nature of the relationship between adoption and trauma.

My Former PhD Students

Prof Mandi MacDonald

Title: “Being” and “Doing” – Adoptive Parents’ Experience of Parenthood in the Context of Open Adoption: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
Completed: 2013
Current Position: Professor of Social Work, Queen’s University, Belfast

Dr Fiona Cronin

Title: Using Routinely Collated Social Work Data: Considerations, Issues, Pitfall and Benefits
Completed: 2015
Current Position: Data Analyst, Business Manager, DML Regional Office, TUSLA (Republic of Ireland Child & Family Agency)

Dr Collette Duncan

Title: Mathematics in preterm pre-schoolers (MIPP)
Completed: 2025
Current Position: Research Associate, School of Medicine, Ulster University

My Current PhD Students

Ms Megan Rogan

Title: Exploring the Experiences and Longer-Term Outcomes of Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) for Mothers with Previous Birth Trauma Experiences – Life After the Intervention