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LSBU Professor awarded fellowship from leading national mental health charity
A London South Bank University (LSBU) Professor has been awarded a fellowship of a leading national mental health charity, the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP). Professor Marcantonio Spada, LSBU Professor of Addictive Behaviours and Mental Health and Deputy Lead of the Centre for Addictive Behaviours Research, was awarded the national fellowship for his:
- Pioneering research on the role of metacognition (‘thinking about thinking’) and desire thinking in addictive behaviours.
- Work as trustee of UK SMART Recovery (2015-2020) and Chair (since March 2020) which helped restructure the organisation and strengthen its presence as a key provider of mutual self-help for addictive behaviours based on the Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) model.
- Key role in the development of the, ‘National Guidelines for Psychological Therapists in Managing Patients with Prescribed Drug Dependence’, as informed by a CBT perspective.
The BABCP is the lead organisation for CBT in the UK and Ireland. CBT is a mental health treatment that helps people learn how to identify and change thought patterns that have a negative influence on their behaviour and emotions. The fellowship is the highest designation the BABCP awards, Professor Spada is the 27th BABCP fellow. Fellowships are only awarded to individuals judged to have made an outstanding contribution to the advancement or dissemination of knowledge and practice of CBT through clinical service, research, teaching, training or services to the BABCP.
Reacting to the good news, LSBU’s Professor Marcantonio Spada said: “Over 20 years ago I began a research programme on the role of metacognition (‘thinking about how we think’) in addictive behaviours as I realised there was a significant gap in knowledge within the field of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT). I am absolutely delighted that the BABCP has recognised my contribution to the field of CBT theory and practice by awarding me a national Fellowship for my work at LSBU in this area."
Professor Spada is the author of over 150 peer reviewed scientific articles, seven book chapters and three books. Taken together, this body of work constitutes an important contribution to understanding the role of metcognition in addictive behaviours. Professor Spada recently delivered a keynote speech at the 50th Annual Congress of the European Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies on his work.
Professor Spada is Editor-in-Chief of the leading addiction psychology and psychiatry journal Addictive Behaviors, founding Editor-in-Chief of its sister title, Addictive Behaviors Reports and Associate Editor of Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy.