Kirsten is a psychologist with a special interest in the prevention and treatment of inter-generational mental health difficulties, her research has particularly focussed on the experiences of people diagnosed with personality disorder who may be survivors of complex trauma, and on parent-infant interventions in the perinatal period. She joined City in 2020, having previously held NIHR Doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowship positions at Queen Mary University of London and Imperial College London. She is currently co-leading a project aimed at improving recognition and differentiation of autism in women/ transwomen/ AFAB people who may otherwise be given a diagnosis of personality disorder, funded by the McPin Foundation/ Words That Carry On. She has recently completed two evaluations of adaptations of the video feedback intervention for positive parenting (VIPP) for mothers using perinatal mental health services: an NIHR-funded randomised controlled trial of VIPP for parents with enduring difficulties in managing emotions and relationships, consistent with a personality disorder, and a Barts Charity funded feasibility evaluation of the VIPP intervention adapted for young babies. Prior to this, her NIHR Postdoctoral Fellowship explored the interplay between personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, and evaluated outcomes and experiences of dialectical behaviour therapy and mentalization-based psychological therapies.