Theresa A. Gannon is a British academic psychologist and chartered psychologist, and is a full professor at the University of Kent specialising in forensic psychology, especially of deliberate firestarters and sexual offenders. Gannon is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, and was awarded the British Psychological Society's Division of Forensic Psychology Lifetime Contribution to Forensic Psychology Award.

Theresa Gannon
Academic background
Alma materUniversity of Birmingham, University of Sussex
Thesis
  • Cognitive distortions in child sexual offenders: fact of fiction? (2003)
Academic work
InstitutionsVictoria University of Wellington, University of Kent, University of Kent, University of Kent

Academic career

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Gannon completed a degree in psychology at the University of Birmingham.[1] In her third year she was 'fascinated' by a lecture on forensic psychology.[2] She completed a PhD titled Cognitive distortions in child sexual offenders: fact of fiction? at the University of Sussex in 2003.[3] Gannon then undertook a four year postdoctoral fellowship at Victoria University of Wellington, working with psychologist Tony Ward on the psychology of sexual offenders, before returning to the UK.[2][4] Gannon worked Kent and Medway Social Care and Partnership NHS Trust, working with a wider range of different type of offenders in a medium secure unit.[2] She took a position at the University of Kent, where as of 2024 she is Professor of Forensic Psychology and Director of the Centre of Research and Education in Forensic Psychology. Gannon is also a Chartered Forensic Psychologist.[5]

Gannon is interested in sexual offending in men and women, and the cognitive behaviour of deliberate firesetters.[6][7]

She describes providing a treatment plan for a sexual offender, but realising that he had a history of arson, and had never been treated specifically for it. This encounter prompted her to explore what reoffending rates were for people who deliberately set fires, and what treatments were available for them.[1] Gannon obtained funding from the Economic and Social Research Council to explore the characteristics of firesetters, and eventually developed a theory of firesetting. She went on to develop this into a standardised treatment programme for people who set fires, and trained people in the UK and internationally to deliver the programme.[1]

Gannon was editor in chief of the journal Psychology, Crime & Law from 2012.[8]

Honours and awards

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In March 2015 Gannon was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences.[9]

Gannon and her team won the Outstanding Impact on Society Award at the Economic and Social Research Council Celebrating Impact awards in 2016, for "research on deliberate firesetters and a resulting treatment programme". Gannon planned to use the award to translate the standardised treatment programme into other languages.[10][11]

In 2019 the British Psychological Society's Division of Forensic Psychology awarded Gannon their Lifetime Contribution to Forensic Psychology Award.[12]

Selected works

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Books

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  • Gannon, Theresa A.; Ward, Tony; Beech, Anthony R.; Fisher, Dawn, eds. (14 November 2007). Aggressive Offenders' Cognition: Theory, Research, and Treatment. Wiley. doi:10.1002/9780470746295. ISBN 9780470034026.
  • Gannon, Theresa A.; Cortoni, Franca, eds. (July 2010). Female Sexual Offenders: Theory, Assessment, and Treatment. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 224. ISBN 978-0-470-68344-6.
  • Craig, Leam A.; Dixon, Louise; Gannon, Theresa A., eds. (31 March 2013). What Works in Offender Rehabilitation: An Evidence-Based Approach to Assessment and Treatment. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. ISBN 9781119974574.
  • Gannon, Theresa A.; Ward, Tony, eds. (February 2017). Sexual Offending: Cognition, Emotion, and Motivation. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 176. ISBN 978-0-470-68351-4.

Journal articles

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Rhodes, Ella. "'There was no standardised treatment for people who set deliberate fires'". British Psychological Society. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  2. ^ a b c ADMIN, NOTA (8 June 2020). "Interview with Theresa Gannon". NOTA. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  3. ^ Gannon, Theresa A. (2003). Cognitive distortions in child sexual offenders: fact of fiction? (PhD type). University of Sussex.
  4. ^ "The Good Lives Model of Offender Rehabilitation – Profiles". www.goodlivesmodel.com. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  5. ^ "Theresa Gannon | The Guardian". www.theguardian.com. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  6. ^ Partnership, North London Mental Health (22 July 2024). "News". North London Mental Health Partnership. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  7. ^ "Gannon – Keynote 2018". www.iatso.org. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  8. ^ Gannon, Theresa A. (April 2012). "A Message from the Incoming Editor: Long Live Psychology, Crime & Law". Psychology, Crime & Law. 18 (3): 229–230. doi:10.1080/1068316X.2012.666443. ISSN 1068-316X.
  9. ^ "New Fellows Announced". Academy of Social Sciences (Press release). March 2015. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Celebrating impact". BPS. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  11. ^ Turnham, Carly (24 June 2016). "ESRC Outstanding Impact in Society Prize for Professor Theresa Gannon and Team". University of Kent. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  12. ^ "Professor Theresa Gannon wins prestigious Lifetime Contribution to Forensic Psychology award". 28 May 2019.
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