![Cerith Waters](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/3075?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Publication
2025
- Maqsood, R. , Ilyas, U. and Waters, C. 2025. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for the treatment of antenatal depression and anxiety in Pakistan: a feasibility study. Journal of Professional & Applied Psychology 6 (2), pp.136-151. (10.52053/jpap.v6i2.354)
- Simon, N. A. et al. 2025. A systematic review of factors associated with treatment engagement and outcome for women in the perinatal period receiving individual Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for depression, anxiety, and trauma-related disorders.. Depression and Anxiety 2025 (1) 3698331. (10.1155/da/3698331)
- Souch, A. J. et al., 2025. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and childbearing and perinatal mental health outcomes in a clinical sample of women. Journal of Affective Disorders 391 120038. (10.1016/j.jad.2025.120038)
- Tong, M. et al. 2025. The longitudinal impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on children’s and parents’ mental health outcomes: a systematic review. European Journal of Developmental Psychology 22 (5), pp.693-728. (10.1080/17405629.2025.2533160)
2024
- Barlow, R. et al., 2024. Assessing and managing mental health of people with vitiligo: UK-wide consultation exercise. British Journal of Dermatology 190 (4), pp.574-576. (10.1093/bjd/ljad503)
- Ferguson, C. et al. 2024. Disentangling the relationships between motor control and cognitive control in young children with symptoms of ADHD. Child Neuropsychology 30 (2), pp.289-314. (10.1080/09297049.2023.2190965)
- Simon, N. et al. 2024. Videoconference-delivered group acceptance commitment therapy for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders: facilitators views and recommendations. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology 42 (4), pp.700-714. (10.1080/02646838.2023.2180143)
2023
- Howe-Davies, H. et al. 2023. Emotional and socio-cognitive processing in young children with symptoms of anxiety. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 32 , pp.2077-2088. (10.1007/s00787-022-02050-2)
- Lavender, S. , Waters, C. S. and Hobson, C. 2023. The efficacy of group delivered mentalization-based parenting interventions: a systematic review of the literature. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry 28 (2), pp.761-784. (10.1177/13591045221113392)
2022
- Draper, R. et al. 2022. The process, benefits and challenges of providing psychological consultation in adoption services. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry 27 (4), pp.1170-1183. (10.1177/13591045211058326)
- Musa, N. et al., 2022. The development and validation of the comprehensive assessment of acceptance and commitment therapy processes (CompACT)—Malay version. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19 (15) e9624. (10.3390/ijerph19159624)
- Souch, A. J. et al. 2022. Maternal childhood maltreatment and perinatal outcomes: a systematic review. Journal of Affective Disorders 302 , pp.139-159. (10.1016/j.jad.2022.01.062)
- Waters, C. S. et al. 2022. The impact of a specialist home-visiting intervention on the language outcomes of young mothers and their children: a pragmatic randomised controlled trial. BMC Psychology 10 224. (10.1186/s40359-022-00926-1)
2021
- Morgan, J. E. et al. 2021. Longitudinal studies examining the impact of prenatal and subsequent episodes of maternal depression on offspring antisocial behaviour. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 30 , pp.5-40. (10.1007/s00787-019-01447-w)
2020
- Blackmore, J. et al. 2020. ‘The very first thing that connected us to him’: adopters’ experiences of sharing photographs, ‘talking’ albums and other materials with their children prior to meeting. Adoption and Fostering 44 (3), pp.225-241. (10.1177/0308575920945174)
- Henwood, T. et al. 2020. Do home visiting programmes improve children's language development? A systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Studies 109 103610. (10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2020.103610)
- Paine, A. L. et al. 2020. Assessing the impact of a family nurse-led intervention on young mothers’ references to internal states. Infant Mental Health Journal 41 (4), pp.463-476. (10.1002/imhj.21849)
- Waters, C. et al. 2020. Acceptance and commitment therapy for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders: a feasibility and proof of concept study. British Journal of Clinical Psychology 59 (4), pp.461-479. e12261 Volume59, Issue4 November 2020 Pages 461-479. (10.1111/bjc.12261)
2019
- Brown, A. , Waters, C. and Shelton, K. H. 2019. The educational aspirations and psychological well-being of adopted young people in the UK. Adoption and Fostering 43 (1), pp.46-59.
- Rees, S. , Channon, S. and Waters, C. S. 2019. The impact of maternal prenatal and postnatal anxiety on children's emotional problems: a systematic review. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 28 (2), pp.257-280. (10.1007/s00787-018-1173-5)
2018
- Waters, C. S. et al. 2018. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for clinically distressed health care workers: Waitlist-controlled evaluation of an ACT workshop in a routine practice setting. British Journal of Clinical Psychology 57 (1), pp.82-98. (10.1111/bjc.12155)
2017
- Brown, A. , Waters, C. S. and Shelton, K. H. 2017. A systematic review of school performance and behavioural and emotional problems for adopted children. Adoption and Fostering 41 (4), pp.346-368. (10.1177/0308575917731064)
2015
- Perra, O. et al., 2015. Does mothers' postnatal depression influence the development of imitation?. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 56 (11), pp.1231-1238. (10.1111/jcpp.12413)
2014
- Hay, D. F. et al. 2014. Precursors to aggression are evident by 6 months of age. Developmental Science 17 (3), pp.471-480. (10.1111/desc.12133)
- Waters, C. S. et al. 2014. Antenatal depression and children's developmental outcomes: potential mechanisms and treatment options. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 23 (10), pp.957-971. (10.1007/s00787-014-0582-3)
2013
- Waters, C. S. et al. 2013. Infants at familial risk for depression show a distinct pattern of cortisol response to experimental challenge. Journal of Affective Disorders 150 (3), pp.955-960. (10.1016/j.jad.2013.04.054)
2012
- Waters, C. 2012. Acceptance and commitment therapy: efficacy and mechanisms of therapeutic action. DClinPsy Thesis , Cardiff University.
2011
- Bolton, C. E. et al. 2011. Insufficient evidence of benefit: a systematic review of home telemonitoring for COPD. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice 17 (6), pp.1216-1222. (10.1111/j.1365-2753.2010.01536.x)
- Hay, D. F. et al. 2011. Infants' Use of Force to Defend Toys: The Origins of Instrumental Aggression. Infancy 16 (5), pp.471-489. (10.1111/j.1532-7078.2011.00069.x)
- Hay, D. F. et al. 2011. Known risk factors for violence predict 12-month-old infants' aggressiveness with peers. Psychological Science 22 (9), pp.1205-1211. (10.1177/0956797611419303)
- Pawlby, S. et al., 2011. Antenatal depression and offspring psychopathology: The influence of childhood maltreatment. The British Journal of Psychiatry 199 (2), pp.106-112. (10.1192/bjp.bp.110.087734)
2010
- Hay, D. F. et al. 2010. Mothers' antenatal depression and their children's antisocial outcomes. Child Development 81 (1), pp.149-165. (10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01386.x)
- Hay, D. F. et al. 2010. Identifying early signs of aggression: psychometric properties of the cardiff infant contentiousness scale. Aggressive Behavior 36 (6), pp.351-357. (10.1002/ab.20363)
2009
- Pawlby, S. et al., 2009. Antenatal depression predicts depression in adolescent offspring: Prospective longitudinal community-based study. Journal of Affective Disorders 113 (3), pp.236-243. (10.1016/j.jad.2008.05.018)
2008
- Hay, D. F. et al. 2008. Antepartum and postpartum exposure to maternal depression: Different effects on different adolescent outcomes. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 49 (10), pp.1079-1088. (10.1111/j.1469-7610.2008.01959.x)
- Waters, C. S. 2008. Young motherhood, maternal psychopathology and children's cognitive, behavioural and emotional development.. PhD Thesis , Cardiff University.
Articles
- Barlow, R. et al., 2024. Assessing and managing mental health of people with vitiligo: UK-wide consultation exercise. British Journal of Dermatology 190 (4), pp.574-576. (10.1093/bjd/ljad503)
- Blackmore, J. et al. 2020. ‘The very first thing that connected us to him’: adopters’ experiences of sharing photographs, ‘talking’ albums and other materials with their children prior to meeting. Adoption and Fostering 44 (3), pp.225-241. (10.1177/0308575920945174)
- Bolton, C. E. et al. 2011. Insufficient evidence of benefit: a systematic review of home telemonitoring for COPD. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice 17 (6), pp.1216-1222. (10.1111/j.1365-2753.2010.01536.x)
- Brown, A. , Waters, C. and Shelton, K. H. 2019. The educational aspirations and psychological well-being of adopted young people in the UK. Adoption and Fostering 43 (1), pp.46-59.
- Brown, A. , Waters, C. S. and Shelton, K. H. 2017. A systematic review of school performance and behavioural and emotional problems for adopted children. Adoption and Fostering 41 (4), pp.346-368. (10.1177/0308575917731064)
- Draper, R. et al. 2022. The process, benefits and challenges of providing psychological consultation in adoption services. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry 27 (4), pp.1170-1183. (10.1177/13591045211058326)
- Ferguson, C. et al. 2024. Disentangling the relationships between motor control and cognitive control in young children with symptoms of ADHD. Child Neuropsychology 30 (2), pp.289-314. (10.1080/09297049.2023.2190965)
- Hay, D. F. et al. 2011. Infants' Use of Force to Defend Toys: The Origins of Instrumental Aggression. Infancy 16 (5), pp.471-489. (10.1111/j.1532-7078.2011.00069.x)
- Hay, D. F. et al. 2011. Known risk factors for violence predict 12-month-old infants' aggressiveness with peers. Psychological Science 22 (9), pp.1205-1211. (10.1177/0956797611419303)
- Hay, D. F. et al. 2008. Antepartum and postpartum exposure to maternal depression: Different effects on different adolescent outcomes. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 49 (10), pp.1079-1088. (10.1111/j.1469-7610.2008.01959.x)
- Hay, D. F. et al. 2010. Mothers' antenatal depression and their children's antisocial outcomes. Child Development 81 (1), pp.149-165. (10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01386.x)
- Hay, D. F. et al. 2010. Identifying early signs of aggression: psychometric properties of the cardiff infant contentiousness scale. Aggressive Behavior 36 (6), pp.351-357. (10.1002/ab.20363)
- Hay, D. F. et al. 2014. Precursors to aggression are evident by 6 months of age. Developmental Science 17 (3), pp.471-480. (10.1111/desc.12133)
- Henwood, T. et al. 2020. Do home visiting programmes improve children's language development? A systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Studies 109 103610. (10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2020.103610)
- Howe-Davies, H. et al. 2023. Emotional and socio-cognitive processing in young children with symptoms of anxiety. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 32 , pp.2077-2088. (10.1007/s00787-022-02050-2)
- Lavender, S. , Waters, C. S. and Hobson, C. 2023. The efficacy of group delivered mentalization-based parenting interventions: a systematic review of the literature. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry 28 (2), pp.761-784. (10.1177/13591045221113392)
- Maqsood, R. , Ilyas, U. and Waters, C. 2025. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for the treatment of antenatal depression and anxiety in Pakistan: a feasibility study. Journal of Professional & Applied Psychology 6 (2), pp.136-151. (10.52053/jpap.v6i2.354)
- Morgan, J. E. et al. 2021. Longitudinal studies examining the impact of prenatal and subsequent episodes of maternal depression on offspring antisocial behaviour. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 30 , pp.5-40. (10.1007/s00787-019-01447-w)
- Musa, N. et al., 2022. The development and validation of the comprehensive assessment of acceptance and commitment therapy processes (CompACT)—Malay version. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19 (15) e9624. (10.3390/ijerph19159624)
- Paine, A. L. et al. 2020. Assessing the impact of a family nurse-led intervention on young mothers’ references to internal states. Infant Mental Health Journal 41 (4), pp.463-476. (10.1002/imhj.21849)
- Pawlby, S. et al., 2009. Antenatal depression predicts depression in adolescent offspring: Prospective longitudinal community-based study. Journal of Affective Disorders 113 (3), pp.236-243. (10.1016/j.jad.2008.05.018)
- Pawlby, S. et al., 2011. Antenatal depression and offspring psychopathology: The influence of childhood maltreatment. The British Journal of Psychiatry 199 (2), pp.106-112. (10.1192/bjp.bp.110.087734)
- Perra, O. et al., 2015. Does mothers' postnatal depression influence the development of imitation?. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 56 (11), pp.1231-1238. (10.1111/jcpp.12413)
- Rees, S. , Channon, S. and Waters, C. S. 2019. The impact of maternal prenatal and postnatal anxiety on children's emotional problems: a systematic review. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 28 (2), pp.257-280. (10.1007/s00787-018-1173-5)
- Simon, N. et al. 2024. Videoconference-delivered group acceptance commitment therapy for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders: facilitators views and recommendations. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology 42 (4), pp.700-714. (10.1080/02646838.2023.2180143)
- Simon, N. A. et al. 2025. A systematic review of factors associated with treatment engagement and outcome for women in the perinatal period receiving individual Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for depression, anxiety, and trauma-related disorders.. Depression and Anxiety 2025 (1) 3698331. (10.1155/da/3698331)
- Souch, A. J. et al., 2025. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and childbearing and perinatal mental health outcomes in a clinical sample of women. Journal of Affective Disorders 391 120038. (10.1016/j.jad.2025.120038)
- Souch, A. J. et al. 2022. Maternal childhood maltreatment and perinatal outcomes: a systematic review. Journal of Affective Disorders 302 , pp.139-159. (10.1016/j.jad.2022.01.062)
- Tong, M. et al. 2025. The longitudinal impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on children’s and parents’ mental health outcomes: a systematic review. European Journal of Developmental Psychology 22 (5), pp.693-728. (10.1080/17405629.2025.2533160)
- Waters, C. et al. 2020. Acceptance and commitment therapy for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders: a feasibility and proof of concept study. British Journal of Clinical Psychology 59 (4), pp.461-479. e12261 Volume59, Issue4 November 2020 Pages 461-479. (10.1111/bjc.12261)
- Waters, C. S. et al. 2022. The impact of a specialist home-visiting intervention on the language outcomes of young mothers and their children: a pragmatic randomised controlled trial. BMC Psychology 10 224. (10.1186/s40359-022-00926-1)
- Waters, C. S. et al. 2018. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for clinically distressed health care workers: Waitlist-controlled evaluation of an ACT workshop in a routine practice setting. British Journal of Clinical Psychology 57 (1), pp.82-98. (10.1111/bjc.12155)
- Waters, C. S. et al. 2014. Antenatal depression and children's developmental outcomes: potential mechanisms and treatment options. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 23 (10), pp.957-971. (10.1007/s00787-014-0582-3)
- Waters, C. S. et al. 2013. Infants at familial risk for depression show a distinct pattern of cortisol response to experimental challenge. Journal of Affective Disorders 150 (3), pp.955-960. (10.1016/j.jad.2013.04.054)
Thesis
- Waters, C. 2012. Acceptance and commitment therapy: efficacy and mechanisms of therapeutic action. DClinPsy Thesis , Cardiff University.
- Waters, C. S. 2008. Young motherhood, maternal psychopathology and children's cognitive, behavioural and emotional development.. PhD Thesis , Cardiff University.
Teaching
At postgraduate level, I work as a senior research tutor on the Doctoral Programme in Clinical Psychology and jointly co-ordinate the Introduction to Clinical and Educational Psychology module on the MSc programme in Childhood Psychological Disorders. At the undergraduate level I teach on the Level 5 (2nd year) Abnormal and Clinical Psychology module (PS2018), where I lecture on Psychosis, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Clinical Psychology.
Biography
Undergraduate education
2003: BSc, Psychology, University of Wales, Cardiff
Postgraduate education
2004: MSc, Social Science Research Methods, University of Wales, Cardiff
2008: PhD, Developmental Psychopathology, Cardiff University
2012: D.Clin.Psy, South Wales Doctoral Programme in Clinical Psychology, Cardiff University
Employment
2020-2021 Senior Lecturer, School of Psychology, Cardiff University
2021-2021 Senior Research Tutor, South Wales Doctoral Programme in Clinical Psychology
2014-2021 Clinical Lead Psychologist, Perinatal Community Mental Health Service , Cardiff & Vale UHB, NHS
2018-2020 Clinical Lead Psychologist, Gwent Parent-Infant Mental Health Service , Aneurin Bevan UHB, NHS
2014-2019 Clinical Lead Psychologist, Specialist Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service, Aneurin Bevan UHB
2015-2019 Lecturer , School of Psychology, Cardiff University
2012-2014 Chartered Clinical Psychologist , Cardiff and Vale UHB, NHS
2012-2014 Clinical Research Psychologist , Cardiff Child Development Study, Cardiff University
2008-2009 Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Cardiff Child Development Study, Cardiff University
2006-2008 Research Assistant , South London Child Development Study, Kings College London
Professional memberships
- British Psychological Society (BPS), Chartered Clinical Psychogist
- Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), Practitioner Psychologist
Committees and reviewing
2020-2021 Traumatic Stress Wales, Co-Chair, Perinatal Work Stream
2020-2021 DCP Faculty of Perinatal Psychology, BPS, Secretary
2018-2020 Public Health Wales, Technical Advisory Group, Parent-Infant Mental Health
2016-2019 All Wales Steering Group for Perinatal Mental Health Services, Clinical Psychology Representative
2016-2019 DCP, Faculty of Perinatal Psychology, BPS , Executive Committee Member, Wales
2012-2015 DCP Wales, British Psychological Society, Executive Committee Member
Supervisions
Postgraduate research interests
If you are interested in applying for a PhD, or for further information regarding my postgraduate research, please contact me directly (contact details available on the 'Overview' page), or submit a formal application.