Profile
Rachel Miller
Lecturer – Mental Health
South Cloisters 3.01
South Cloisters, University of Exeter, St Luke's Campus, Heavitree Road, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK
Overview
Rachel joined Exeter University as a full time Lecturer and lead in Mental Health in November 2020. As a Registered Mental Health Nurse, Rachel has worked in a number of interesting and varied roles, including working with veterans, military personnel as well as with public health bodies and voluntary organisations both in the UK and overseas. With a specific interest in the mental health and psychosocial implications of warfare, disasters and political repression, Rachel has gone on to obtain an MSc in War and Psychiatry as well as specialist qualifications in post-trauma, such as: critical incident stress management, eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing, as well as mental health and psychosocial support in humanitarian settings.
Prior to joining Exeter Rachel spent two years working with the British Red Cross on their Resilient Responder Programme, providing support to the workforce through clinical supervision, reflective practice and critical incident debriefings. She also delivered themed workshops on peer support, promoting wellbeing, ambiguous loss and mental health awareness; as well as developed guidance and teaching materials on topics such as resilience and wellbeing whilst on a deployment, common responses to trauma and mental health considerations for frontline staff in the context of COVID-19.
Rachel’s experiences have highlighted the importance of trauma-informed, person-centred and integrated healthcare, and evoked an interest in the biopsychopharmacosocial (BPPS) framework in day-to-day nursing practice. She is delighted to join the University of Exeter as part of their pioneering MSci Nursing Programme, and being part of a fantastic team dedicated to developing the nurses of the future.
Qualifications
- Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (Exeter) (2022)
- MSc War and Psychiatry (Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London) (2014)
- BSc Hons Nursing Studies with Registration to Practice (Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, King’s College London) (2013)
- Nursing and Midwifery Council Registration Mental Health Nursing (2013)
- Fellow Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
Research
Research interests
Rachel has on-going research interests in the field of the psychosocial and economic impact of traumatic events; global mental health; inclusion health; health equity and anthropology; and exploring how individuals and communities cope with and are affected by extreme life events, from illness to war, torture, natural disasters, detention and political repression.
Publications:
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4766-9898
Thomas D, Miller R & Nolan F (2023) Ethical Aspects of Professional Migration. Journal of Nursing Ethics.
Docherty D, Patel N & Miller R (2018) The Human Factor: Driving Digital Solutions for 21st Century Health and Care. National Centre for Universities and Business.
External Engagement and Impact
- Acting consultant on an assurance piece of work relating to the transition programme for international recruits in Adult and Mental Health Nursing branches. This included an assurance visit to Nagpur, India in July 2022.
Teaching
Rachel is a Lecturer and No Health without Mental Health pillar lead where her responsibilities include ensuring the development and timetabling of lectures on the theme of mental health, as well as the development of an inclusive and diverse learning environment.
She teaches on a range of modules across the 4 years of the nursing programme. This includes delivering teaching on topics such as psychological wellbeing, global perspectives on mental health, psychosocial pathways and health outcomes, working with families and carers, mental health and psychosocial support in emergencies, working with marginalised communities, trauma-informed approaches, and cultural humility and responsiveness.