Jennifer Tarabay
Jennifer is a second-year PhD student in Psychology at the University of Southampton. Jennifer's research focuses on co-producing psychological tools, including a culturally sensitive intergenerational trauma and mental health toolkit for refugee families, developed collaboratively with clinicians, experts by experience, and policymakers. Building on her earlier work on intergenerational trauma (Tarabay & Golm, 2024), these tools aim to help clinicians and refugee organisations assess and address trauma more effectively. Given the scale of global refugee crises, her goal is for research to inform and influence policies around trauma-informed and psychologically informed service design, commissioning within mental health and immigration services, and culturally appropriate psychosocial and family interventions.
Through her volunteer, clinical, and research work with a range of charities (including the Southampton Winchester Visitor Group, SWVG), international organisations (such as UNICEF and the global Street Medicine Institute), provider services (Outcome Home), and research teams (the Centre for Homelessness Research and Practice, CHRP), she has developed a deep appreciation for social justice, particularly for underserved and marginalised communities. Having worked in both Lebanon, a war-torn country, and the UK - where homelessness and refugee-related challenges are rising, she has witnessed first-hand the urgent need to bring research evidence to bear on policy, in order to maximise the chances for meaningful change.