Dr. Emma Frawley

Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy

Emma Frawley joined the Discipline of Occupational Therapy as an Assistant Professor in January 2025. She holds an MSc in Occupational Therapy from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh (2010) and has extensive clinical and academic experience in both Ireland and the United States. Emma spent several years working in the USA, with her most recent role in brain injury rehabilitation at PennState Hershey Rehabilitation Hospital, Pennsylvania, where she was part of an inpatient multidisciplinary team. She also served as an adjunct lecturer in Pathology for the MSc in Occupational Therapy program at Elizabethtown College, Pennsylvania.

Since returning to Ireland in 2017, Emma has continued to work clinically while pursuing research. In 2022, she completed a PhD in Psychology as part of a clinical fellowship under the Health Research Board-funded Collaborative Doctoral Award programme, YOULEAD. Her doctoral research focused on psychosocial intervention in early psychosis. In collaboration with national and international partners, she developed the Cognitive Remediation and Social Recovery in Early Psychosis (CReSt-R) intervention, which is currently being trialled within the HSE as part of the HRB-funded PSYCHE programme. She also co-founded the YOULEAD Youth Advisory Panel and integrated Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) throughout her research.

Emma’s key research interests include the development, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-based psychosocial and cognitive interventions in mental health, early intervention in psychosis, digital mental health interventions, public and patient involvement (PPI), implementation science, and social and occupational outcome measurement.

Publications and Further Research Outputs

Peer-Reviewed Publications
Non-Peer-Reviewed Publications

Frawley, E. and Cowman, M. and Cella, M. and Cohen, D. and Ryan, E. and Hallahan, B. and Bowie, C. and McDonald, C. and Fowler, D. and Wykes, T. and Donohoe, G., Cognitive Remediation and Social Recovery in Early Psychosis (CReSt-R): protocol for a pilot randomised controlled study, Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 8, (1), 2022Journal Article, 2022, DOI , URL
Frawley, E. and Cowman, M. and Lepage, M. and Donohoe, G., Social and occupational recovery in early psychosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of psychosocial interventions, Psychological Medicine, 2021Journal Article, 2021, DOI , URL
Megan Cowman, Emmet Godfrey, Talissa Walsh, Emma Frawley, David Fowler, Mario Alvarez-Jimenez, Karen O'Connor, Til Wykes, Max Birchwood, Gary Donohoe, Measures of Social and Occupational Function in Early Psychosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis, Schizophrenia Bulletin, 2023Journal Article, 2023, DOI
Emma Frawley, Caroline Heary, Clio Berry, Matteo Cella, David Fowler, Til Wykes, Gary Donohoe, Participant perspectives on cognitive remediation and social recovery in early psychosis (CReSt-R): An acceptability study, Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 2023Journal Article, 2023
Katie M Douglas, Bridgette Thwaites, Emma Frawley, Åsa Hammar, Tailoring cognitive interventions to individuals' cognitive profiles: commentary on `Prevalence of cognitive impairments and strengths in the early course of psychosis and depression' by Stainton et al, Psychological Medicine, 53, (13), 2023Journal Article, 2023
Maeve Dwan-O'Reilly, Kyra Renaud, Emma Frawley, John Brody, Conor Gavin, Emmet Godfrey, Niamh O"Brien, Lorcan O"Connor, Dillon O"Reilly, Christina Gleeson, James McCormack, Tom Burke, Mario Alvarez-Jimenez, Gary Donohoe, Moderated Online Social Therapy (MOST): A pilot trial examining the feasibility and efficacy of a novel digital intervention for supporting university students" mental health., Student Affairs Ireland 2024, Creating, Engaging and Enhancing Community for Student Success, Technological University of the Shannon, Moylish Campus, Limerick, 18/06/2024, 2024Poster, 2024
E. Frawley, M. Cowman, M. Cella, D. Cohen, E. Ryan, B. Hallahan, C. Bowie, C. McDonald, D. Fowler, T. Wykes and G. Donohoe, Cognitive Remediation and Social Recovery in Early Psychosis, International Association of Youth Mental Health (IAYMH) Conference, Copenhagen Denmark, September 2022, 2022Oral Presentation, 2022
Frawley, E., Cowman, M., Lepage, M., & Donohoe, G, Social and occupational recovery in early psychosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of psychosocial interventions, 10th Biennial International UNESCO Child & Research Centre Conference, University of Galway, University of Galway, 2022, 2022Poster, 2022
Frawley, E., Cowman, M., Lepage, M., & Donohoe, G., Social and Occupational Recovery in Early Psychosis: A Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis, 23rd Annual Cognitive Remediation in Psychiatry Conference, Columbia University, Online, June 2021, 2021Poster, 2021
Emma Frawley, Cognitive Remediation and Social Recovery in Psychosis, AOTI Mental Health Advisory Group Research Day, Online, March 2021, 2021Oral Presentation, 2021

Emma Frawley, Cognitive Intervention in Psychosis., Health Service Executive (HSE) Early Intervention in Psychosis Network Day, Online, 01/03/2024, 2024Invited Talk
Emma Frawley, Digital Mental Health: A Shared Vision for Research, Policy and Practice, Digital Mental Health Conference, University of Limerick, University of Limerick, 2023Invited Talk
Emma Frawley & Megan Cowman, PPI in Youth Mental Health Research, PPI Ignite, Ignite Insight Series. University of Galway, Online, October 2023, 2023Invited Talk
Emma Frawley, Caroline Heary, Clio Berry, Matteo Cella, David Fowler, Til Wykes, Gary Donohoe, Participant Perspectives on Cognitive Remediation and Social Recovery in Early Psychosis (CReSt-R): an acceptability study, 25th Annual Cognitive Remediation in Psychiatry Conference, Columbia University, NYC, Columbia University, NYC, June 2023, 2023Invited Talk
Emma Frawley, Cognition and Cognitive Intervention in Psychosis, Mental Health Occupational Therapy Intervention and Outcome research Network (MOTION)., Online, March 2023, 2023Oral Presentation
Emma Frawley & YOULEAD Collaborators, Cognition & Social Recovery in Early Psychosis: findings from the CReSt-R study, YOULEAD Conference, University College Dublin, March 2023, 2023Oral Presentation
Frawley, E., Cowman, M., Lepage, M., & Donohoe, G, Cognitive Remediation and Social Recovery in Early Psychosis- the CReSt-R Protocol, 24th Annual Cognitive Remediation in Psychiatry Conference, Columbia University, NYC, Online, June 2022, 2022Oral Presentation
YOULEAD, SpunOut & Fregoli Theatre, Seen & Heard, 2021, -Miscellaneous

Key research interests include the development, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-based psychosocial and cognitive interventions in mental health, early intervention in psychosis, digital mental health interventions, public and patient involvement (PPI), implementation science, and social and occupational outcome measurement.

Public and Patient Involvement in Health Research, Mental health services, Cognition, Occupational therapy, Clinical Trials and Interventions, Implementation science and evaluation, Psychiatry (incl. psychotherapy), Digital health,

Recognition

Columbia University, Rising Stars under 40 Award, Cognitive Remediation in Psychiatry Conference NYC 2023
University of Limerick, Digital Mental Health Champion Award, Digital Mental Health Conference 2023

CORU Registered Occupational Therapist CORU (Regulating body for Health and Social Care Professionals. Registration number OT025310. Present
Member and Volunteer Irish Therapy Dogs Present
Member of the Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland (AOTI) Present
Member of International Association for Youth Mental Health (IAYMH). Present
Member International Early Psychosis Association (IEPA). Prsesent
Member Mental Health Occupational Therapy Intervention and Outcome research Network (MOTION) Prsesent
Member Schizophrenia International Research Society (SIRS) Present
Member Mental Health Occupational Therapy Intervention and Outcome research Network (MOTION) Present

Chair of the Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland Accreditation Committee. 2019-2022