Filippo is an internationally renowned clinical psychologist and researcher who is currently a Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Manchester, the Associate Director of Research and Innovation at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH) and an NIHR Advanced Fellow.

Filippo leads the Complex Trauma & Resilience Research Unit (C-TRU), one of the 11 NHS mental health research units hosted by GMMH and the University of Manchester, through which he delivers a wide range of clinical studies funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) and other funders. His primary research interests include developing, evaluating and implementing trauma-informed and trauma-focused interventions for individuals with complex mental health problems and those who are at high risk for such problems.

After completing a PhD (University of Wales, Bangor; 2011) and a ClinPsyD (University of Manchester; 2014), Filippo embarked in a clinical academic career and has held several academic positions at the University of Manchester since 2015, leading to a promotion to Professor of Clinical Psychology in 2023.

Filippo’s research contributions include impactful evidence syntheses on the relationship between trauma and the risk of developing psychosis and related severe mental health problems, cited widely by other researchers across multiple disciplines as well as important clinical guidelines worldwide (e.g.  NICE,  Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists and the American Psychiatric Association guidelines for the treatment of psychosis/schizophrenia and related disorders). Throughout his career, Filippo has built  a portfolio of novel mechanistic and applied research which directly benefit those with complex mental health problems and trauma-related difficulties, in close partnership with NHS mental health services, mental health practitioners and people with lived experience. The significance of his work has been recognised by both peers and professional bodies e.g. via the  May Davidson Award from the British Psychological Society (2022) for outstanding contributions to the field of clinical psychology within the first 10 years of qualifying. Filippo received an NIHR Advanced Fellowship (2021), which allowed him to focus his academic efforts to leverage on innovations in the treatment of trauma in people with psychosis to develop and evaluate new approaches for the prevention of severe mental health difficulties in people with lived experience of trauma.

In collaboration with other leading mental health researchers at Manchester (Professors Katherine Berry, Sandra Bucci and Eleanor Longden), since 2018 Filippo has led the Complex Trauma and Resilience Research Unit (CTRU), an NHS and University of Manchester research unit  focused on the development and delivery of a wide range of clinical trials and research supported by the NIHR and other research funders to improve the care of and services for individuals with complex mental health problems.

Filippo’s recent research has focused on the application of trauma-focused and trauma-informed intervention in people with lived experience of psychosis, especially those that struggle with psychotic symptoms (for example, hearing voices, distressing suspicious thoughts) for the first time. Supported by NIHR funding, he has led the first clinical trial of Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy for people with first episode psychosis (the EASE trial), the first clinical trial of EMDR and trauma-focused CBT for young people and adults at ultra-high risk of developing psychosis (the RESTART trial), the largest cohort study of people at clinical high risk of developing psychosis in the UK (the IPPACT study) and (with his colleague Dr Sarah Parry) the first clinical trial of a psychological intervention to support children who struggle with unusual sensory experiences and their parents (the ChUSE trial). He is a co-investigator on several other cutting-edge clinical trials, including the NIHR HTA-funded STAR trial (a largest multisite randomised controlled trial of trauma-focused CBT for psychosis worldwide), the PICASSO trial (a feasibility trial of new interventions to improve symptoms of complex PTSD in people with severe mental health difficulties) and the i-Minds trial (a feasibility study of a new digital intervention to support survivors of online sexual abuse).

In addition to his research studies, since 2025 Filippo has served as Associate Director of Research and Innovation (R&I) at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH), one of the largest and most research active NHS mental health trusts in the UK. In this role, he provides oversight and strategic leadership to the Trust’s R&I infrastructure for delivering NIHR-funded research and other non-commercial clinical studies, and the 11 mental health research units hosted by GMMH.

My primary research interests focus on three interconnected areas:

• The psychological and cognitive underpinnings of psychotic experiences in clinical, at-risk, and non-clinical populations
• The impact of adverse life experiences on severe mental health problems (e.g., psychosis, bipolar disorder, at-risk mental state), and the psychological mechanisms that might account for these associations
• The development, evaluation and implementation of psychosocial interventions for severe mental health problems and trauma-related difficulties, including trauma-focused and trauma-informed approaches

My complementary research project extend into several related domains:

• Evaluating trauma-informed systems of support for healthcare and social care staff (e.g. through my leadership of the NIHR-funded evaluation of NHS England's Resilience Hubs established during the COVID-19 pandemic)
• Addressing the complex mental health needs of survivors of sexual abuse and violence (e.g. my work leading the James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership on Sexual Violence)
• Exploring peer-led approaches and alternatives to traditional psychiatric care alligned with the values and priorities of people wth lived experience (e.g. through NIHR-funded collaborations with the Soteria Network to evaluate community-based alternatives to inpatient treatment)

Filippo has extensive teaching experience and training across undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels. As former unit lead for the Foundation of Mental Health & Distress in the BSc Psychology program, he has contributed significantly to teaching in the MSc in Clinical & Health Psychology, MRes in Psychology, and Doctorate in Clinical Psychology programmes at the University of Manchester, while regularly supervising masters and doctoral students.

His valued support to students was recognized with the Doctoral Academy Outstanding PGR Supervisor of the Year Award (2018), complemented by multiple student-led nominations for teaching quality and inclusivity, e.g. due to his commitment to creating equal opportunities for disabled students.

Beyond the university, Filippo has delivered over 45 invited workshops, seminars, and training events for mental health professionals across the UK and internationally, covering a variety of topics related to his ongoing research (e.g. trauma-informed care and trauma-focused interventions for psychosis). His professional development offerings have reached diverse audiences, from NHS practitioners to international clinicians in across several European countries and North America. 

The principal collaborators of my current research projects include:

Professor Richard Bentall (University of Sheffield)

Professor Tony Morrison (University of Manchester and GMMH Psychosis Research Unit) 

Professor Alison Yung (University of Manchester, Orygen and University of Melbourne)

Professor Bill Sellwood (Lancaster University)

Professor Catrin Tudur Smith (University of Liverpool)

Professor Katherine Berry (University of Manchester)

Professor Sandra Bucci (University of Manchester)

Dr Richard Brown (University of Manchester)

Professor Emmanuelle Peters (KCL)

Dr Amy Hardy (KCL)

Dr Paul Freanch (Manchester Metropolitan University)

Dr Eleanor Longder (Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust)

Dr Kate Allsopp (Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust)

Dr Kim Cartwright (Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust)

Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)

British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies(BABCP)

British Psychological Society (BPS)

Early Intervention in Mental Health network (IEPA)

IEPA · Early Intervention in Mental Health

2014 - Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (ClinPsyD); University of Manchester

2012 - PhD in Psychology; University of Wales, Bangor 

2007 - MRes in Psychology; University of Manchester

2006 - Laura Triennale (BSc) in Psychology; University of Parma (IT)