Psychology
Profile
BSc Psychology
MSc Criminology
PGd Addictions Counselling
Background
After graduating with a BSc in Psychology from the University of Ioannina in Greece, I took the entrance exams for Panteion's University Criminology section, where I completed my MSc in Criminology with a higher distinction. My dissertation was titled: 'Applications of technology in corrections’ and was a debate on the rise of new penology in risk society. At the same time I was trained as an Addictions' Counsellor and my final thesis was titled: 'In-prison substance abuse treatment programs and their preventive role against relapse in drug use and criminal behaviour after release’. Following the findings and the research gaps spotted in my last thesis, I started my PhD in 2010 in the Department of Psychology, under the supervision of Dr. Adrian Needs, Dr. Alessandra Fasulo and Dr. Darren Van Laar. My research project ‘Processes of change and Recovery in Drug and Alcohol Misuse’ aims to clarify the process of change from addiction to recovery. During this project I collected narratives from active and former drug and alcohol users and examined how individual thinking patterns might be involved in substance misuse and the way they change during recovery.
Other projects
I am currently involved as a chief investigator in the project:
‘Evaluation of the ‘A New Direction’ therapeutic program for substance dependent offenders at the HMP Kingston (Nehemiah Project)’
Grants (PhD project):
(2010) Funds for Women Graduates (FfWG)
(2011) The Gillian Diamond Trust
(2011) The Stapley Educational trust
(2012) The Stapley Educational trust
Conference presentations
Kougiali, Z. (2012). Narratives of change in drug and alcohol use. Paper accepted for presentation at the ‘Thinking About Context: Challenges for Crime and Justice’, 64th Annual Meeting, The American Society of Criminology, Chicago, IL.
Kougiali, Z.-G. (2011). Processes of change and recovery in drug and alcohol users. Paper presented at the 'Breaking the Mold: Innovations and Bold Ventures In Criminology', 63rd Annual Meeting, The American Society of Criminology, Washington D.C.
Kougiali, Z. (2011). Processes of Change in Drug Abusing Offenders. Paper presented at the BPS, Division of Forensic Psychology Annual Conference, Portsmouth.
Kougiali, Z.-G. (2010). Processes of Change in Drug Abusing Offenders. Poster accepted for presentation at the Society for the Study of Addiction Annual Symposium, York.