Rachel O’Connor is a PhD candidate at the Developmental and Educational Psychology unit of the Institute of Psychology at Leiden University.

More information about Rachel O'Connor

Short CV

Rachel O’Connor is a PhD candidate at the Developmental and Educational Psychology unit of the Institute of Psychology at Leiden University. She is completing her PhD with the Focus on Emotions lab under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Carolien Rieffe and Dr. Els Blijd-Hoogewys (INTER-PSY, Groningen).

Rachel obtained her Master’s degree in Child & Adolescent Psychology at Leiden University in 2018. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from University College Dublin. Rachel has worked in a variety of clinical settings with both children and adults with autism, ADHD, and a range of mental health conditions. Rachel is currently completing professional training as a clinical psychologist at University College Dublin, whereby she is working for the Irish Health Service Executive in mental health services.

Rachel’s PhD project focuses on social behaviour, peer relationships and mental health of autistic girls and boys. The aim of the project is to better understand how internal and external social factors can impact on the mental health of autistic (pre-)adolescents, with a specific focus on gender differences.

Publications