Dr Gill Harrop

dr-gillian-harrop

Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychology

School of Health and Wellbeing

Department of Psychology and Mental Health

Contact Details

email: g.harrop@worc.ac.uk
tel: 01905 542 549

Gill is an HCPC Registered Forensic Psychologist, whose work focuses on tackling violence and abuse through behaviour change, bystander intervention and developing a culture of positive masculinity. Gill’s background is in the psychology of criminal investigation and violence prevention.

She has led the University of Worcester Bystander Intervention Programme since 2016, which trains students to recognise problematic behaviour and develop the knowledge and skills to be active bystanders against violence and abuse. Gill has developed and delivered bystander intervention training across a range of applied settings, including universities, schools, police, the NHS and sports clubs.

The aim of this work is to identify barriers to intervention, build individuals’ confidence and willingness to intervene, and ensure that organisational processes are in place to encourage active bystandership. Gill has presented her work on bystander intervention in a range of settings, including the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC), academic conferences and national media.

Gill also writes the ‘Bystander Intervention in Action’ blog for Psychology Today. 

Qualifications

  • PhD – University of Lincoln
  • Forensic Psychology (Stage 2) - British Psychological Society
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education - University of Worcester
  • MSc Investigative Psychology - University of Liverpool
  • BSc (Hons) Psychology - University of Glasgow

Teaching and Research

Areas of teaching include:

  • Forensic psychology in practice
  • Understanding trauma and violence
  • Forensic and therapeutic approaches
  • Professional Skills
  • Bystander intervention

Gill’s research is primarily focused on healthy relationships, bystander intervention and tackling violence against women and girls. She also has a focus on developing positive masculinity and the interaction between male social norms, male role models and harmful sexual behaviour. Gill is particularly interested in the use of bystander intervention programmes to address sexual and domestic violence, and her research includes evaluating the effectiveness of bystander intervention training, perceptions of consent and exploring student behaviour around reporting violence and abuse. Current projects include tackling catcalling and harassment of female joggers.

Professional Bodies

  • HCPC Registered Forensic Psychologist
  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Publications

Harrop, G. (2023). Toxic masculinity. In Encyclopedia of domestic violence (pp. 1-10). Cham: Springer International Publishing.

Harrop, G. (2021, November). Colliding identities during COVID-19: Identifying and addressing the challenges of being an academic mother during a global pandemic. In Frontiers in Education (Vol. 6, p. 643221). Frontiers Media SA.

Harrop, G. (2021, July 21). The vital role of bystander Intervention in tackling violence and abuse. University of Worcester interpersonal relationships and wellbeing research group blog

Harrop, G. (2021, July 16). Beyond allyship: The role of active bystanders in tackling racism. University of Worcester staff blog.

Harrop, G. (2021, April 26) Evaluating a campus-based bystander intervention programme [Webinar].

Harrop, G & UW Press Office (2021, March 15). Urgent action needed to tackle violence and abuse. University of Worcester Press Statement.

Harrop, G. (2021, March 15). Tackling sexual violence against women. University of Worcester academic blog.

Harrop, G. (2020, April 27). How to be an active bystander during lockdown. University of Worcester academic blog.

Worcester News (2020, April 25). How to become an active bystander: Ways to help tackle domestic violence. Worcester News.

Guardian (2018, July 31). #MeToo on campus: Universities investigate sexual assaults themselves. The Guardian

Harrop, G. & Taylor-Dunn, H. (2018). Evaluation of a university bystander intervention programme to address sexual violence and domestic abuse on campus. Worcester Learning and Teaching Conference. Worcester: England.

Harrop, G. (2018). GCSE Psychology. ICS Ltd: Glasgow.

Erol, R. & Harrop, G. (2017). An evaluation of West Mercia and Warwickshire Police workshops on recognising and responding to vulnerability. Centre for Violence Prevention Conference. Worcester, England.

Harrop, G. (Submitted). An evaluation of the role of independent sexual violence advisors (ISVAS).

Harrop, G. & Ball, M. (submitted). Understanding false allegations of rape: Examining the relationship between offender motivation and the nature of the false allegations.

Harrop, G. & Taylor-Dunn, H. (2016, November 26). Introducing the UW Bystander Intervention Programme [Conference Presentation]. 16 days of action against gender-based violence conference. Centre for Violence Prevention, University of Worcester.

Harrop, G. (2016). An evaluation of the role of independent sexual violence advisors (ISVAS). Paper presented at the Dynamics of Sexual Violence Conference. Worcester, England.

Harrop, G. (2016). Analysis of the motivation behind false allegations of rape. Paper presented at the Dynamics of Sexual Violence Conference. Worcester, England.

Harrop, G. (2016). An analysis of the motivations behind false allegations of rape. Manuscript in preparation.

Harrop, G. (2016). An evaluation of the role of independent sexual violence advisors (ISVAs). Manuscript submitted for publication.

Harrop, G., Kendall, R. & Hartnett, J. (2016, June). Addressing the challenge of teaching sensitive topics. Worcester Learning and Teaching Conference. Worcester, England.

Harrop, G. (2015). Does this lecture come with a trigger warning? The challenges of teaching sensitive material. Worcester Journal of Learning and Teaching, 10, 58-60.

Harrop, G. (2010). A-level statistics. ICS Ltd: Glasgow

Harrop, G. (2005). Detection and Recognition in Low-Contrast and Enhanced Images. Paper presented at the Lincolnshire Teaching and Learning Conference in Lincoln, England.

Harrop, G. (2005). Detection and Recognition in Low-Contrast and Enhanced Images. Paper presented at the Lincoln University Postgraduate Showcase in Lincoln, England.

Harrop, G. (2004). Detection and Recognition in Low-Contrast and Enhanced Images. Poster presented at the Lincoln Forensic Research Conference in Lincoln, England.

Harrop, G. (2004). Detection and Recognition in Low-Contrast and Enhanced Images. Paper presented at the Lincolnshire Teaching and Learning Conference in Lincoln, England.