Dr Deborah Holt

Lecturer in Mental Health Promotion and Health and Wellbeing

Biography

Background

  • I have been working in the Moray House School of Education and Sport since 2010, with a specialism in mental health promotion and health and wellbeing.
  • I designed and am course organiser for a level 8 course open to students across the university designed to help students understand how to be more healthy more often, Health and Wellbeing Promotion in the University Community and Beyond.
  • I lead, develop and teach in Health and wellbeing, positive mental health promotion, resilience, grief and sex education on a range of programmes.
  • From August 2024, I am the MHSES Director of Students a role that aligns well with my prioritisation of student wellbeing promotion and enhancing the student experience
  • I am committed to enhancing the student experience for all students and particularly for our Widening Participation students. I am the School Widening Participation Champion which involves working with colleagues to enhance the experience for WP students as well as to work with partners and external agencies engaging with WP pupils in schools.
  • Prior to coming to UoE, I was a Headteacher, with a focus on the pastoral role, and  early years teacher and specialist MFL teacher for 4-12 year olds.

Qualifications

Doctorate in Education: The Primary School Teacher's responsibility to Promote Positive Mental Health

PGCE

BA Hons Language and Linguistics

Responsibilities & affiliations

Responsibilities

Moray House School of Education and Sport Director of Students

Health and Wellbeing lead 

Convener of the School Gender Equality Subgroup

Affiliations

Institute of Education Teaching and Leadership

Social Justice and Inclusion research hub

UoE Thrive and Lead Well Network

member of ScotSMART

Part of the PCRE Research cluster

Scotland’s Community of Access and Participation Practitioners 

Undergraduate teaching

Course lead on Health and Wellbeing Promotion in the University Community and Beyond- open to students across the university and designed to promote student wellbeing

Course Organiser for Health and Wellbeing Promotion in the University Community and Beyond

Course Organiser and core tutor for level 10 elective  Promoting Health and Wellbeing in the Primary School 

Health and Wellbeing lead on various Health and Wellbeing electives and core course content across a range of programmes

Postgraduate teaching

MSc Inclusive Education dissertation supervision as required

guest input on mental health promotion/health and wellbeing as required/invited

Open to PhD supervision enquiries?

Yes

Areas of interest for supervision

I welcome applications for qualitative research relating to mental health or wellbeing in education. 

I supervise students in projects associated with :

mental health promotion (which includes any specific contributor or threat to positive mental health)

educator wellbeing

 social and emotional inclusion of New Scots (refugee) children- (impact of tutoring on refugee experience children's wellbeing etc)

sex education

and other qualitative studies related to mental health 

Current PhD students supervised

Beth Davies- the childminder's experience during Covid - year 3

April Steffeck - how student teachers are prepared to deal with teacher directed abuse - year 3

Morgan Ludington- experiences and narratives of menstruation- year 3

Anna Jesseman- impact of teacher wellbeing intervention on teacher and student mental health- year 3

Selin Korkmaz- Syrian families' experiences of the Scottish education system- year 2

Cagla Ergul- Learner and family perspectives on the Additional Support Needs label at school- year 3

Past PhD students supervised

Jill Steel- Reading to Dogs

Research summary

  • ​​​​​positive mental health promotion in education

  • the educator's role in promoting learners'  positive mental health

  • student and educator wellbeing 

  • social, emotional and academic integration of refugee children in primary school

  • sex education

Current research interests

Positive Mental Health Promotion My interest in mental health promotion research encompasses a range of different aspects and contexts, including and in addition to: health educator and learner wellbeing, social, emotional and academic integration of refugee experienced learners, sex education the role of HE and ITE in health promotion

Past research interests

How student teachers learn how to promote pupil wellbeing Support for pupil social and emotional wellbeing at transition from primary to secondary school HE student mental health interventions Promoting metacognition through child peer learning conversations and the development of metacognitive language

Knowledge exchange

How to tutor widening access learners

Wellbeing promotion through teaching 

 

Affiliated research centres

Project activity

the partnership with Place 2 Be

Working with ReAct to promote New Scot's children's inclusion

sex education

How we prepare student teachers to meet their responsibility to health and wellbeing within Curriculum for Excellence, including how we support teacher wellbeing

Invited speaker

Mental Health in Schools Scotland November 2024 (invited speaker)

Stirling University Student Health and Wellbeing Fair December 2024 ( invited as expert panel member)

 

  • Metacognition in the Primary Classroom with Peter Tarrant, January 2016
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