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Dr Monique Botha

Post Nominals Ph.D., MSc, BA(hons)
Biography I am currently a Leverhulme Research Fellow finishing a Research Fellowship at Durham University on a project entitled "Fragile Knowledge: Dehumanisation and Interpretation Bias in Autism Research". This three year project has been funded by the Leverhulme trust, and aims to address the dehumanising and objectifying rhetoric researchers use in discussing autistic people.

I am a Community Psychologist who specialises in social and developmental psychology with a focus on autism, equality, and mental health. I am passionate about producing research that can help autistic people of all ages to live equitably in communities. My approach to research, training and service design is "Nothing About Us Without Us". Everything should be done from a participatory, or group led approach, where the expertise of the community is appreciated and embraced. Research and services should aim to be inter-disciplinary, rigorous, and accessible.

Previously, I was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Stirling, having secured a one-year long fellowship from the Economic and Social Research Council. Before this, I completed my PhD in Psychology from the University of Surrey (2016-2020). My PhD thesis investigated the role of autistic community connectedness in buffering against the effects of minority stress (such as stigma and discrimination) on mental health in the autistic community. Similarly, I completed my MSc in Psychology at the University of Surrey too (2015-2016).

Prior to entering Psychology, I studied for a BA in Social Care Practice at Athlone Institute of Technology (2011-2015). During this time, I worked as a Social Care Practitioner within a care-providing service, where I worked with autistic children and their families for four years. My background in Social Care Practice has allowed for an interdisciplinary psychology with a focus on impact and application.
Research Interests Neurodivergence, mental health, quality of life, dehumanization, masking, burnout, the double empathy problem, LGBTQ health, wellbeing, and relationships, participatory research, action research.