During my PhD, I developed a mindfulness-based intervention specifically designed for maltreated children and adolescents in residential care. This work led me to undertake training to become a certified mindfulness teacher. I have a strong background in academia, having taught both undergraduate and postgraduate psychology students at the Catholic University of Milan. Later, I served as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Northampton, where I led an MSc programme in Counselling Children and Young People.

Additionally, I have contributed as a Senior Research Tutor on the MSc in Developmental Psychology and Clinical Practice at the Anna Freud Centre and have mentored research and clinical students pursuing DCPsych and DPsych qualifications at both the Metanoia Institute and at City, University of London.

My key research and clinical interests include:

• Phenomenological psychopathology – Exploring the subjective experience of mental health conditions, particularly how individuals perceive and interpret their psychological distress, emotions, and lived experiences.
• Relational mindfulness – Investigating the role of mindfulness in therapeutic relationships, focusing on how present-moment awareness and attunement enhance emotional regulation, empathy, and the overall effectiveness of therapy.
• Brain-to-brain synchrony – Studying the neurological and physiological mechanisms underpinning human interactions, particularly how synchronised brain activity between therapist and client can impact emotional connection and therapeutic outcomes.
• Developmental trauma – Examining the long-term psychological and physiological effects of adverse childhood experiences, and developing interventions that support recovery and resilience in individuals affected by early-life trauma.
• Therapeutic presence – Understanding the significance of a clinician’s attunement, emotional availability, and ability to create a safe, empathetic, and engaged therapeutic environment that fosters trust and meaningful change.

• BA (Hons) in Clinical Psychology
• MSc in Clinical Psychology
• Doctorate in Counselling Psychology and Psychotherapy
• PhD in Psychology
• Professional Training in Mindfulness-based Interventions
• Foundation Course in Psychoanalysis
• Foundation Course in Group Analysis
• Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (Teaching and Learning in Counselling and Psychotherapy)
• Postgraduate Certificate in Relational Theory in Clinical Practice (The Stephen Mitchell Relational Study Center, New York)

• Jones, A. K., & Lecchi, T. (2024). ‘It overshadowed everything’: Understanding working-class clients’ experiences of social class differences within the therapeutic relationship. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 00, 1–11. DOI: 10.1002/capr.12867
• Lecchi, T. (2024). Intersoggettività e presenza nell’incontro terapeutico: una prospettiva costruttivista. In F. Giommi (Ed.), Coltivare Presenza: Psicoterapia e meditazione relazionale (pp. 117–137). Edizioni Edra.
• Kristen, A., Lecchi, T., Loades, M. E., & Midgley, N. (2024). “I can’t escape my scars, even if I do get better”: A qualitative exploration of how adolescents talk about their self-harm and self-harm scars during cognitive behavioural therapy for depression. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry. DOI: 10.1177/13591045241241348
• Amin Choudhury, A., Lecchi, T., & Midgley, N. (2023). Understanding change – developing a typology of therapy outcomes from the experience of adolescents with depression. Psychotherapy Research. DOI: 10.1080/10503307.2023.2179440
• MacKean, M., Lecchi, T., Mortimer, R., & Midgley, N. (2023). ‘I’ve started my journey to coping better’: exploring adolescents’ journeys through an internet-based psychodynamic therapy (I-PDT) for depression. Journal of Child Psychotherapy. DOI: 10.1080/0075417X.2023.2173271