Nomsa Sandra Wayland

Dr Nomsa Wayland serves as a clinical tutor for the Clinical Doctorate Programme at the University of East London (UEL) and holds the position of Senior Lecturer in the Doctorate in Counselling Psychology and Psychotherapy programme at the Metanoia Institute. She has made significant contributions to programmes such as the BSc in Counselling, MSc in Counselling and Psychotherapy, and MSc in Humanitarian Intervention at UEL. Within the MSc in Humanitarian Intervention programme, Dr Wayland co-designed and facilitated two specialised short courses: Foundation Counselling Skills and Intercultural Counselling Practice and Processes. She is a registered Chartered Counselling Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and a member of both the British Psychological Society (BPS) and the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). Dr Wayland has worked with a charity organisation supporting women affected by domestic abuse and has also provided psychological services in secondary care settings within different NHS Trusts.

Dr Wayland’s research interests focus on qualitative methodologies, particularly Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and Thematic Analysis (TA). Her topics of interest include exploring the lived experiences of minority groups in the UK, particularly within therapeutic contexts, addressing issues such as racial trauma, microaggressions in therapeutic and clinical settings, the decolonisation of therapy, moral injury, and the intersections of culture and identity. She is also interested in culturally attuned, alternative psychological interventions for minority populations, including Arts and Expressive-Based Interventions (e.g., music, dance, Afrofuturism art, and drama therapies), Community-Based and Peer-Delivered Models (such as family systems therapy with a cultural emphasis, ubuntu-based group therapy, spirituality-integrated approaches, and multicultural narrative therapy), as well as community therapeutic gardening. Additionally, her interests extend to humanitarian interventions and the diversification of educational curricula and research methodologies, with a focus on critically examining the intersections of language, power, and pedagogy. She is deeply committed to social justice issues, exploring structural inequities, advocating for mental health care, and understanding the impact of policy on marginalised communities.