Dr Jack Purrington is an honorary research fellow with the Salford FASD team at the University of Salford, Clinical Psychologist at Chrysalis Associates, and currently sits on the board of directors for The Theraplay Institute. Jack is a fully qualified Theraplay practitioner, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy practitioner, and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing therapist. Jack has also completed additional training in Counselling, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
Jack has worked therapeutically since 2017 when he joined Chrysalis Associates as an Assistant Psychologist and has also volunteered in a number of support roles including two years with the Samaritans providing non-directive empathic listening to callers experiencing a range of difficulties including suicidal ideation and intent, a year with The Hut York, and time with The Children’s Society, Choose2Youth, and Applefield’s School.
Jack is passionate about developmental trauma and attachment intervention research with his work being cited over 150 times by further research working to build the evidence base for best practices in the psychotherapeutic treatment of trauma and attachment in children. Key research papers include:
Purrington, Lindaman, & Jernberg (2025). Healing Through Play: Theraplay as an Integrative Therapy for Parents and Caregivers. The American Journal of Medicine, epub ahead of print.
Purrington, Price, Godfrey, Lynch, Cook, & Mukherjee (2025). The Impact of a Neurocollaborative Theraplay Informed Intervention on the Presentations of Developmental Trauma and Attachment Difficulties in Adopted Children with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure: An Extended Case Study. Journ Child Adol Trauma 18, 555–571.
Purrington, J., Cavan, M., & Hartley, G. (2025). Applying the principles of theraplay and dyadic developmental parenting for an adoptive parent–child dyad with a child with cerebral palsy: A structured case report. International Journal of Play Therapy, 34(3), 117–131.
Purrington, J., Goodall, S. & Lynch, J. (2025). Feasibility and Acceptability of Integrating Principles of Sensory Regulation, Theraplay, Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing, and Dyadic-Developmental Psychotherapy (STEDi) with Adoptive Families: A Framework Analysis. J Child Fam Stud 34, 1178–1195.
Shepherd, E., Purrington, J., & Barnett, A. (2023). Experiences of Adoptive Parents and Their Support Workers Accessing Remotely Delivered Therapeutic Support via the Adoption Support Fund during COVID-19: A Service Evaluation. Adoption Quarterly, 28(3), 334–357.
Hartley, G., Sirois, F., Purrington, J., & Rabey, Y. (2023). Adverse Childhood Experiences and Autism: A Meta-Analysis. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 25(3), 2297-2315.
Purrington, J., Hartley, G., & Lyne, N. (2023). Service users’ experiences of a 6-week remotely delivered theraplay-informed group intervention for carers: A qualitative service evaluation. International Journal of Play Therapy, 32(3), 181–195.
Gosling, J., & Purrington, J. (2023). Experiences of foster carers remotely accessing the children in care (CIC) consultation model during the Covid-19 pandemic: A service evaluation. Adoption & Fostering, 47(2), 174-191.
Purrington, J., Goodall, S. & Lynch, J. (2024). Family-based psychological interventions for domestically adoptive families: a systematic review. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 33, 1239–1256.
Purrington, J., Glover-Humphreys, E., Edwards, H., & Hudson, M. (2022). The impact of a brief neuro-collaborative play-based intervention on the presentations of developmental trauma and attachment difficulties in adopted children: A service evaluation. International Journal of Play Therapy, 31(4), 237–247.
Jack has also presented psychological research at the following conferences:
2018 British Psychological Society Division of Clinical Psychology Faculty for Children, Young People and their Families Annual Conference – Poster Presentation
2018 British Psychological Society Division of Clinical Psychology Annual Conference – Poster Presentation
2024 European Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders conference in – Plenary Discussion
2025 International Conference for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (Jack’s work was presented by Dr Alan Price in Jack’s absence) – Parallel Discussion
2025 UK FASD Conference at the University of Salford – Parallel Discussion
2025 UK Theraplay Conference – Plenary Discussion
2025 European Autism Congress – Poster Presentation (Jack’s work was presented by Elspeth Bass in Jacks absence)
Qualifications
Jack has a first-class BSc in Sport Psychology and Coaching Science (2016), an MSc in Psychology with distinction (2017), and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from The University of Sheffield (2022).