Dr Shamil Wanigaratne is Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Visiting Associate, King’s College London. Until his retirement in 2022, he was Head of the National Rehabilitation Centre Abu Dhabi Training Institute, Acting Head of Research and Senior Advisor to H.E. the Director General. He was also Adjunct Professor of Clinical Psychology at United Arab Emirates University. Previously until April 2011 he was Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Head of Clinical Psychology for Addictions at the Maudsley Hospital London and Honorary Senior Lecturer at King’s College London.
He has worked as a clinical psychologist in the field of Addiction since 1987 and has been involved in teaching and training psychologists and other health professionals, throughout his career. He has conducted research and has over 50 publications on psychological aspects of addiction.
He is a WHO registered expert and UN Consultant. He is an Advisory Board Member of the International Consortium on Quality in Substance Use Disorder Treatment (ICQ). He was a member of Expert Dialogue, Global Think Tank on Drug Demand Reduction convened by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs of the US State Department (INL). He has been an advisor to the National Treatment Agency, Department of Health, U.K. He has also advised governments of the Republic of Ireland, UAE, Sri Lanka, Palestine and Sudan, on substance misuse policy, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.
He is a founding member of the British Psychological Society’s Faculty of Addiction and was its Chair from 2000 to 2001. He co-founded the UK-Sri Lanka Trauma Group a British Registered Charity and is currently its Chair. He is a Director of Samutthãna the King’s College London Center for Trauma, Displacement and Mental Health in Colombo. He is also Honorary Consultant to Mel Medura Addiction Treatment Centre, Colombo, Sri Lanka. From 2014 to 2023 he was a Non-Executive Director of Ceylinco Insurance, one of Sri Lanka’s biggest insurance companies.
In recognition of his of his contribution to his field and profession, he was elected as a Fellow of the British Psychological Society in 2011. He was also elected as a Fellow of the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapists in 2017.
