Vocational Training Charitable Trust (VTCT) Foundation project
Find out more about the work of the VTCT Foundation and meet the team.
This major project is driven by priorities set by charities that work directly with people and their families who are living with visible difference.
About the project
With support from The VTCT Foundation, the Centre for Appearance Research (CAR) will evaluate existing methods of support and intervention, plus embark on a new programme of research to help charities in this sector maximise their impact.
Events
The Centre for Appearance Research (CAR) run a series of workshops for members of the Appearance Collective (AC) and other charities that support people living with visible differences.
Previous workshops
- Moving forward collaboratively: Looking ahead to research with impact (PDF)
- Support for parents of children with a visible difference (PDF)
- Supporting underserved groups (PDF)
- Online and in-person support for people affected by visible differences (PDF)
- Men’s experiences of visible difference (PDF)
- Appearance Collective social media workshop (PDF)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for people with visible differences (PDF) , taken from ACT Now training co-developed by CAR)
- Introduction to social activism (PDF)
- Supporting families of people affected by a visible difference (PDF)
- Psychological interventions for visible difference (PDF)
- Visible difference and intimacy (PDF)
- Understanding patient and public involvement/engagement (PDF)
- Social media and appearance
Meet the team
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Name |
Role |
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Alex Clarke |
Alex is a consultant clinical and health psychologist. |
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Clare Clements |
Clare has a background in Health Psychology and qualitative and mixed methods health research. Clare started her PhD in January 2023 which is developing a tool to identify the support needs of people with visible differences. |
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Ella is a Research Fellow; she is currently working with the Social Media Stream on a project aiming to understand how people with visible differences use social media in relation to their condition. |
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Diana is a health psychologist and, with Amy Slater, the co-lead (Principal Investigator) for this programme of work. She is leading the stream of work focussing on supportive interventions, offering expertise and experience in leading large appearance-related research programmes. |
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Abbi is PhD student with previous experience working within the VTCT Foundation team at CAR. Her PhD involves investigating the role of social media in reducing stigma towards people with visible differences. |
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Amy is, with Diana Harcourt, the co-lead (Principal Investigator) for this programme of work. She is leading the stream of work focussing on social media and has internationally recognised expertise in the area of social media use and appearance-related concerns. |
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Rosie Thomas |
Rosie is the research administrator for the team. She works part time and is studying to be a Counsellor. |
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Maia is a Research Fellow; she is currently working on developing an ACT-based intervention focused on intimacy and relationships for adults with a visible difference, and an intervention to support parents of children and young people with appearance-altering conditions or injuries. |
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Experienced applied statistician providing guidance on projects. |
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Fabio is a Research Fellow; he is currently working to develop psychological support, training and public education on visible difference in the UK. |
The VTCT Foundation team
The VTCT team is made up of experts in the field of appearance research.
Contact us
For any enquiry, please contact Rosie Thomas, VTCT Foundation Research Administrator at rosie.thomas@uwe.ac.uk.
Alternatively, contact the Centre for Appearance Research (CAR) office.
You may also be interested in
Research at the Centre for Appearance Research (CAR)
Discover our themes, how you can get involved, projects and PhD research.
Research projects at the Centre for Appearance Research (CAR)
See how the CAR research projects make a difference.
Publications from CAR
Recent publications and key readings in appearance research.
Collaborations with Centre for Appearance Research (CAR)
Read about our collaborations with Dove, YMCA, Clic Sargent, Breast Cancer Now and many more.