Psychology

Profile

Background

Mike graduated from Portsmouth University in July 1996.  Prior to his degree he worked extensively as a support worker in the fields of disability and mental health.  On completion of his degree he worked in Bristol and London and went on to successfully implement and manage a quantitative research project that identified the health and social support needs of disabled people and a qualitative study that identified the critical ingredients underlying service users’ engagement and disengagement with mental health services. 

Mike returned to the department in October 2004 to work as a graduate teaching assistant and to undertake a long intended PhD.  His chosen area of study is how severe mental illness impacts on peoples' lives. In particular he is interested in qualitatively exploring how people with severe mental illness may lose agency in their lives, along with elements of their personal and social identity, and how this impacts on their engagement with mental health services.