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Professor Andrew Thompson

Professor Andrew Thompson

Professor of Clinical Psychology (Hons.), Programme Director (DClinPsy)

Email
thompsona18@cardiff.ac.uk

Overview

Programme Director & Consultant Clinical Psychologist - Cardiff & Vale University Health Board & Professor of Clinical Psychology Cardiff University. HCPC Registered Clinical Psychologist & HCPC Registered Health Psychologist. Accredited Practitioner in Cognitive Analytic Therapy

Research expertise - 1. long-term conditions affecting appearance and body-image (particular expertise in the psychosocial aspects of skin conditions); secondary interests - 2. psychodermatology; 3. psychosocial aspects of autism. Theoretical interests include mindfulness, ACT, and self-compassion.

Teaching expertise: Professor Thompson leads the South Wales doctorate in clinical psychology and teaches postgraduate trainee clinical psychologists on a number of clinical topics. Specific teaching expertise includes research methods as applied in clinical psychology, ethics, and psychological aspects of long-term conditions. Andrew has also developed teaching resources for Health Education England e-learning platform on psychological aspects of skin conditions and has provided numerous professional development workshops for medical and healthcare professionals.

Keynote and invited speeches include: European Society of Dermatology and Psychiatry, The British Association of Dermatologists Annual Meeting, The British Dermatology Nursing Annual Meeting, and The Royal Society for Medicine: Medicine and Me series of public lectures.

Media: Invited interviews include Radio 4 All in the Mind. Professor Thompson provides regular commentary to media providers and recent examples of commentaries provided to The British Psychological Society can be found here, to the British Skin Foundation here, and to the BBC here.

Summary of external activity:

Visiting roles - Visiting Professor of Clinical Psychology - University of Sheffield  - 2021-current; Former visiting Professor of Clinical Psychology - University of Hull - 2014-2017

Committee memberships and advisory roles -

Workforce and Training subcommittee Wales representative, The Division of Clinical Psychology, British Psychological Society.

Group of Trainers in Clinical Psychology & Division of Clinical Psychology Representative to the British Psychological Society Research Board

Psychological Advisor - The All Party Parliamentary Group on Skin

Trustee - Changing Faces

Research board member - Vitiligo Society

Former Psychological Advisor - The Katie Piper Foundation - 2013-2018

Former Research Committee member - Alopecia UK - 2018-2020

External examining roles - current appointments - UEL, Newcastle (multiple prior HEI appointments)

Editorial roles - British Journal of Health Psychology (Incoming co-editor in chief);  British Journal of Dermatology (Associate Editor); Scars, Burns, & Healing (Associate Editor)

Reviewer for funding applications for multiple research councils and charities including ESRC, NIHR, and MRC. Reviewer for multiple peer review journals in the field of psychology, medicine, nursing, and allied healthcare

Biography

Employment history

Reader in Clinical Psychology, Clinical Psychology Training Programme, University of Sheffield - 2001-2019

Clinical Lecturer 2001-2007, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology 2007-2011, Reader in Clinical Psychology 2011-2019. Between 1998-2019 Professor Thompson provided NHS services in South Yorkshire, working in adult mental health services (up until 2007), and then providing specialist clinical health psychology services (including establishing and leading an IAPT pathway for dermatology patients).

Principal Clinical Psychologist, Barnsley NHS Adult Mental Health Services. Following gaining qualification in 1998 Professor Thompson worked in adult mental health services until 2007. This included work in primary care, secondary care, and regional secure services.

Postgraduate education

D.Clin.Psy – University of Sheffield – 1998

Undergraduate education

University of Liverpool BA(Hons) Psychology - 1991

Professional memberships

British Psychological Society (since 1988) - Division of Clinical Psychology (Chartered since 1998); Division of Health Psychology (Chartered since 2007); Faculty of Clnical Health Psychology (Committee Member); Qualitative Methods Section (member)

Association of Cognitive Analytic Therapy (Practitioner member)

British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy (Member)

Association of Clinical Psychologists (Member)

European Association of Health Psychology (Member)

European Society of Dermatology and Psychiatry (Member)

Publications

2024

2023

2022

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2019

2018

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1997

Professor Thompson's research on the psychological consequences of conditions affecting appearance has been used within clinical guidelines to improve patient care for people living with skin conditions. It has also directly developed and contributed to the availability of a number of self-help resources and assisted in shaping NHS service delivery for dermatology patients.It formed a REF2021 case study which can be found here. Professor Thompson also has a secondary research interest in experience of service use and wellbeing in autism. 

Publications:

Professor Thompson has over 100 peer reviewed articles and 200 peer reviewed conference presentations. Details of peer reviewed publications can be found on orcid.

Details of a CBT-based psychosocial intervention manual for use with individuals experiencing distress associated with having a perceived or noticeable visible difference can be found here. Professor Thompson has also co-edited a qualitative methods handbook specifically focused on methods for use by mental health and psychotherapy postgraduates and practitioners that can be found here.

Professor Thompson has authored over fourteen book chapters on topics related to research methods, appearance concern, or psychological aspects of skin disease. Some examples of book chapters on psychosocial aspects of skin conditions can be found here and on anxiety here.

Research funding:

To support research activity associated with psychological aspects of visible difference significant funding has been received from a number of funding bodies including NIHR, MRC, ESRC, The Healing Foundation, The British Skin Foundation, The Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Association, and Alopecia UK.

Examples of recent funding received:

NIHR (2021- ) - Developing and testing an online intervention to support self-management, improve outcomes and reduce antibiotic use in acne (£1,901,577.00)

Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Association (2017-2019) - Examining the association between parental mindfulness in parental and child wellbeing in childhood psoriasis: Should we test mindful parenting as an intervention (£66,097)

Select examples of previous funding include:

METRC (2014) - Understanding the psychosocial impact of skin conditions and developing learning and teaching resources for dermatology healthcare professionals (£40,000)

Healing Foundation (2004) - Identifying factors and processes contributing to successful adjustment to disfiguring conditions in collaboration (£500,000) - in collaboration with colleagues in The University of Sheffield, UCL, UWE, University of Bradford, University of Warwick

Professor Thompson has also received funding to support the development of good research governance practice from JISC and received funding from The Tropical Health Education Trust to support research associated with global mental health in Uganda.

Examples of funding in these areas include:

QR Global Challenge Research Fund (2019) - Delivery of sustainable low intensity mental health interventions, training, and mental health promotion in Northern Uganda (£39,482)

Tropical Health Education Trust (2015) - Respectful Management of Violence and Aggression Training in Gulu Regional Referral Hospital and Surrounding Districts (£82,748) - in collaboration with colleagues in Sheffield Health & Social Care NHS Foundation Trust & Gulu Regional Referral Hospital.

JISC (2010) - Postgraduate training for research data management in the psychological sciences (£57,870) - in collaboration with colleagues in The University of York, Sheffield Hallam University

Supervision

Postgraduate research interests

Information on research expertise and interests can be found in the overview and research tabs. Particular interest in supervising research associated with psychosocial aspects of long-term conditions that affect appearance, and in particular psychological aspects of skin disease.

If interested in undertaking a PhD in this area please contact Andrew and visit this site to learn how to make a formal application to study at Cardiff University

Current students

PhD - Olivia Hughes - Developing a mindfulness-based online support resource to support children and their families affected by skin conditions

PhD - Georgina Wren - Investigating the prevalence and impact of psychological issues and mood disorders related to X-linked Ichthyosis

PhD - Dr Laura Shepherd - Predicting the development of appearance anxiety following burn injuries and initial evaluation of an early intervention - NIHR Clinical Research Doctoral Fellowship award

In addition to these PhD studentships Andrew is supervising multiple clinical psychology doctorates related to clinical health psychology or autism.

Past projects

Professor Thompson has successfully supervised eight PhD studentships including four which were supported by competitive research council funding applications such as ESRC CASE and MRC awards. He have successfully supervised over 50 clinical psychology doctorates and over 10 masters students. Several students have gained awards for their work including The Seymour Fisher Outstanding Body Image Dissertation Annual Award (Z. Muftin - 2012 - A Randomised Controlled Feasibility Trial of Online Compassion-focused Self-Help for Psoriasis), The University of Sheffield Enterprise Award (K. Montgomery - 2016 - Mindfulness and skin conditions), The Association of Clinical Psychologists Clinical Psychology Doctorate Award (A. Leedham - 2020 - Female experience of autism), and The Dvision of Clinical Psychology Trainee Research Award (G.Rawlings - 2022 - A Randomised Controlled Feasibility Trial of Cognitive Behavioural Self-Help for Pulmonary Hypertension.

Related news

A new study led by PhD student, Georgina Wren, has identified a genetic mechanism associated with heart rhythm abnormalities that can lead to heart failure, blood clots and brain-related complications including stroke and dementia.

Study identifies new gene for heart problems associated with increased neurological disorder risk

18 November 2022

External profiles