Tom Patterson

My research interests broadly focus on aspects of the clinical psychology of adults and older people and include: 1. Positive Psychology and its application to mental health across the adult lifespan in areas such as: self-compassion, mindfulness, post-traumatic growth, resilience and coping styles, coping with caring for people with dementia (including the positive aspects of caregiving); 2. The assessment of positive functioning in clinical psychology and psychotherapeutic practice; 3. The person-centred paradigm and its interface with self-determination theory, as well as the application of person-centred constructs (such as unconditional positive self-regard and self-actualisation) to mental health 4. The non-medicalised evaluation of therapeutic change; 5. Self-conscious emotions in dementia, and emotional awareness and understanding in people with dementia.  

My background is in mental health, where I worked in a number of differnt roles before training as a clinical psychologist and going on to work clinically in both  adult and older people's services within the NHS.  I have clinical interests in Dementia, Depression (particularly in later life), Complex Trauma, and PTSD. I currently work full-time in Clinical Psychology Training.

A strengths-based approach, together with a belief that positive factors can make an important contribution to clinical psychology's understanding of how people cope with or adjust to the various difficulties that they experience, informs my approach to teaching, research and practice.