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Michael Richards

Senior Lecturer in Applied Health and Social Care, Edge Hill University

Michael is a community and chartered psychologist, with particular research interests in working collaboratively with marginalised groups using different methods including, art, poetry, film, photography, and drama. For example, his PhD aimed to provide a rich and contextual account from the perspective of men labelled with learning difficulties on health promotion. In the development of forty-five workshops, using qualitative, auto ethnographic and participatory approaches, the research uncovered the ways in which these men demonstrated understanding of health promotion, in the context of multiple disciplines including, community psychology, disability studies, ethnography, critical theory and post humanism.

His academic experiences are coupled with his extensive experiences of working in the community, and with professional organisations including social services, housing associations, youth projects, charities, schools and colleges. He has worked with the most marginalised people in society, including people labelled with learning disabilities, homeless people, offenders and victims of abuse in local contexts such as community radio, pubs and museums. Michael has taught psychology at the University of Salford and Manchester Metropolitan University, and is currently a member and secretary of the Community Psychology Section of the BPS. He is passionate about embracing community work with community psychology theory with the aim to help people develop changes in their lives and communities. Michael is also a keen poet and has recently published a couple of collections. He has presented at 40 local, national and international conferences, presenting work relating to his work and research in the community.

Experience

  • –present
    Lecturer in Applied Health and Social Care, Edge Hill University

Education

  • 2015 
    Manchester Metropolitan University, PhD