A WEBSITE offering evidence-based psychological support for people with visible differences and their families has been launched by university researchers.
Academics from the Centre for Appearance Research (CAR) at UWE Bristol collaborated with national charities to develop the free-to-access Visible Difference Support Hub, providing help for people with conditions, treatment, or injuries that affect how a person looks. This includes burn injuries, skin conditions, limb loss, craniofacial conditions, alopecia, scarring and other differences in appearance.
More than 1.1 million people in the UK have a visible difference of some kind. Research by the team at CAR has explored the challenges faced by people living with a visible difference in a society that seems obsessed with appearance, and led them to create resources to help.
The new website is a comprehensive collection of tried-and-tested resources that have been brought together to support people who might be struggling with problems such as other people’s reactions, bullying, or feeling self-conscious or nervous about new relationships. The resources come in a variety of formats, including an e-book, podcasts, videos, booklets and even a board game.
Based on years of robust research by the internationally recognised team of experts at CAR, the resources have been informed by input from people with lived experience of visible difference and well-established psychological principles. All 13 resources on the website have been rigorously evaluated to ensure they will benefit people living with a visible difference.
Diana Harcourt, Professor of Appearance and Health Psychology at CAR, said: ““The psychological and social impact of a visible difference can be substantial, so we’re very pleased to be launching this unique website, offering support through a range of resources, free of charge. Because of the research we’ve been doing, and because these resources available through the hub are based on solid psychological approaches, we can be confident that they are going to be helpful.” www.VisibleDifferenceSupportHub.com