Mrs Karen  Eaton-Thomas BSc, PGCE, MSc, GMBPsS, FHEA

• Programme manager of BSc Mental Health and CertHE Understanding Mental Health.
• Teaching on undergraduate Psychology programmes.
• Supervision of undergraduate dissertations.

I originally came from a background in Health and Social Care before becoming a research assistant and postgraduate student at Swansea University, working on a funded project in collaboration with Bangor University and the Welsh Government.

My research involved studying children`s cognitive and language ability and the development of appropriate assessment tools for bilingual children in Wales. Since joining UWTSD in 2012, my research interests have shifted towards the mental health and wellbeing of individuals, and, in particular for those who are considered a vulnerable population.

• Graduate member of the British Psychological Society (BPS)
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

My academic interests and teaching comprise forensic and clinical psychology, along with the mental health and wellbeing of individuals, including those of vulnerable populations. The majority of my teaching focuses on topical issues relating to mental health, such as the role of media in raising awareness of mental health stigma, societal attitudes and stereotyping.

My original areas of research interest were grounded in hemispheric specialisation and lateralisation of function, specifically in relation to emotionality, cognitive function and language. More recently I have focused on stigma, self-stigma, self-esteem and self-efficacy in vulnerable populations.

• Assistant Test User: Occupational Qualification
• Test User: Occupational Ability Qualification
• Test User: Occupational Personality Qualification
• Register of Qualifications in Test Use (RQTU)

• Beaton, A. A., Richards, G., & Eaton-Thomas, K. M. (2022). Short shrift for Right Shift theory? Exploration of handedness and reading ability in schoolchildren. Oral presentation at  the Laterality Conference, Bergen, Norway, August (2022).
• Coleman, S. L., Cooke, Z., Eaton-Thomas, K. M., & Hill, L. (2016). There is no “I” in Team. Oral presentation at University of Wales Trinity Saint David NEXUS Conference, March 2016.
• Greenway, C.W., & Eaton-Thomas, K. M. (2020). Parent experiences of home-schooling children with special educational needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. British Journal of Special Education, 47(4), 510-535.