Thomas’ poster was titled “Pathways for Mental Health and Well-Being Support and Service Provision following Sport-Related Catastrophic Injury: A Systematic Review.” His research, in collaboration with the RFU Injured Players Foundation, aimed to synthesise and understand current mental health support pathways and/or provision for those who become disabled through sport.
Thomas acknowledged that the findings from the review highlight the need for further inquiry into the experiences of delivered mental health support in this population. He now looks forward to starting empirical investigation with interviewing catastrophically injured sportspeople.
When asked for a comment on the conference itself, Thomas had the following to say:
“It was a great opportunity to share findings of my work in the early stages of my PhD. In particular, having discussions with practitioners, researchers, and policy makers who work with and for spinal cord injured individuals. The conference provided a great opportunity to build links with practitioners working in national spinal units and researchers in similar fields. A key takeaway for me was the Spinal Injuries Association presentation on their national strategy and how my research aligns with their target for improving mental health support.”
Everyone from the PHC would like to congratulate Thomas on presenting the first study from his PhD research!