In Volume I two papers are presented which focus on the practice of Assertive Outreach Teams (AOT) in the United Kingdom. In chapter 1 of this volume a review of the literature on Assertive Outreach Teams in the UK is presented. This review focuses on studies from the UK as it is argued that generalizations cannot be made from USA based studies. This is followed in Chapter 2 by an empirical study on the relationship between the factors of shame, stigma, engagement and ethnicity in AOTs in Birmingham. This study investigated whether black clients and white clients differed with respect to how engaged they were with services, and what role the factors of shame and stigma play in his. In Volume II five clinical practice reports (CPR) are presented. In CPR 1 the case of a client from secondary care is formulated from two theoretical perspectives. The perspectives are compared and contrasted and references are made to clinical implications. CPR 2 outlines a qualitative service evaluation into the use of interpreting services by those carrying out psychological therapies. The outcomes of this evaluation are linked to policy and legislation and the report makes recommendations with regard to future practice. In CPR 3 a single case experimental study is presented. The case presented is that of a 7 year old with Aspergers syndrome. A Cogntive Behavioral Intervention was utilised and its effectiveness is examined. CPR 4 outlines a case study of a man with learning disabilities who engages in cigarette pica. The behavioral intervention used in this case is outlined and assessed. Finally in CPR 5 a précis of a Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) intervention is presented. A case study approach is taken and reflections are made on all aspects of the work carried out (assessment, formulation, intervention and outcome).

This thesis is concerned with understanding and describing the nature of 'community' within digital domains. A literature review indicates multiple media use within communities. The increasing range of personal and organisational technologies available suggests digital communities are more than just online communities. As such they require a new method of assessment. The design of digital communities should be based on an understanding of 'community' in digital domains. Previous assessments, often focusing exclusively on the Internet, failed to recognise the ways in which technologies are integrated within communities. A new assessment method should allow the examination of integrated technology effects on communities through an analysis of important community features. To assess digital communities a framework consisting of five headings was developed. The framework allows the effects of technologies to be examined across a range of communities. Taking a convergent methodologies approach five studies were undertaken covering a range of technologies and media integration issues. The results suggest that digital communities are groups of people using technology to support their social interaction needs. Media use within digital communities is heavily integrated and the social needs of community members drive technology use. Designers should provide communities with flexible technology that permits integration and member adaptation.

The increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) amongst South Asians (SAs) is unclear. This thesis examined potential biomarkers to address this. Cross-sectional data on SAs from community (n=1304) and hospital (n=148) populations was collected. Biomarkers were analysed by genotyping, mass spectrometry, automated-immuno-colourimetric-assays, ELISAs, and a new in-house assay for a novel marker, ferritin bound to apolipoprotein B. Diagnostic performance was assessed using receiver operating curves, logistic and linear regression models. C-reactive protein (CRP) was a comprehensive marker of CVD risk, where a range of 1.43-2.30 mg/L maximised sensitivity and specificity. CRP SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) -390C>T/A contributed minimally to variation in CRP levels. Non-fasting triglycerides discriminated SAs at increased CVD risk, where APOA5 SNP -1131T>C was an independent predictor of triglycerides but APOC3 SNP -455T>C and -482C>T were not associated with triglycerides. The performance of IL-6, vWF, D-dimer and P-selectin were poor in comparison to CRP and triglycerides. BNP discriminated SAs with systolic heart failure with a cut off value of 36.4 pmol/l. Of the newly investigated biomarkers, a link between haemoglobin abnormalities and CVD was observed potentially through a mechanism involving iron transportation on lipoproteins. CRP and triglycerides should be considered in the routine CVD risk assessment of SAs.

Black radical politics are comprehensively defined and the aim is to understand how such a political ideology can be used to overcome racial inequalities in contemporary Britain. A Black radical challenge to mainstream racial theory within the academy is outlined, along with an interrogation of the principle limitation of Black radical thought, that of essentialism and cultural authenticity. To illustrate how a Black radical approach can be understood, the position was applied to inequalities in schooling. Black radicalism argues for a Black independent education. Black supplementary schools are spaces organised by concerned members of the Black community and offer extra teaching of mainstream curricula and also Black studies. These are presented as potential spaces for Black radical independent education. A Black supplementary school was selected as a case study, where a critical participatory ethnography was undertaken. The researcher spent 7 months working as a teacher in the supplementary school, collecting extensive fieldnotes. Experiences in the programme revealed strengths in the relationships, diverse curriculum and empowering nature of the environment for students. A number of challenges also arose including structure, coordination and decline in attendance. Overall, the potential for a Black radical independent education exists within Black supplementary school movement.

The mechanism through which goals influence stereotype activation/control is unclear. This thesis aimed to shed some light on the mechanism through which internally-generated and externally-imposed goals influence stereotype activation by applying Fishbach and colleagues’ model of goal progress. Across six experiments, I demonstrated that (1) internal, but not external, egalitarian goals result in less stereotype accessibility (consistent with egalitarian goal pursuit) following a potentially large goal–behaviour discrepancy (Experiment 2), (2) external, but not internal, egalitarian goals result in less stereotype accessibility (consistent with egalitarian goal pursuit) when contemplating past success (Experiment 1), but not following a potentially small goal–behaviour discrepancy or a potential goal–behaviour match (Experiments 3 & 4), and (3) internal egalitarian goals result in concern over including ambiguous faces in the ingroup, but only following a potential goal–behaviour discrepancy. External egalitarian goals irrespective of goal–behaviour discrepancy size, and internal egalitarian goals following a potential goal–behaviour match, both result in concern over accurate categorisation (Experiment 6). These findings suggest that the source of a goal (i.e., internal vs. external), and discrepancy size for internal, but not external, goals, are important parts of the mechanism through which goals influence social categorisation and stereotype activation.

Volume I is comprised of two papers; the literature review and a research paper. The literature review presents a narrative account, exploring the literature related to understanding the experience of ethnic minority therapists. The research paper follows on from this review and is therefore a qualitative exploration of the experience of identity in Black British psychologists. Volume II contains five Clinical Practice Reports (CPR‘s) that were completed during the course of training.

The portrayal of migrants in Spanish and British media and political discourse has been the focus of much recent academic study and is largely concerned with negative images. Where positive or sympathetic portrayals have been examined, they alert us to pitfalls: compassion aroused by the portrayal of migrants as victims is a double-edged sword because victims need an external agent to empower them and, therefore, are deprived of their own agency. The image of the 'passive' and 'rightless' migrant has been counteracted by literature that portrays migrants as 'political activists' mobilising to demand legalisation of their immigration status. This portrayal of the 'activist migrant' can be viewed as 'utopian' whereby migrants are transformed into a new historical subject for social change and, as such, become the site for the projection of political hopes and desires. This study focuses on an area of research that has received little attention - how migrants' rights organisations portray migrants. Two organisations provided the research sites for the case studies: Sevilla Acoge, based in Seville, Spain, and Praxis, based in London, Britain. As demonstrated in this thesis, both of them were strongly influenced by the radical leftist ideas of liberation theology. The thesis argues that over a period of approximately thirty years (from the 1980s to the early 2010s) the portrayal of migrants shifted from a political to a humanitarian framing. More specifically, it shows that these changing portrayals reflected shifts in the organisations' values and expressed a sense of disappointment in the politics of the past that had aimed to change society through collective political action. This cross-country, comparative and longitudinal study uses a mixed-methods approach to investigate the changing portrayals of migrants. The case studies illustrate the consequences of the humanitarian trumping the political approach to migrants' rights and the implications of this for the possibilities of political action and empowerment.

Since the first high speed railway came into operation in 2008, China has stepped into a new era of rapid development based on efficient transport connections and a strong economic engine. Subsequently, an unprecedented urban extension campaign of ‘High Speed Railway New Town’ emerged and has attracted immense attention. Local governments have demonstrated great ambitions on urban development around high speed rail stations and shown huge enthusiasm for its potential. A great many cities with connection to high speed rail have set up grand plan and design for the so called ‘High Speed Rail New Town’. Although authorities tend to put great confidence in HSR construction and station area development, the process is, in fact, by no means easy. It is a rather tortuous and complicated process, full of fierce debate, conflicts of interest and ambiguous impact. The major objective of this thesis is to investigate the current development strategies of high speed railway new towns in China in relation to their node value and place value, with the ultimate intention to provide guidelines for the rational development process for this new type of urban settlement. A specific case, Wuxi East New Town, as the earliest constructed ‘High Speed Railway New Town’ in China with the fastest development speed at present, was selected and critically explored to show the current development picture and evaluate its strength and weakness. Due to the uniqueness and the initial development stage of ‘High Speed Railway New Town’ in China, comprehensive lessons from international experience in new town development and urban development around high speed railway stations were critically studied. Hence, synthesising existing literature and knowledge related to China's HSR New Town and relating this to international experience is an important and original contribution to the research.

Historically, the study of retirement has tended to adopt an androcentric bias by assuming that a woman’s experience aligns to that of a man. In addition, the focus on the experience of Caucasian participants has also been noted, with ethnic minorities considered under-researched within the field of psychology. The current study aimed to redress both of these pertinent issues by exploring how black Caribbean-born women living in the United Kingdom construct their experience of retirement. Eight women who self-identified as voluntarily retired were recruited, and data was collected through each participating in an individual semi-structured interview. A social constructionist epistemology was ascribed to, and data was analysed using discursive psychology. Of interest was how the participants’ discourse created their social reality of retirement, and what the discursive implications of this constructed meaning was for the retiree. Three main discursive constructions were identified: connections, negotiating difference and life learning. These different constructions highlight how retirement is presented as a powerful object that has the capability to shift the retiree towards positions of destabilisation and unease. In the context of retirement, participants aligned to either a position of agency or passivity, with each creating different consequences for how retirement is constructed and the meanings derived from it. The analysis explored how, when located within a religious discourse, the impact of retirement upon the participant lessens, as well as how dominant discourses constructed in early life experiences seemingly still impact upon how the participants communicate not just their retirement but experiences more generally. The current research acknowledges the intersectionality of experience for the studied population and, in line with counselling psychology philosophy, champions the unique subjectivity of the participants’ experience. The insights gained from this study can be used as a guide for researchers and clinicians alike, to advocate the importance of maintaining cultural awareness within their practice. The limitations, implications and suggestions for future research are also considered.

Indigenous people in Mexico have historically been subjected to subordinate positions in relation to dominant non-indigenous groups. Indigenous people continue to face political exclusion, social discrimination and economic disadvantages compared to the non-indigenous population. Most studies use a universalising approach to conceptualise wellbeing in order to account for these differences among groups, neglecting to consider local indigenous understandings of wellbeing, and how such understandings may be obscured by inter-ethnic power relations at the local level. This research contributes to the larger debate of how asymmetries among social groups are formed, how they are contested through the articulation of discourses, and the implications of mobilising discourses as a political tool at the local level. The dissertation focuses on the case of the Raramuri indigenous people of Northern Mexico, and uses detailed ethnographic evidence to explore how discourses of wellbeing are constructed by the Raramuri people in their daily interactions with the non-indigenous population and how power asymmetries between these groups form and persist. It does so by pursuing three main objectives. The first is to document local understandings of wellbeing which emerge for the Raramuri people in contexts of ethno-political oppression. The second is to uncover underlying power relations that hinder wellbeing and reproduce ethnically differentiated vulnerabilities. Examples of this are land conflicts and institutional arrangements behind land management schemes. The third objective is to analyse resulting mechanisms of resistance employed by the Raramuri indigenous people in order to seek control of practices and customs that promotes ethnic distinction. These three pillars provide a novel framework to explore the formation and perpetuation of asymmetrical social, economic and political relations at the local level. The study finds that the Raramuri people, like other minority groups living in the margins of nation states and global markets, are constrained to act strategically to face political, economic and social exclusion, while at the same time, taking the opportunity of this position to articulate culturally embedded discourses and mechanisms to reinforce their identity and self-definition. It is in the marginal context that the Raramuri discourse of living well develops and makes sense; fluctuating between the tension of having the right to live differently and the need to be part of the larger society. As a result, this discourse, by stressing ethnic membership and differentiation from other groups, appeals to culturally deep-seated homogenising and idealised elements of ethnicity. Consequently, Raramuri people articulate a recurrent strategy of resistance that allows them to consolidate their cultural identity and the internal cohesion of the group. However, this strategy limits political influence and their capacity to challenge the asymmetric power relations they face from dominant, non-indigenous spheres.