Hello, I’m Claire, a second year PhD student at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) with a particular interest in Developmental Psychology. My PhD study will take a multi-stakeholder approach using Experience-based Co-design (EBCD) to explore the lived experiences of parents who adopt children with trauma histories.
As an adoptive parent, and struggling to find support and understanding for my son’s psychological challenges, I set about educating myself on the impact of early life adversity on a child’s brain development. In 2020, I shifted from being a freelance translator of French, German and Spanish to undertaking my Masters studies in childhood development. My final research project was awarded best dissertation by MMU’s Department of Psychology and has since been published in The British Journal of Social Work.
Outside of academia, I run a busy home which includes a lovely Ukrainian family, who have lived with us for over a year. I enjoy resistance training, yoga, but most of all snuggles with my two dogs, Dexter and Josie.