Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Alan Hirons
Senior Lecturer
Alan is a Senior Lecturer for the School of Health's BSc and MSc Occupational Therapy programmes.
About
Alan is a Senior Lecturer for the School of Health's BSc and MSc Occupational Therapy programmes.
Alan is a Senior Lecturer for the School of Health's BSc and MSc Occupational Therapy programmes.
Alan has recently arrived at Leeds Beckett University after 23 years working in NHS mental health services. These have included acute inpatient settings, forensic inpatient and community services, and for the last 18 years in the Leeds Personality Disorder Services in both the community and offender services.
Alan has been a module-lead on the MSc Working with Personality Disorder - Extending Expertise and Enhancing Practice. He was also part of the Trust's coaching team.
The major themes of Alan's NHS work have been the development of dedicated thinking and practice of Occupational Therapy in work with people with complex emotional needs, the design and delivery of Occupation Therapy informed interventions, the process of developing and enacting the therapeutic relationship using occupational means, the integration of the occupational perspective of health in multi-disciplinary/multi-agency settings, and the development and maintenance of the 'health' of organisations/services that work with people with complex emotional needs.
Related links
Research interests
Alan has a specific interest in the relationship between people's experiences of trauma and their occupational participation.
Publications (3)
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“How could I know what to do?”
09 August 2023
The Journey from Prison to Community Routledge
Stickney J, Hirons A, Jenner HThis chapter focuses on the practical skills required for successful community living. It discusses the repercussions of attachment disruption and chronic childhood trauma in limiting a person’s ability to learn and develop practical skills. It highlights how institutionalisation negatively impacts on the development, maintenance and application of practical skills required for successful community resettlement, which in turn affects individuals’ self-worth, self-belief and ultimately feelings of being accepted within the community. Finally, the chapter reflects on key areas we can focus on to assist the development and application of practical skills to support people moving from prison into the community.
