On the 29th May 2025, research by Miles and his leadership of PSRG (the Psychological Sciences Research Group) was profiled on the UWE Research and External Engagement website. See original blog here (opens external site).

“For community psychologists, our work should benefit the collective, not just the individual. So we’re always looking to make broader changes at community and structural levels to have the greatest impact on society.”

Dr Miles Thompson, Associate Professor in Psychology, Lead of the Psychological Sciences Research Group  

By background, I’m a clinical psychologist, with expertise in chronic pain. I also lead the Psychological Sciences Research Group (PSRG) here at UWE Bristol.  

Through our applied research, PSRG has a positive influence on people and places – at home, in the workplace, and in the wider social environment. We do this through our three themes.

Three in one: PSRG

Firstly, there’s ACN, which is Applied Cognition and Neuroscience. Here, we’re interested in the workings of the mind and brain, but in a very applied way. Understanding what’s going on internally, and how we can use that knowledge to make people’s lives better. 

Next up, is OPE, Optimising Performance and Engagement. Here, we have our sport, exercise and work psychologists. They’re working with top tier businesses, elite athletes and sports teams, looking at everything from athlete wellbeing, to ageism in the workplace, to career development of expatriates and high-skilled immigrants. It is anything but traditional research here. It’s applied all the way.  

Finally, there’s PPH – Promoting Psychological Health. This is home for many of our health and counselling psychologists. There’s obviously key elements of traditional psychology here, where we’re helping individuals to make a difference to their own lives.  

But also, we think more broadly too. More critically. Exploring big themes like capitalism, inequality, poverty, social justice. How those forces impact individuals and communities. And this is the area that really interests me.  

Community psychology and social change 

So, I research within an area called community psychology. And community psychology kind of does what it says on the tin. Instead of just focusing on the individual, we’re also interested in the wider structures that impact an individual’s life. Like the big themes I mentioned above. Because if you’re not actually influencing things at a community or societal level, then you potentially just end up with more and more people coming to see you individually. And you don’t actually get to make those individuals better, you just try and help them cope with bad situations. 

Context is everything 

I think one of the great things about psychology at UWE Bristol is that we have a lot of people who love psychology, who also love working in more applied, more broad and more critical ways. For some, elsewhere, psychology can be purely about the individual. Working with individuals in isolation. But it is important to see individuals in context. Which is what lots of us do here. 

All our work is applied. We are working to make real differences in the real world. In health, in workplaces, in sports teams and in the community. For me, what we do has to benefit the collective. That means looking to make broader changes at community and structural levels. Because that’s how we’re going to make the biggest difference.