This module challenges assumptions about what it is like to live in a context of poverty and highlights how poverty itself shapes our thinking and choices. Participants are encouraged to reflect on how they understand poverty and how services designed to alleviate financial hardship can often make things more difficult for the people they are meant to help. This module aims to challenge pre-conceived ideas about people living in financially difficult circumstances and identify how services can be designed to help rather than hinder.

This module is pitched at an introductory level and attendees will have a suite of insights that can be applied in their day-to-day work.

Content includes:

• A description of the benefits and risks of psychological approaches to understanding poverty
• Insights into poverty’s influence on the individual
• Insights into the effects of environments of poverty
• Reflections on how biases about poverty influence work

This module is suitable for everyone interested in practical insights into alleviating the distress caused by environments of poverty.