In collaboration with the College of Trichological Science and Practice (CTSP), Alopecia UK is delighted to announce the launch of a new online course ‘Introduction to the Psychology of Hair Loss and Scalp Conditions’. This course offers 3.5 hours of verified continuing professional development (CPD) and is available to any professional working with people with hair and scalp conditions.

At Alopecia UK our mission is to improve the lives of those affected by alopecia. One of the ways we do this is by working to raising awareness of alopecia and the psychological impact it can have.  We aim to do this amongst the general public but also with professionals who those with alopecia come into contact with. We do this to help ensure that the person with alopecia has a good experience when seeing that professional.

In 2021 Alopecia UK contributed to an EduQual accredited Level 4 Certificate in Hair and Scalp Science, developed by the College of Trichological Science and Practice (CTSP). Recognising the importance of the psychological impact of hair loss, the CTSP wanted to ensure that their course covered relevant issues to those with hair loss. After the course was launched, the psychology section received positive feedback and the CTSP approached Alopecia UK to ask if we would write a stand-alone short course which could be accessed by any professional interested in learning more about the impact of hair and scalp conditions.

Iain Sallis from the CTSP said:

“As a Trichologist you soon realise hair loss issues are complex and varied; however, the result is always the same to the patient. it is largely a psychological issue revolving around self-confidence, self-esteem, and body image. As I'm not trained to counsel people I felt I needed some further education to help me navigate my patients emotions and ensure I give them quality advice on how to find further support.

This course focused my learning on how to understand the patient’s emotional journey, clarify the potential psychological issues hair loss can cause and gave vital information on how to help people with signposting to the relevant resources available for my patients to access”. 

Dr Kerry Montgomery, Psychological Wellbeing Lead for Alopecia UK, who led on writing the psychology course said:

"It has been a pleasure to work with the CTSP who appreciate how important it is for professionals to understand the psychological impact of hair and scalp conditions. Working closely with the CTSP’s Education committee to develop the psychology course has been really interesting and has helped us to understand what training professionals currently receive and where the gaps are. This opportunity will hopefully enable Alopecia UK to reach more professionals in contact with those experiencing hair loss to raise awareness and provide them with tools to support those who are experiencing distress."

We are delighted that the CTSP will be donating a proportion of each course fee to Alopecia UK to support our work.

You can find out more about the CTSP including their mission and aims here.

You can find more details, including how to enrol on the ‘Introduction to the Psychology of Hair Loss and Scalp Conditions’ here.