Kathryn is professor of education at the University of Sheffield.  Her teaching career started in the late 1970s on employment schemes for 16- to 19-year-olds, followed by Access to Higher Education and vocational courses in further education. Her research explores the ways in which preoccupation with ‘emotional well-being’, ‘resilience’ and ‘vulnerability’ encourages the spread of ideas and practices from therapy, counselling and psychology throughout the education system, changing teacher/student relationships, the curriculum and support systems.

Her books include The Dangerous Rise of Theapeutic Education (co-authored with Dennis Hayes) and Emotional Well-Being in Policy and Practice.  She is working on a forthcoming book, Governing Vulnerable Subjects in a Therapeutic Age, and a research project on the rise of ‘vulnerable’ students and its effects on university life.