A new EU Erasmus+ funded project aimed at helping health professionals better support children and adults with disfiguring conditions kicked off in Thessaloniki, Greece on 15 December. The two-year project comprises partners from Estonia, Greece, Cyprus, Norway, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden , and the UK in addition to the European Cleft Organisation. The project will develop training material targeted at health professionals to enable them to support patients through Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) which offers a psychological model well suited to the needs of patients with a disfiguring condition. ACT Now focuses on helping patients to lead fulfilling lives and teaching them skills to manage difficult thoughts and feelings, which enhances their quality of life. The project coordinator in Greece, Maria Bigaki, said she was delighted to host the first meeting of the new partnership and that it was a privilege for her hospital (Papageoriou General Hospital) to be involved. Other partners include, NGOs, universities, pedagogical institutes and specialist hospitals working in the field of cleft lip and palate and other craniofacial anomalies
