About
I am a Research Assistant and PhD Candidate working within the Applied Research, Innovation and Service Evaluation (ARISE) Research Group, specialising in suicide and self-harm prevention and intervention based research.
ARISE is a collaboration between the University of Liverpool and Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust (MCNHSFT) and comprises: clinicians, NHS Managers, academics, researchers and service user representatives.
Current projects include:
- ASPIRE (Adolescent Self-Harm Psychotherapy to Improve Relational Experise) - A feasibility study implementing a brief, self-harm specific psychotherapeutic intervention into 'whole school approach' mental health processes within 2 pilot secondary schools in Liverpool.
- WASSP (Widening Access to Suicide Safety Plans) - the co-design and development of a suicide safety plan mobile app prototype for use by children and young people, which is developmentally, culturally and ethnically appropriate and gender-specific.
- A qualitative investigation of the impact of including a 'significant other' (i.e. family member, friend, colleague, neighbour) within the Suicide Safety Planning Intervention.
- A qualitative investigation of Crisis Support Staff views of the 'Significant other' role, impact and personal wellbeing needs.
- A qualitative investigation of 'significant other' views about their role, impact and personal wellbeing needs.
Completed projects include:
* NIHR RfPB funded project to assess the feasibility, acceptability and safety of implementing a community based version of the HOPE service (i.e. Community Outpatients Psychotherapy Engagement Service for Self-harm (COPESS)).
* Cross-sectional and longitudinal secondary data analysis of responses to two Household Health Surveys, investigating predictors and mediators of suicidal thoughts.
* A service evaluation following the implementation of the 'CORE 24' model of care into Liaison Psychiatry within three acute clinical sites: The Royal Liverpool Hospital, Aintree University Hospital and Southport & Ormskirk Hospital. CORE 24 seeks to ensure patients are seen by a multi-disciplinary team of clinical practitioners within specific service level targets.
* A service evaluation of an innovative, brief (4 weeks plus follow up) psychotherapy service specifically tailored to support people following self-harm A&E presentation, - i.e. Hospital Outpatients Psychotherapy Engagement (HOPE) service.
* An evaluation of a brief (1 session) psychologically informed Safety Plan Intervention into business as usual activities within inpatient and stepped up care services within MCNHSFT. This clinical intervention seeks to improve self-awareness, resilience and hope for people with suicidal thoughts and/or behaviours.
* An evaluation of staff training for, and implementation of, a brief (8 sessions) psychologically informed intervention entitled: 'Living Life To The Full (LLTTF)', which seeks to improve patient access to psychological interventions for depression and anxiety.
Stigma and marginalisation are concurrent themes between my current and previous roles, the latter being as a Research Assistant within the Marie Curie Palliative Care Institute, which was a collaboration between the University of Liverpool, The Royal Liverpool University Hospital and Marie Curie Hospice. My key achievements within this role were: the creation, implementation and reporting of both the National Care of the Dying Audit (i.e. NCDAH; 2014) and Cheshire & Merseyside Palliative and End of Life Care Network NCDAH Key Performance Indicators.
I graduated from the University of Lancaster with a BSc in Psychology (2010) and the University of Central Lancashire with a MSc in Health Psychology (2012).
Key Words: #fixedterm / suicide / self-harm / translational research / clinical intervention / qualitative research