What’s the project?
Feeling Safe is a talking therapy for people who suffer from paranoia or have strongly held beliefs that people are trying to harm or threaten them.
In previous research this approach has been shown to help people to feel safer and be more socially active. You can read more about it here, or watch the video below.
Feeling Safer builds on this research. In this study we want to see if we can make the Feeling Safe therapy even better and more widely available on the NHS.
We aim to do this by developing Feeling Safer so it can be delivered by a smartphone app, together with some in-person sessions with a healthcare professional.
We will test the new approach in six sites across the country to see if it successfully helps people build their confidence and overcome the worries they may have about leaving their home, visiting places, and interacting with other people.
The Feeling Safer is a study funded by the National Institute of Health and Social Care (NIHR) and is led by the University of Oxford.
Find out more
By taking part, you will have the opportunity to help research and develop a digital app and talking therapy for the study.
You will gain skills and knowledge and experience, and meet other people, including McPin staff, academics, and people with lived experience.
You will also gain better insight into the issue of psychosis.
All activities will be paid. A rate of £20-25 per hour will be offered for attending in-person and online meetings. All reasonable travel expenses for in-person meetings will also be covered.
We can provide some assistance if people do not have suitable equipment for online meetings.
We are forming a group of twelve people called a Patient Advisory Group (PAG) to help us to shape, and successfully deliver the study. We are also forming a wider group of people called an Involvement Network.
We are looking for people to join the group who have experiences of paranoia and may believe that others are trying to threaten or harm them.
We would especially like to hear from those who have gone through difficult life experiences, and people who have not had the opportunity to be involved in research before.
Mental health issues and experiences affect everyone, but involvement in research does not always reflect this. Therefore, we are actively seeking applications from Black, Asian and Minority ethnic groups.
We will ask people to use their lived experience to ensure that the therapy we develop works well and is accessible to all.
You will join a group who will meet in person or online, and complete tasks by email.
Some travel within the UK may be required. There may be some work to do via email or in between meetings. All work will be paid.
The study will take place at six locations across the UK. We are looking for people to join the group who live near these study sites:
- Bristol
- Coventry
- Manchester
- Newcastle
- Oxford
- Middlesborough
If you do not live near one of these areas, you would still be welcome to apply to join the study ‘Involvement Network’.
People in the Involvement Network may be invited to attend some online meetings and may be sent tasks from time to time to complete by email.
To apply, please fill in the application form and email it to Alex Kenny at [email protected] by Thursday 6th April 2023.
If you are not able to fill out the application form or if you have any questions, please get in contact with Alex by email or phone 07518 110 129.
To apply, please fill in the application form and email it to Alex Kenny at [email protected] by Thursday 6th April 2023.
Please note that the McPin Foundation regularly promotes opportunities on behalf of other institutions; we are not responsible for the continuation or contents of further correspondence with any project partners where we are not listed as the project main point of contact.
