What’s the project?
We’re starting a new project to design support for young people in schools who struggle with worry, overthinking and anxiety.
We want to provide this support to young people in secondary schools in the UK.
Working with University researchers and app developers, we will create a new style of support for young people using 2 different tools:
- A group session for young people to talk about their struggles with worry, overthinking and anxiety
- A digital app that young people can use at anytime to help and manage overthinking
Some schools in the UK currently have ‘Mental Health Support Teams’ – these are teams of people that are based in schools to offer schools and students help with mental health and wellbeing. We hope the support that we design can be something Mental Health Support Teams can use to help young people who struggle with worry, anxiety and overthinking.
We want this support to be as helpful and appealing as possible to young people, and for that, we need your help! We are looking for young people to be involved in this project to help design supports to help young people in the best way possible.
Find out more
We are looking for 8 young people aged 14-18 and two young people aged 19-20 to join our Young People’s Advisory Group (YPAG). You would have experience of overthinking, worry or anxiety and/or have accessed mental health support for these.
What is a YPAG?
A YPAG is a group of young people with relevant experience who come together to advise on a research project. Being a YPAG member will involve meetings with the research team, app developers and others on the project. You will be shown examples of plans or ideas and asked for your opinions on them. You will provide vital input and advice to ensure that the support we create is relevant and accessible and something young people actually want to use!
Your involvement in the project will be for 8 months in the first instance, starting in July 2026 and finishing in Feb/March 2027.
As a YPAG member, we would like you to join 8 meetings throughout the project. These meetings will be once a month on the 3rd Monday of every month at 5-7pm from August-February. The meetings will be held online (on Zoom) and will last for 2 hours. We will have one in-person meeting in the project where we will come together.
Our first meeting will be held in July and held monthly from then on. Please make sure you are free on the date/time of the meetings throughout the project.
As a YPAG member for the project, you will advise on important aspects, such as:
- Making sure the support (group therapy and app) we design is easy to use, practical and engaging
- Helping us understand what the barriers for young people who want support for overthinking/worry/anxiety are and how to help with this
- Helping design and develop the group therapy sessions for young people
- Helping design and develop the app for young people ensuring it is useful, interesting and helpful for young people
- Advise the team on the best ways for this support to be used in schools and by mental health support teams
There will be communication in-between meetings via email to keep you up to date and stay in touch throughout the project. You will have a McPin person of contact (Emma) who will be your go to person/support throughout.
📣 READ THIS!
If the idea of joining a research project or meeting new people and working with universities feels a bit nerve wracking, that’s completely okay, please don’t be put off! Lots of young people feel worried about things like:
- What if I’m shy?
- What if I miss a meeting?
- What if I struggle speaking in groups?
- What if I need extra support?
Please don’t let that put you off applying. You do not need any experience, qualifications or special knowledge to join the group. Your views, experiences and opinions as a young person with experience of overthinking, worry and anxiety are what matter most.
Our team will support you throughout the project and help make meetings feel welcoming, friendly and comfortable. We know joining something new can feel scary at first and we will work with you to help you feel as confident and included as possible.
Why join an advisory group?
● You get to meet new people and form new connections with other young people and researchers too!
● You can use your own unique experiences to make a difference for others
● You’ll be positively influencing mental health research
● You’ll develop new skills and experiences as part of a really important and exciting team
● You’ll get to develop your own interests and passions surrounding mental health and research
● It is a great thing to have on your CV as you think about applying for college, university, or a job
● You will be paid for your time!
For an example of the work of one of our advisory panels, please click here
- Aged 14-20
- Experience of worry, overthinking or anxiety
- Experience of or interest in accessing support for worry, anxiety or overthinking (this is not essential!)
- Must be based in the UK
- Be able to join 8 meetings from July 2026 – Feb 2027 (7 online, 1 in-person travel/accommodation will be provided by us) the 3rd Monday of every month, 5-7pm
- Have access to a stable internet connection
- Be willing to join online group meetings, share ideas and take part in monthly discussions with other young people and researchers
- Have access to a camera to join online meetings with video. For safety, all of our online meetings require people to have their video on, if you have any worries about this please do email and we can discuss what support we have to help with this.
IMPORTANT:
- We do have a process to follow when recruiting to groups. It involves meeting 2 members of McPin staff for a conversation about why you want to join the project. We will also ask you for a form of age verification, a document with your photo, name and date of birth. This could be a passport, Student ID card, voter ID, access card, drivers’ licence, proof of age card etc. If you have any worries about not having an appropriate document, please reach out and one of our team can support!
- If you are invited to join the YPAG we will set up another call where we can check in prior to starting the meetings – getting to know each other more.
- You do not need to be confident speaking all the time, we just ask that you are open to taking part in group conversations and activities.
- If you are under 16
If you are under 16, we will ask for permission from a parent or carer before you can join the advisory group. We can provide a parent/carer information sheet with more information about the project and what taking part involves. We can also meet with you and your parent if that would be helpful (this is optional).
- You will be paid £27.50 per hour (this is £55 for each 2-hour monthly online meeting)
- Payments will be made via bank transfer but vouchers maybe offered if preferred
- You will have a point of contact (Emma) throughout your time working with us.
To express your interest in joining the YPAG for this project, please out this form: Expression of interest form: supporting young people with worry, anxiety and overthinking – Fill in form
It should take you no longer than 20 minutes to complete.
If you need any help completing the form or have any questions, please get in touch with Emma. [email protected]
9am Monday 22nd June
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.
