What’s the project?
Beth Hart, a trainee psychologist from Lancaster University, is running a study to explore how teens use mental health self‑help materials. Beth wants to understand what you’ve tried over the past year, what felt helpful and what didn’t. Your experiences can help shape better support for other young people.
She is also hoping to publish this research so that future self‑help resources are shaped by the people who use them every day, not just by adults assuming what might help. By sharing your experiences, you can help make self‑help materials more relevant, realistic and genuinely useful for other teens.
You’ll also have the option to share a small part of your chat response on our study website. This is completely voluntary, but it’s a way for your experiences and ideas to support other young people who might be looking for self‑help recommendations. By choosing to share, you can help build a collection of real, honest insights from teens. This is a resource created by young people, for young people.
Check out the website here:
https://sites.google.com/view/mindbooststudy
This research is ethically approved by Lancaster University’s Faculty of Health and Medical Ethics Committee (FHMREC).
Find out more
The researcher is looking to have a chat with up to 12 young people about their experiences of mental health self-help. The chat will last around anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 ½ hours over one meeting depending on how much you feel comfortable sharing. This will take place over Microsoft teams and your chat will be audio recorded. The chat will always take place with the lead researcher, Beth.
The transcript (written version of what was said) from the audio recording will be used in the study and the audio recording will eventually be deleted. All chats will be made anonymous. Young people under the age of 16 years old will need parent/carers consent to take part – this will be confirmed by a quick call with the researcher to confirm this.
To take part in the study you must be:
- Aged 13-18
- Live in the UK
- Can read and write in English
- Have used mental health self-help materials in the past year
- If you are under 16, you will need parent/carer permission
Anyone who completes a chat interview can enter a £20 prize draw as a thank you for their time.
All participants will also be able to access the study website, where teens can read and share short, anonymous insights about self‑help materials. If they choose to, they can post a small part of their own survey or chat response to help other young people find ideas and recommendations that have worked for real teens. This website is freely available and free to use and is designed to give young people a supportive space to explore self‑help options and learn from one another’s experiences.
If you are interested, the researcher would like to extend a thank you very much! Below is the link to a form to complete:
https://lancasteruni.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_71cSy25Xw7weYaa
Once you have filled out the form, Beth will contact you over email to sort out a date and time that suits you best. If you need any support or if you have any questions at all please get in touch with the lead researcher on:
The study will close 25th September 2026 at 5pm. Although the study may close early should it recruit its maximum participants.
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.
