SMARTEN
  • About
    • Contact
    • Leadership
    • Student Media Team
    • Student Team 20/21 >
      • Student Team 19/20
      • Student Team 18/19
    • Mental Health Research Matters
  • Take part
    • Co-Creation Project
    • Groups >
      • Our Virtual Groups
      • Past Sessions
      • Suggest a New Group
    • Participate in Research >
      • Student Mental Health: What Are the Key Questions?
  • Student Podcasts
  • Events
    • Past Events >
      • Tomorrow’s University: the future of student mental health & wellbeing
      • Webinar: “Embedding peer-assisted learning to support student mental health, wellbeing and academic progress”
      • Webinar: “Pathways to success: supporting good transitions into university”
      • Launch Event “Things and the mind”
      • Enhancing Inductions for Postgraduate Students
  • Funding
    • Funded Research 2019
    • Funded Research 2020
    • Funded Research 2021
    • CLOSED: Key Questions Funding Call
  • Interviews
  • Blog
    • Blog Post Guidance
  • Resources
    • Key Questions: Research Priorities for Student Mental Health
    • Student Services Partnerships Evaluation and Quality Standards (SPEQS) Toolkit
    • Measuring Wellbeing in the Student Population
    • COVID 19 Study
    • Review of National Surveys
    • Reading List
    • Newsletter

Interviews.

In this page, we highlight some of the recent interviews and presentations where members of the network share updates on their work and research in student mental health. For more videos from the network, please see our Youtube channel.

On this page

  1. Conducting Focus Groups Online
  2. Student Mental Health Review of Reviews
  3. ​Transitions to University
  4. ​​Interview with Sally McManus from NatCen
  5. Interview with Dominic Smithies from Student Minds
  6. Interview with Kath Caffrey from the Charlie Waller Trust
  7. Interview with Chrissie Browne from King's College London
  8. Interview with Amatey Doku from Novus Group
  9. Interview with Emma Cernis from the University of Oxford 
  10. Interview with Marverine Cole, award-winning broadcaster
  11. ​SMARTEN Playlists​
 

Interview with Katie Rakow and Dr Natasa Lackovic: conducting focus groups online

We asked PhD student Katie Rakow and Lecturer at Lancaster University Natasa Lackovic to share their tips on how to conduct focus groups and interviews effectively online. Useful for anyone stuck with questions from anything to ethics to ensuring their participants feel engaged and included. They noted their tips in a helpful guide - downloadable below.
tips_for_online_focus_groups.pdf
File Size: 105 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Dr Natasa Lackovic (left), Laura Beswick (middle), Katie Rakow. 
 

Interview with Dr Joanne Worsley and Nancy Hey: Student Mental Health Review of Reviews

In this 20-minute interview, we talk to Dr Joanne Worsley, University teacher in Psychology at the University of Liverpool and Nancy Hey, Director of the What Works Wellbeing centre about the review they conducted into student mental health and wellbeing interventions in Higher Education. The review establishes what we know about effective ways to improve student mental health and wellbeing. It is a first step to develop the evidence base, revealing big gaps in the current knowledge that can start to be addressed by the sector.

The review can be downloaded here - https://whatworkswellbeing.org/resources/student-mental-health-review-of-reviews/

Joanne can be contacted at joanne.worlsey@liverpool.ac.uk
Nancy Hey (left), Dr Joanne Worsley (middle), Laura Beswick (right).
 

Interview with Dr Joanne Worsley: ​Transitions to University

Dr Joanne Worsley was funded from our first funding call, 'What is distinctive bout student mental health’. In this  12-minute interview, she talks in depth about her research project. Previous research has shown that the first year of university can be a particularly lonely time for undergraduate students. Building on our previous research (McIntyre, Worsley, Corcoran, Harrison-Woods, & Bentall, 2018) and recent qualitative findings from Jopling and Valtorta (2019), she aims to explore the unique transition period from school or college into university with a specific focus on the role of accommodation in student mental health and students’ expectations of university living versus their actual experiences.

Joanne can be contacted at joanne.worlsey@liverpool.ac.uk
Dr Joanne Worsley (left) and Laura Beswick (right).
 

Interview with Sally McManus from NatCen

Sally has recently published a paper on trends in student mental health: Trends in mental health, non‐suicidal self‐harm and suicide attempts in 16–24‑year old students and non‑students in England, 2000–2014. In this interview we discuss this paper, what it shows us about student mental health, what the limitations are of this study, ideas for future research and implications for university service providers.

You can access a full copy of the paper published by Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00127-019-01797-5

SMaRteN Student Media Team interviews Student Minds

Watch SMaRteN Student Media Team member, Ellie Duncan, put Student Minds Voice & Equality Lead, Dominic Smithies, through his paces. This is a fascinating discussion looking at the challenges facing UK University students.

SMaRteN Student Media Team interviews The Charlie Waller Trust

Adewole, interviews Charlie Waller Trust Mental Health Trainer, Kath Caffrey. They discuss the stigmas surrounding depression and what good mental health self-care should look like.

SMaRteN Student Media Team interviews King's College London Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller Student Lead, Chrissie Browne

This fascinating discussion addresses some of the stereotypes GRT students encounter and how these biases manifest in Higher Education. For further information on this topic please take a look at the following resources: 

2017 Report on GRT Underrepresentation in Higher Education
2020 Report on GRT in Higher Education
RomBelong Film Series on GRT in Higher Education
Chelsea McDonagh Twitter Account

SMaRteN Student Media Team interviews former NUS Vice President and Nous Group Consultant, Amatey Doku

This sharp and snappy discussion features reflections on his experiences as NUS President, an insight into the structural factors that prevent BAME students from succeeding at university and tips on how students can protect their self-care. You can follow Amatey via Twitter @AmateyDoku.

SMaRteN Student Media Team interviews Dissociation & Psychosis Researcher, Dr Emma Cernis
​

This short and pithy discussion provides an interesting insight into Dissociation disorder, from the feelings it produces to the impact it can have on student’s mental health. You can follow Dr Emma Černis via Twitter @ECernis.

To learn more about this topic please consult the following resources:
DPD Diaries: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLWBz3-L508RX3QtwI7BJZw
Mind website: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/dissociation-and-dissociative-disorders/about-dissociation/ 

SMaRteN Student Media Team interviews award-winning broadcaster, Marverine Cole
​
This interview provides a thoughtful insight into the mental health challenges affecting women of colour across higher education. You can follow Marverine Cole via Twitter @TVMarv

 

SMaRteN Playlists

Missed one of our recent virtual lab groups or events? You can rewatch all of our interviews and presentations on our Youtube channel. We have created playlists on the different areas of work happening around the network. Start exploring them here:
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

Welcome to the SMaRteN Network! We hope to hear from you soon.

Keep us up to date with your research! We love to showcase members' work and initiatives in student mental health research. 


Email

smarten@kcl.ac.uk
Sign up
  • About
    • Contact
    • Leadership
    • Student Media Team
    • Student Team 20/21 >
      • Student Team 19/20
      • Student Team 18/19
    • Mental Health Research Matters
  • Take part
    • Co-Creation Project
    • Groups >
      • Our Virtual Groups
      • Past Sessions
      • Suggest a New Group
    • Participate in Research >
      • Student Mental Health: What Are the Key Questions?
  • Student Podcasts
  • Events
    • Past Events >
      • Tomorrow’s University: the future of student mental health & wellbeing
      • Webinar: “Embedding peer-assisted learning to support student mental health, wellbeing and academic progress”
      • Webinar: “Pathways to success: supporting good transitions into university”
      • Launch Event “Things and the mind”
      • Enhancing Inductions for Postgraduate Students
  • Funding
    • Funded Research 2019
    • Funded Research 2020
    • Funded Research 2021
    • CLOSED: Key Questions Funding Call
  • Interviews
  • Blog
    • Blog Post Guidance
  • Resources
    • Key Questions: Research Priorities for Student Mental Health
    • Student Services Partnerships Evaluation and Quality Standards (SPEQS) Toolkit
    • Measuring Wellbeing in the Student Population
    • COVID 19 Study
    • Review of National Surveys
    • Reading List
    • Newsletter