Are you interested in student mental health? Would you like to learn more about the research in this area?
Introducing... Keeping Students in Mind: Understanding Student Mental Health Research
This a student fronted podcast being collaboratively coordinated by SMaRteN and All Things Mental Health
Introducing... Keeping Students in Mind: Understanding Student Mental Health Research
This a student fronted podcast being collaboratively coordinated by SMaRteN and All Things Mental Health
At SMaRteN we have funded a wide range of innovative and exciting projects around student mental health and wellbeing. These research projects cover a variety of important themes and approaches, including developing new tools to help us understand and measure student priorities and interventions deigned to provide support. Central to all of our research is the student voice, with students being valued co-producers across all of these activtivites. We wanted to ensure though, that the outputs and findings from these research projects were making their way back to the student population; that we were effectively engaging with students and ensuring they steered the conversation around where student mental health needs to go next.
This is why we partnered with the All Things Mental Health podcast team to develop a new, collaborative student podcast series.
We opened up applications for student hosts in the Autumn of 2021 and, from there, recruited a motivated and inspiring team of students who worked with us to each develop their own podcast episode, centred around at student mental health topic of importance to them and their own lived experience. As part of this process, we carefully matched them with a SMaRteN researcher so together they could share ideas and research findings related to the podcaster's chosen themes.
We are absolutely thrilled to be launching our first series to coincide with University Mental Health Day 2022!
Now, more than ever, it is vital that we engage students to harness their experiences and curiosity around student mental health and ensure students are at the heart of all we do.
Stay tuned to hear more episodes from this series, as we dismantle contemporary student mental health research, making these findings accessible to students in higher education on a grassroots level through the engaging medium of podcasts.
Below you can read more about each episode and find the link to listen on Spotify.
This is why we partnered with the All Things Mental Health podcast team to develop a new, collaborative student podcast series.
We opened up applications for student hosts in the Autumn of 2021 and, from there, recruited a motivated and inspiring team of students who worked with us to each develop their own podcast episode, centred around at student mental health topic of importance to them and their own lived experience. As part of this process, we carefully matched them with a SMaRteN researcher so together they could share ideas and research findings related to the podcaster's chosen themes.
We are absolutely thrilled to be launching our first series to coincide with University Mental Health Day 2022!
Now, more than ever, it is vital that we engage students to harness their experiences and curiosity around student mental health and ensure students are at the heart of all we do.
Stay tuned to hear more episodes from this series, as we dismantle contemporary student mental health research, making these findings accessible to students in higher education on a grassroots level through the engaging medium of podcasts.
Below you can read more about each episode and find the link to listen on Spotify.
Series 1
Episode 1 - Introducing ‘Keeping Students in Mind: Understanding Student Mental Health Research’
For University Mental Health Day 2022, we’re thrilled to present Episode 1 of ‘Keeping Students in Mind: Understanding Student Mental Health Research’, a collaborative podcast brought to you by All Things Mental Health (a mental health podcasting organisation), King’s College London (KCL), and SMaRteN (KCL’s Student Mental Health Research Network). Episode 1 is in conversation with Aneeska, Jo and Nicol - who are some of the core 'staff members' of the project..
Together they introduce the project, explaining its aim to bring the student voice to the heart of student mental health research and introducing our dynamic team of students and researchers.
Keeping Students in Mind: Understanding Student Mental Health Research | Podcast on Spotify
Together they introduce the project, explaining its aim to bring the student voice to the heart of student mental health research and introducing our dynamic team of students and researchers.
Keeping Students in Mind: Understanding Student Mental Health Research | Podcast on Spotify
Episode 2 - Jenna Luxon in conversation with Dr Emma Broglia
In this week’s episode, Jenna Luxon, a Social and Political Sciences graduate from the University of York, is joined by postdoctoral researcher Dr Emma Broglia from the University of Sheffield. The two discuss Emma’s research into mental health interventions in higher education, focusing on the thoughts and experiences of those students with long-term mental health conditions.
The episode starts with Emma telling us about her recent research project exploring how university mental health services in the UK can strengthen their relationship with NHS services and the benefits of this collaboration.
Jenna and Emma then go on to discuss to what extent university mental health services in the UK can accurately be described as offering a ‘one size fits all’ approach to students’ support.
Finally, they take a look at whether the increase in demand for mental health services over recent years has forced universities to take a more short-term focus in their support for students and consider what this means for students with long term mental health conditions.
Keeping Students in Mind: Understanding Student Mental Health Research | Podcast on Spotify
The episode starts with Emma telling us about her recent research project exploring how university mental health services in the UK can strengthen their relationship with NHS services and the benefits of this collaboration.
Jenna and Emma then go on to discuss to what extent university mental health services in the UK can accurately be described as offering a ‘one size fits all’ approach to students’ support.
Finally, they take a look at whether the increase in demand for mental health services over recent years has forced universities to take a more short-term focus in their support for students and consider what this means for students with long term mental health conditions.
Keeping Students in Mind: Understanding Student Mental Health Research | Podcast on Spotify
Episode 3 - Eric Berger in conversation with Dr Rachel Spacey
In this week’s episode, Eric Berger, a final year undergraduate student at The University of Edinburgh, is joined by Rachel Spacey, a Research Fellow based in the Lincoln Higher Education Research Institute at the University of Lincoln. They discuss her SMaRteN-funded project, “Who cares? Identifying, understanding and supporting the work-life balance of students with caring responsibilities”. Both bring their life-experiences to the conversation, with Eric discussing his time as a student with caring responsibilities for his father with ALS and Rachel sharing how her experience navigating mental health during her undergraduate degree led her down this path as a researcher. Rachel details the status of the project and her aims, while touching on the importance of participatory research.
The conversation then shifts to Rachel’s previous research on student mental health, particularly with estranged students at the University of Lincoln. She details some findings, including the need of having someone to talk to, “I think in terms of estranged students’ mental health, a lot of it was tied up with the fact that they felt unable to talk about estrangement”. The conversation rounds out with Eric and Rachel discussing the role that grief and loss play for the mental health of students with caring responsibilities, those who are estranged, or students from underrepresented groups in general, “often there can be a grieving process, but for something as well, not just for someone”. Check out the episode for more.
Keeping Students in Mind: Understanding Student Mental Health Research | Podcast on Spotify
The conversation then shifts to Rachel’s previous research on student mental health, particularly with estranged students at the University of Lincoln. She details some findings, including the need of having someone to talk to, “I think in terms of estranged students’ mental health, a lot of it was tied up with the fact that they felt unable to talk about estrangement”. The conversation rounds out with Eric and Rachel discussing the role that grief and loss play for the mental health of students with caring responsibilities, those who are estranged, or students from underrepresented groups in general, “often there can be a grieving process, but for something as well, not just for someone”. Check out the episode for more.
Keeping Students in Mind: Understanding Student Mental Health Research | Podcast on Spotify
Episode 4 - Niamh Burns in conversation with Dr Natasa Lackovic
On this week’s episode Niamh Burns, a final year psychology student at the University of Leeds, speaks with Natasa Lackovic about her SMaRteN-funded research project, ‘Things and the mind: students’ graphic memoir of material things that mediate their mental health experiences’.
Natasa is the Director of the Centre of Higher Education Research and Evaluation (CHERE) at the Department of Educational Research, Lancaster University. She is also the Director of Lancaster University’s international graphic novels and comics network ReOPeN. Natasa has a particular interest in how graphic art and visual media can support diverse university practices.
This episode discusses the themes explored in the graphic novel considering how materiality, things and places can affect mental health through the discussion of the lived experiences of the nine students in the novel.
The online interactive version of the graphic novel (referenced in the episode) isn't ready quite yet, but check back soon and keep an eye on social media for when it's released. In the meantime, you might want to check out this recording of the virtual launch event held when the graphic novel was first released as a resource.
Keeping Students in Mind: Understanding Student Mental Health Research | Podcast on Spotify
Natasa is the Director of the Centre of Higher Education Research and Evaluation (CHERE) at the Department of Educational Research, Lancaster University. She is also the Director of Lancaster University’s international graphic novels and comics network ReOPeN. Natasa has a particular interest in how graphic art and visual media can support diverse university practices.
This episode discusses the themes explored in the graphic novel considering how materiality, things and places can affect mental health through the discussion of the lived experiences of the nine students in the novel.
The online interactive version of the graphic novel (referenced in the episode) isn't ready quite yet, but check back soon and keep an eye on social media for when it's released. In the meantime, you might want to check out this recording of the virtual launch event held when the graphic novel was first released as a resource.
Keeping Students in Mind: Understanding Student Mental Health Research | Podcast on Spotify
Episode 5 - Fatema Dawoodbhoy in conversation with Dr Georgia Walker Churchman
In this episode, Fatema Mustansir Dawoodbhoy, a final year medical student at Imperial College London chats to Dr Georgia Walker Churchman, a lecturer in Humanities at the University of East Anglia with a background in English Literature about her SMaRteN-funded project titled ‘Helping Students to Connect, Create, and Collaborate in their Own Wellbeing’.
Georgia led this project on student mental health during the height of Covid-19, looking into how student’s wellbeing can benefit from creative and collaborative experiences by producing short videos on the history of mental health using films and literary texts.
Georgia dives into the various interesting findings her research has brought about and discusses her views on social media. The two explore ways in which social media seem to be running our day to day lives today and what actions we can take to curate our social media in a way where it empowers their mental health, not drain it.
Keeping Students in Mind: Understanding Student Mental Health Research | Podcast on Spotify
Georgia led this project on student mental health during the height of Covid-19, looking into how student’s wellbeing can benefit from creative and collaborative experiences by producing short videos on the history of mental health using films and literary texts.
Georgia dives into the various interesting findings her research has brought about and discusses her views on social media. The two explore ways in which social media seem to be running our day to day lives today and what actions we can take to curate our social media in a way where it empowers their mental health, not drain it.
Keeping Students in Mind: Understanding Student Mental Health Research | Podcast on Spotify
Background to the project
SMaRteN is the national research network for student mental health. We have funded 19 projects to study student mental health, supporting a wide variety of work. For example, we have supported research asking how university accommodation impacts student mental health and what challenges international students face. As well as research we’ve funded evaluations to consider how new interventions might improve student mental health, such as using peer study groups, arts-based workshops and new approaches to how we teach.
All Things Mental Health is a University of Oxford funded podcast discussing Mental Health in Young Minds. They focus on schooling, through to higher education, encouraging their audience to be curious about the mental health and wellbeing of young people during these chapters of change. Series 2 welcomes different topics of conversation from leading psychologists, policy makers, writers, activists, researchers and many more. This podcast is brought to you by Aneeska Sohal, the Presenter, who is a Trustee for the student mental health charity Student Minds, and a Masters student at the University of Oxford. Their Illustrator is Lizzie Knott, recent winner of a 2020 World Illustration Award. Their Editor is Saul Devlin, who works in Radio and is a Music and Sound Recording student. Head over to their Spotify & Instagram for more.
Spotify: All Things Mental Health | Podcast on Spotify
Instagram: @allthings.mentalhealth
As part of the project we are also bringing in further expertise from mental health podcaster Nicol Bergou.
Nicol is a PhD student at King's College London. Her research is focused on psychosis and using machine learning to predict which patients will get better and which will experience further psychotic episodes. She is a host and editor of the PhDeets podcast which talks about doing a PhD in the UK. She has also co-founded and produced a podcast series called Beyond the HYPE in which young people interviewed scientists and clinicians about topics related to young people's health and wellbeing. Nicol also runs podcasting training for young people interested in starting their own podcast.
Crucially though, the most important collaborators for this project are our student-led team of podcasters.
As part of the development process, we worked closely with our student team to provide them with practical podcast training and guidance around how to plan their approach. When recruiting the team, we didn't ask for any prior experience - just passion and an interest in student mental health - so this was also an exciting development opportunity for those involved. We value the time and work of all our student collaborators and so this was a paid opportunity, with students receive a fee for their involvement.
All Things Mental Health is a University of Oxford funded podcast discussing Mental Health in Young Minds. They focus on schooling, through to higher education, encouraging their audience to be curious about the mental health and wellbeing of young people during these chapters of change. Series 2 welcomes different topics of conversation from leading psychologists, policy makers, writers, activists, researchers and many more. This podcast is brought to you by Aneeska Sohal, the Presenter, who is a Trustee for the student mental health charity Student Minds, and a Masters student at the University of Oxford. Their Illustrator is Lizzie Knott, recent winner of a 2020 World Illustration Award. Their Editor is Saul Devlin, who works in Radio and is a Music and Sound Recording student. Head over to their Spotify & Instagram for more.
Spotify: All Things Mental Health | Podcast on Spotify
Instagram: @allthings.mentalhealth
As part of the project we are also bringing in further expertise from mental health podcaster Nicol Bergou.
Nicol is a PhD student at King's College London. Her research is focused on psychosis and using machine learning to predict which patients will get better and which will experience further psychotic episodes. She is a host and editor of the PhDeets podcast which talks about doing a PhD in the UK. She has also co-founded and produced a podcast series called Beyond the HYPE in which young people interviewed scientists and clinicians about topics related to young people's health and wellbeing. Nicol also runs podcasting training for young people interested in starting their own podcast.
Crucially though, the most important collaborators for this project are our student-led team of podcasters.
As part of the development process, we worked closely with our student team to provide them with practical podcast training and guidance around how to plan their approach. When recruiting the team, we didn't ask for any prior experience - just passion and an interest in student mental health - so this was also an exciting development opportunity for those involved. We value the time and work of all our student collaborators and so this was a paid opportunity, with students receive a fee for their involvement.