PhD Student Penn Smith wins a poster prize at QMiP Conference 2017

Our Level 2 Psychology PhD student, Penn Smith, won the poster prize at the British Psychological Society QMiP Conference 2017 in Aberystwyth last week.

The conference was an opportunity to showcase new research, discuss qualitative methods and hear experts in the field discuss their work.

Penn's poster title was: Using Photo Elicitation to study a Novel In-reach Rehabilitation and Recovery Mental Health Service

The study aims to address the research question: “What are the experiences of service users and staff who use or work within a novel in-reach Rehabilitation and Recovery Service for people with severe and enduring mental health needs?” The Service provides a stepped intensive, inpatient rehabilitation pathway to support return to the community. The goal is to create less reliance on inpatient care through implementation of recovery-focused principles.

Photo elicitation is being conducted with a purposive sample of service users and staff to explore their experience of the new Service. Photo elicitation is a method in which participants are invited to take photographs to help share their experiences during interview. Interviews are being analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.

As an almost universally used medium, photography is proving to be well suited to working with vulnerable people as well as with staff at the Service. In particular, participants are engaging deeply with the interview process through the photographs and describe the method as surprisingly evocative. Participants have provided extremely interesting information, enjoyed the photography, and discussed photographs on a sophisticated metaphorical level. 

Congratulations Penn from all of us here at the School of Psychology.