Mental health is a tapestry of lived experiences, challenges, and resilience. At Birmingham, researchers are responding with compassion, innovation, and action.
This World Mental Health Day, we’re highlighting how the Institute for Mental Health’s research is helping communities thrive from young people navigating care systems, to students finding wellbeing in nature, to schools rethinking how technology affects mental health. Across disciplines and departments, one message rings clear: we are stronger together.
At the heart of the University of Birmingham’s Institute for Mental Health is a commitment to centering the lived experiences of those navigating mental health challenges. This isn’t just a principle, it’s a practice. The Institute regularly collaborates with a Youth Advisory Group, whose insights shape research priorities and ensure that projects reflect the realities of young people’s lives.
One example of this approach is the COLLAGE Project, led by Dr Willem Stander. This co-produced study explores how care-experienced young people, many of whom also identify as LGBTQ+, neurodivergent, or disabled, seek mental health support and navigate complex systems. These young people often face intersecting challenges, and their perspectives are essential to understanding what inclusive, effective support should look like.
By working alongside young people rather than studying them from a distance, researchers are uncovering the barriers they face and co-creating solutions that are responsive and compassionate.
University life can be exciting, but also overwhelming. That’s why the Grow Well Programme, developed in partnership with Thrive, offers students a different kind of support, one rooted in nature.
Through gardening, mindfulness, and outdoor activities, students experiencing loneliness, anxiety, or stress are finding new ways to connect with themselves and others. The programme aims to show how green spaces can nurture mental wellbeing.
In today’s digital world, schools are grappling with how technology affects student wellbeing. The SMART Schools study, funded by the NIHR, goes beyond screen time debates to explore how phone policies and digital habits shape adolescent mental health.
Rather than prescribing blanket bans, researchers are helping schools develop nuanced approaches that reflect the realities of young people’s lives. It’s about empowering educators with evidence and not assumptions.
Research across the university can often involve emotionally demanding topics around trauma, grief, vulnerability.
That’s why the SPRINT project have recognised that those supporting others also need support. Developed in collaboration with researchers across academia, healthcare, and the charity sector, new guidelines have been tailored for a wide range of roles and contexts. They also provide clear advice for key stakeholders including funders, line managers, supervisors, conference organisers, and individual researchers.
The Centre for National Training and Research Excellence in Understanding Behaviour (Centre-UB) is advancing research and training to promote equity in physical and mental wellbeing. Among its initiatives, Centre-UB supports PhD research into the psychological impact of working with distressing topics across professions, from content moderators to terrorism analysts. This complements work by Dr Fazeelat Duran and Professor Woodhams on safeguarding law enforcement and justice professionals.
Centre-UB has also developed a world-first CPD course, Protecting Wellbeing when Working with Distressing Topics and Content, launching in late 2025. Interested parties can contact the team at cpd-centreub@contacts.bham.ac.uk.
By collaborating with local organisations and amplifying community voices, Centre-UB is helping to shape policies and practices that promote fairer, more inclusive mental health systems.
The Stronger Together event is a dynamic space for dialogue, reflection, and action. Featuring an incredible panel of youth advisors, researchers, and community leaders, the event showcases the depth and diversity of voices shaping mental health research at Birmingham. The University’s ongoing dedication to mental health is a priority.
We invite you to join the conversation, hear from those driving change, and be part of a university that believes in connection, compassion, and evidence-led impact.
Associate Professor
Dr Michail is a leading expert in the field of self-harm and suicide prevention.
Professor in Pedagogy in Sport, Physical Activity and Health
Professor Victoria Goodyear's main research area focuses on social media/digital technologies and young people's health and wellbeing
Assistant Professor in Sport and Exercise Psychology
Dr Quinton studies how sport, dance, and community environments support mental health and motivation through strengths-based psychology.
Professor of Forensic Psychology
Professor Woodhams's primary areas of research are policing and sexual offending
Assistant Professor in Applied Psychology
Dr Duran is an applied psychologist who is recognized for her work with criminal justice staff and their mental health and wellbeing.
Research Fellow
Dr Stander specialises in youth mental health and social care, with a focus on marginalised groups including care-experienced and LGBTQ+ young people.
