ABOUT
The Big Methods Exchange is an 8-part research methods webinar series that is hosted by early career researchers (ECRs) for ECRs working in mental health and addiction research. This series is organised by Dr Nina Higson-Sweeney, with seed funding from the NIHR Mental Health Research Incubator. All speakers are past members of Incubator programmes.
To find out more information about the upcoming webinars and hosts, please click the plus icons below. Use the form to check all of the relevant talks you would like to register for.
All webinars are hosted on Zoom.
Dr Nina Higson-Sweeney (she/her) is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Oxford. Her main research interests are in youth mental health, particularly depression, anxiety, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), with the overall aim of ensuring that how mental health is addressed in research and practice aligns with young people's wants, needs, and lived experiences. Nina is a mixed methods researcher, with expertise in qualitative methods and a keen interest in participatory approaches. Her current project is funded by the Wellcome Accelerator Awards to improve help-seeking for OCD among ethnic minority youth.
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18 MAY 2026
1PM - 2PM
Framework Analysis (FA) is a systematic and flexible approach to qualitative data analysis, which is commonly used in healthcare and policy research. Whilst the theoretical background and process of FA is well-documented in academic literature, the practical applications and real-world impacts are often less clearly demonstrated.
In this session, Tyler will provide an overview of the theory and practical applications of FA, using a worked example from the Collaborative Alcohol Care in Hull (CoACH) study. The CoACH study, funded by the NIHR Mental Health Implementation Network, evaluates the implementation and delivery of a new Alcohol Assertive Outreach Treatment (AAOT) service in Humberside. Tyler will illustrate the analytic process used in the CoACH study alongside his use of NVIVO to streamline matrix generation, mapping, and interpretation, and tips on using a reflexive journal to support this process. The session will end with examples of the different types of outputs which can be achieved by using FA, and reflections on the benefits and challenges of using FA in applied mental health and addiction research.
1 JUNE 2026
1PM - 2PM
In mental health research, health economic modelling is often met with caution or scepticism, frequently stemming from concerns about reducing intervention impacts to financial terms. However, economic modelling provides a rigorous framework for capturing the multidimensional, lifetime impacts of mental health interventions, many of which extend far beyond the typical study period.
This webinar explores how economic modelling allows researchers to project the long-term, wide-ranging benefits of mental health support. By estimating impacts beyond the limits of short-term data collection, these models estimate the long-term value of an intervention, potentially including health, education, employment and cross-sector cost savings.
While often viewed as a post-trial activity, we will discuss how economic modelling can be integrated into the design and piloting stages of research. This proactive approach increases the likelihood of developing interventions that are not only effective but cost-effective and more likely to be implemented by policy-makers.
Session highlights:
- Introduction to Health Economic Modelling
- Health Economic Modelling in practice
- Estimating cost-effectiveness post-study
- Utilising economic insights to inform intervention design
- Informing models that accurately reflect research findings
- Health economic modelling and funders: how health economic modelling can strengthen grant applications
Dr Sarah Bates (she/her) is a Research Fellow at the Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield. Her expertise lies in Public health economic modeller informed by her background in psychology and health psychology. Sarah has worked on numerous projects using health economic modelling to estimate the long-term impacts and cost-effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving the mental health and wellbeing of young people with a focus on school-based interventions.
15 JUNE 2026
1PM - 2PM
We know that involving under-served groups in the design and delivery of mental health interventions and services can increase their relevance, acceptability and effectiveness. However, these groups are often underrepresented in mental health research despite the disproportionate risk of poor mental health. Co-creation approaches can engage diverse stakeholders, including under-served groups, but are currently under-developed and can create barriers to participation. Specifically, co-creation typically (although not always) involves face-to-face working (e.g., qualitative interviews, focus groups) which can be problematic for some groups and/or sensitive issues. Moving the participation and inclusion of these groups forward therefore requires innovation.
To explore how (and where) we can work differently to address some of these challenges, Melissa will describe a novel participatory approach that combines experienced based co-design (EBCD) – an approach which emphasises that experiences held by service users are unique and integral to designing and improving services – and netnography - an applied qualitative research methodology to study online cultures and communities. To illustrate this approach, Melissa will draw on a previous example of co-designing mental health care for young people involved in the criminal justice system and a proposed study to co-create mental health interventions with youth at risk of/involved in serious violence.
Dr Melissa Girling (she/her) is a Research Fellow at Northumbria University in the School of Healthcare and Nursing Sciences. Melissa’s research seeks to advance understanding of the often-complex mental health challenges experienced by under-served groups, with a particular focus on developing and applying innovative approaches to transform ways of working with groups who are regularly missing in research. To promote the uptake of research findings into practice, Melissa is also involved in developing implementation theory and methods. Melissa is currently developing an NIHR Postdoctoral Award application which aims to co-create mental interventions for young people at-risk of/involved in knife crime.
29 JUNE 2026
1PM - 2PM
This webinar will offer a concise, practice-oriented introduction to creative participatory methods in mental health research. It will explore why researchers are increasingly turning to creative approaches, and what these methods can offer beyond more conventional qualitative techniques, particularly in capturing lived experience, emotional complexity, and underrepresented perspectives.
The session will focus on a small number of concrete approaches, including visual methods, and film-based storytelling, exploring both digital and paper-based formats. Drawing on real research examples, it will highlight how these methods can be used to centre participants’ voices and support co-produced knowledge generation.
The webinar will also include light touch interactive elements, such as reflective prompts and brief exercises, to support attendees in considering how creative participatory methods might be applied within their own research contexts.
Dr Simona Manni (she/her) is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Mental Health Research, University of York. Her work explores how creative and participatory methods, particularly storytelling, filmmaking, and interactive media, can be used to understand and communicate lived experiences of mental health. She has a background in participatory filmmaking and co-design, and completed my PhD Interactive Media and Participatory Accounts of Mental Health at the University of York. Her research focuses on co-produced, polyvocal approaches that centre participants’ voices in both research and intervention contexts.
15 JULY 2026
1PM - 2PM
Machine learning approaches are increasingly used in psychology and neuroscience to investigate complex relationships between brain biology, environment, behaviour and mental health. This talk will provide an introduction to machine learning approaches, with a focus on applications in neuroscience and mental health research.
We will begin with a broad overview of what machine learning is and the types of research questions it is designed to address. We will then walk through a commonly used machine learning pipeline, highlighting key steps in model development and evaluation. Finally, we will discuss some of the common challenges and limitations researchers encounter, along with common solutions.
The talk will be suitable for researchers who have an interest in learning about this method for the first time.
Dr Marta Litwińczuk a Research Associate at the NIHR Mental Health Translational Research Collaboration at the University of Manchester, where they study functional brain networks with the goal of optimising and personalising brain stimulation protocols for neurodevelopmental conditions. Marta obtained an undergraduate degree in Psychology, a postgraduate degree in Neuroimaging for Clinical and Cognitive Neuroscience, and a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience, where they first encountered machine learning.
27 JULY 2026
1PM - 2PM
Ethnographic methods can be intriguing yet daunting. This workshop aims to make participant-observation more accessible for newcomers and novices, offering a practical introduction to ethnography: what it is, when it is most useful, and how to get started with confidence.
Ethnography is especially valuable when researchers want to understand lived experience, everyday practices, relationships, cultures, and the settings in which mental health is shaped and managed. Rather than relying only on interviews or surveys, ethnography helps researchers see how people navigate services, communities, homes, workplaces, and digital spaces in real time.
In this interactive webinar, we will explore the core principles of ethnography, including observation, participation, fieldnotes, reflexivity, and generating rich qualitative data. We will discuss when ethnography is the right methodological choice, and when it may be less suitable. The session will also address key ethical and practical issues, such as consent in ongoing fieldwork, researcher safety, emotional demands, access to sensitive settings, confidentiality, and working with vulnerable groups.
Drawing on real case examples from health and social research, the webinar will show how ethnography can illuminate complex mental health experiences and systems of care. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of ethnography’s possibilities and limitations, along with practical ideas for designing their own projects or collaborating with ethnographic researchers.
Dr Piyush Pushkar is a specialist trainee in forensic psychiatry and a clinical lecturer at the University of Manchester. For his PhD research, he spent 13 months doing ethnographic research with political activists campaigning against cuts and privatisation in the NHS. A book based on that research will be published in October 2026. His current research is on guilt and shame amongst mentally unwell offenders.
He is a digital content editor for BJPsych Open. He is on the editorial board for Sociology of Health and Illness. He is a convenor of the British Sociological Association’s study group on Sociology, Psychoanalysis and the Psychosocial.
10 AUG 2026
1PM - 2PM
This webinar will provide an introduction to realist approaches in research, drawing on practical experience of applying these methods to evaluate a place-based, systems change approach to adolescent mental health.
The session will include an accessible overview of realist methodology, including its underlying ontological perspective and key principles. It will then move beyond theory to offer concrete examples of how these methods can be used in practice, based on experience of a realist literature review and a realist developmental evaluation. Given the limited availability of detailed, day-to-day accounts of applying these methods, the webinar will focus on making the process more transparent and tangible.
There will also be space for reflection on the strengths and challenges of realist methods, exploring both the opportunities they offer for understanding complexity and the practical demands they place on researchers. By the end of the session, participants should have a clearer sense of how realist research works in practice and whether it feels like the right fit for their own work.
Dr Anna March (she/her) is a Research Fellow at the University of Exeter. She is interested in prevention and early intervention in children and young people’s mental health. She has worked across school and community settings, with a particular emphasis on research approaches that embrace complexity and explore system change. Her PhD examined the sustainability of school-based interventions, framing schools as complex adaptive systems. She is currently working on Kailo, a place-based research and design initiative to improve adolescent mental health. Her work primarily uses qualitative and theory-driven methods.
24 AUG 2026
1PM - 2PM
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