Coaching skills are increasingly recognised as a key leadership tool. Join the PeCo programme to tackle career challenges and learn and practise coaching approaches to apply in your role as a mental health or addiction researcher.
PeCo is led by a professional coach with many years’ experience working with academic researchers. The programme is fully-funded; the MHR Incubator will cover any sustenance, travel and accommodation costs for the in-person sessions.
Through the PeCo programme, you will:
gain valuable insights for your own career development
learn practical approaches to problem-solving in your professional context
gain a supportive network of peers
Because, actually, we each hold more answers than we think we do!
In the PeCo peer coaching programme, the group is trained to support one person to think deeply on a personal challenge or issue. The peer group also provides considerable relevant experience – a uniquely special resource in the often isolated, unstable, sometimes competitive, environments that many mental health researchers find ourselves in. After learning simple and effective coaching skills, any group can support each other to explore motivations, context, draw on support structures and identify practical next steps. Previous programme participants consistently state their surprise as to how much support and insight they gained from peer coaching:
PARTICIPANT QUOTE FROM PECO 2025
PARTICIPANT QUOTE FROM PECO 2025
PARTICIPANT QUOTE FROM PECO 2024
PeCo is for early career mental health researchers who have an interest in exploring career challenges and developing skills that can be beneficial for future leadership roles. This programme is for you, if you:
You will learn foundational coaching skills in our first in-person ‘coaching skills workshop’ which you’ll then apply to support others later in the programme. These skills are highly applicable to ECRs’ current and future roles.
Through online ‘Action learning sets’ you will take turns to support each group member with the coaching approaches. These are skills which participants go on to apply usefully in their own contexts in 1:1 and group settings.
Every PeCo participant will be coached by peers in the action learning sets. In this role, supported by the group and the programme facilitators, you will explore the challenges that you face, and come up with actionable solutions.
By sharing experiences and approaches to work-related challenges, peer coaching cohorts develop a strong sense of community that sustains beyond the lifetime of the programme. Many continue to get together to encourage each other and practise the skills they’ve developed.
The dates for the online sessions and Incubator Gathering are provisional and subject to change; the date for the in-person meeting is final.
Location: Online
Time: 9.30am - 11am
This online workshop will take place on Zoom.
Location: Birmingham
Time: 10am - 3pm
A fully-funded in-person session. Accommodation in Birmingham will be funded for the night before the workshop.
Location: Online
Time: 9.30am - 11am
This online workshop will take place on Zoom.
Location: Online
Time: 9.30am - 11am
This online workshop will take place on Zoom.
Location: Reading
Time: 10am - 3pm
This workshop and networking event brings together all of the alumni from previous MHR Incubator programmes from across the UK to network, establish research collaborations and attend skills workshops and also short sessions hosted by other ECRs.
Location: Online
Time: 9.30am - 11am
This online workshop will take place on Zoom.
Location: Online
Time: 9.30am - 11am
This online workshop will take place on Zoom.
Yes! PeCo is complementary to our other programmes. You are welcome to apply whether or not you have been part of an Incubator programme before.
The PeCo Programme is free to attend. It is funded under the NIHR's Mental Health Research Initiative via NIHR Research Infrastructure.
The programme is fully-funded; the MHR Incubator will cover any sustenance, travel, accommodation and childcare costs for the in-person sessions.
