LEAP
Lived Experience Advisory Panel - Apply below
Lived experience experts play a central role in our work. We believe that those with direct experience of complex emotional difficulties bring invaluable perspectives that enhance the relevance and impact of our research.
There are multiple ways in which people with lived experience have already been involved and can get involved in future aspect of this research, please read below.
How to get involved?
Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP)
We are currently in the process of recruiting our Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP). This an essential part of our research project. The LEAP will provide oversight and accountability across the lifetime of the Hub, and will meet around 4 times per year. Most meetings will be online - any travel will be covered.
We aim to recruit a diverse LEAP and are looking for ten people with experience of complex emotions and difficulties that might be associated with the diagnosis of 'Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)', 'Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD)' or 'Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPSTD)'. The members of the LEAP need to be associated with or live in either Sheffield or Plymouth surrounding areas.
There will also be some tasks between meetings and maybe some future opportunities to take on other roles in the research and learning that is going to take place over the course of the study. You may enjoy writing and be asked to write blogs. Perhaps you like to paint and draw? Your creativity will be enormously helpful and you may find yourself collaborating with us in designing and running workshops that will be interesting and engaging.
We value our experts by experience. LEAP members will be paid for their time and we will provide opportunities for skill development and creative contributions.
Our goal is for this to be rewarding and fulfilling for everyone involved.
To find out more about the research - look at the 'About' page on this website which hosts our research overview.
The LEAP recruitment process.
If you are interested please read the full role description below and complete the expression of interest form.
You need to fill in the 'Expression of interest form' before Friday 15th November.
You then may be offered a further conversation with one or two of our research team including one of our co-investigators with lived experience.
This further conversation will happen using an online video meeting platform such as 'Microsoft Teams' or 'Google Meet'. If people need alternative arrangements, this will be arranged on an individual bases - make sure you let us know in your application.
Due to the fact there are only limited places, we may not be able to proceed with everyone's applications. The project might not be the right fit for you but we will let each applicant know our decision.
There may be other opportunities to get involved in this project over the course of the five years, so we would still like to keep in touch and we will ask you about this.
LEAP ROLE DESCRIPTION
Call for involvement:
The UKRI Complex Emotions Research Hub
Does life seem harder for you than it does for other people?
Is life sometimes a rollercoaster of emotions?
Do you find yourself behaving in ways that you feel are out of control?
Do you sometimes have thoughts and feelings around self-harm?
Do you find rejection, or the possibility of rejection, very difficult to deal with?
About the Complex Emotions Research Hub
The Complex Emotions Platform Hub is a UKRI-funded research programme and one of 5 hubs dedicated to the in-depth study of severe mental health problems from 2024, for five years. This research is hosted by Sheffield Health and Social Care Foundation Trust (SHSC) in partnership with Sheffield and Plymouth Universities.
By ‘complex emotions’ we mean experiences and feelings that can be confusing and difficult to manage, like difficulties in relationships and worries about being abandoned; difficulties regulating emotions, with strong emotions but also episodes of detachment, or dissociation; and managing impulses that might have negative consequences, including self-harm and suicidal feelings.
The aim of our hub is to undertake research necessary for positively transforming care and outcomes for people who experience complex emotional difficulties. Sometimes people are given the label of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). This is a diagnosis that is troublesome to many people. It can be associated with prejudices and stigma and misunderstanding by health professionals.
What we are looking for
We are looking for ten people with experience of Complex Emotions and the difficulties that are often associated with the diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD) or Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (cPSTD) or carers of people with these experiences.
We fully recognise these terms are troublesome to many, and this is partly why we are doing this research. Please see our Plain Language Summary which is located on the 'About' tab of this website. It may be that you haven’t haven’t heard of the above terms but identify strongly with the experiences listed above. If so you may be able to help us with this research as part of a group called a Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP).
We are encouraging applications from people connected to the areas our work will focus on: Plymouth or Sheffield and the surrounding areas. We have been given the opportunity to learn about these experiences, and over a period of five years are hoping to work with people who experience these difficulties to find ways in which to help you and other people like you.
Mental health issues and experiences affect everyone, but involvement in research does not always reflect this. Therefore, we are actively seeking applications for the LEAP from minoritised ethnic groups and those who have gone through difficult life experiences or are part of other marginalised groups (for example those with disabilities, those from low income backgrounds, and LGBTQIA+ people).
We would like to recruit people who are passionate about:
Using your lived experience of complex emotional difficulties in research
Improving mental health services for people experiencing complex emotions
Ensuring that the voices of other people with lived experience of mental health difficulties are heard when undertaking research
Learning from other people with different perspectives and experiences
What will taking part involve?
The LEAP will be expected to attend meetings both online and face-to-face (although the majority of meetings will be online). We will try to help in case anyone does not have a suitable computer/phone to take part in online meetings.
Meetings will likely take place 4 times a year and involve giving opinions and advice on the study, its methods and progress which will be online, in person or a mix of both.
There will also be some tasks between meetings and maybe some future opportunities to take on other roles in the research and learning that is going to take place over the course of the study. You may enjoy writing and be asked to write blogs. Perhaps you like to paint and draw? Your creativity will be enormously helpful and you may find yourself collaborating with us in designing and running workshops that will be interesting and engaging.
Requirements
Live of have a connections to Plymouth or Sheffield and surrounding areas.
Have lived experience of complex emotional difficulties.
Value research as a means of better understanding mental health difficulties and a way of helping.
Experience in, or an interest in developing skills in working with and engaging with people from diverse backgrounds and communities.
The project will run for five years and it would be great if you could make this commitment, however we do understand that people might not be able to stay involved for the entire time as personal circumstances change.
Have access to a stable Internet connection and be able to join on a device that is suitable for online video conferencing (a laptop, tablet or smartphone).
Have access to a private space to take part in online meetings.
Be able or willing to travel to Sheffield or Plymouth for an in person meetings once a year (travel paid).
Be able to attend online/hybrid meetings with a camera on.
Be able to critically and kindly engage with others and to listen, respect and challenge differing opinions.
If you are not selected for the LEAP
Due to the fact there are only limited places, we may not be able to shortlist your application. We may also feel the project might not be the right fit for you but we will let you know if this is the case. As mentioned previously there may be other opportunities to get involved in this project over the course of the five years, so we would still like to keep in touch.
Payment and expenses
Panel members will be paid £25 per hour, plus £5 for online meetings to cover data costs.
All reasonable travel expenses for in-person meetings will be covered
How to apply
Please complete the expression of interest form below and submit before 5pm on Friday 15th November 2024
If you need any help with the form, would like an alternative way to sub this or have any questions about the project or role, Please reach out via email or phone or text. We would love to hear from you.
Project email: complex_emotions_hub@sheffield.ac.uk
Phone/Text: 07971 809655 (available only during office hours Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm).
If your application is shortlisted, we will contact you and invite you for a further conversation to discuss this potential role to help us decide on the final selection of LEAP members.
If you are interested in applying to our LEAP
Please fill out the expression of interest form below.
UKRI_Complex_Emotions_Hub_LEAP_Expression_of_interest_form_PRINTABLE VERSION V2 14.10.2024.docx.pdfThe expression of interest form can also be downloaded as a pdf and hand written.
Please click on the document's right hand top corner and it will open in a different tab.
Click on the printer option to print.
Hand written responses are welcomed - please scan or photograph and email back.
If you would like a word version of this Please email complex_emotions_hub@sheffield.ac.uk to request this.
If you have any difficulties with the form please contact the Sheffield and Plymouth research teams on the email and number given in the document.
Other involvement.
Co-applicants and Co-investigators
The foundations of this research were shaped by a group of co-applicants with lived experience; this includes people who have lived experience of complex emotions and some who have received a BPD diagnosis. The group is supported by McPin Foundation. This group have a very strong track record of involving those with lived experience in research, under challenging circumstances, including research designed to reduce health (and especially ethnic) inequalities in experiences and outcomes of mental health care. They have helped shaped the initial direction of the research and continued this role as 'co-investigators' by taking a researcher role within this project to further support and develop it.
Wider community of interest
Would you like to be kept up-to-date with our research? If so please sign-up to our newsletter to keep in touch with the research team.
Your data will be stored by the University of Sheffield and you will only be contacted via email with newsletters about this research project.