Project details

Summary

What is the study about?

Many people worry that others are trying to harm them in some way. It can be hard to trust. The world can feel unsafe. Excessive fear about others trying to cause harm can have many names. In psychiatric settings it can be known as paranoia or persecutory delusions. Our focus is on people who are worried about harm and want to feel safer.

Feeling Safer has been developed following fifteen years of research. We have developed a six-month online programme, supported by a mental health staff member, called Feeling Safer. Feeling Safer is designed to help people feel safer, happier, and get back to doing more of the things that they want to be doing.

It is an online programme available to people via computer, tablet, or smartphone. The sorts of areas that might be covered include self-confidence, sleep, worry, voices, memories, finding safety, and activities. It is all designed to help people find a greater degree of safety in their lives. It is expected that a person will log on 2-3 times a week for about 20 minutes each time.

What are you trying to find out? 

The purpose of the research study is to see whether Feeling Safer is potentially 
helpful for people.

What does taking part involve? 

Screening: We acknowledge that many people have had very difficult experiences with other people. We will first check with you whether the research study is suitable for you. 

Assessments: Everyone who takes part will be asked to meet with a research assistant four different times for an assessment. The assessments are at the beginning, then after 3 months, 6 months, and 9 months. The meetings will typically take place at your local mental health clinic, or online, or we may be able to meet at your home if you would prefer. At the assessments you’ll also be asked to complete questionnaires on, for example, your confidence, mood, and activities. We expect the assessments to take about ninety minutes each. They can be broken down into smaller chunks if you would like. We will also try to do them at times and locations that are most convenient to you.

Random allocation: After the first assessment, whether or not you have Feeling Safer will be randomly decided by a computer (rather like flipping a coin). This means that you may - or may not - receive Feeling Safer, which is decided by chance. Three out of four people (i.e. three-quarters) who enter the trial will receive Feeling Safer. Everyone will also continue with their usual care from mental health services.

Feeling Safer has been developed following fifteen years of research. It is an online programme available to people via computer, tablet, or smartphone. If you don’t have a device then we can provide a tablet for the duration of the study. There is a separate weekly check-in by telephone or video call with a Feeling Safer staff member. In the online programme there are questions to help determine the information and therapy techniques that may be most suitable for you. You select the ones to complete. The sorts of areas that might be covered include self-confidence, sleep, worry, voices, memories, finding safety, and activities. It is all designed to help people find a greater degree of safety in their lives. It is expected that a person will log on 2-3 times a week for about 20 minutes each time. Your usual NHS care will continue as before.

The staff member who supports the use of Feeling Safer will either be a peer support worker (someone who has direct experience of the concerns that Feeling Safer is designed to help with), an assistant psychologist (or mental health and wellbeing practitioner), or a cognitive-behavioural (CBT) therapist. The type of staff member that supports a person with Feeling Safer will be decided by chance, so we can check that the therapy works well when delivered by each type of staff member.

Participation in the trial lasts 9 months in total.

As part of the study, we would also want to look at your medical notes. The staff member who helps to support you with Feeling Safer will need to do this as part of standard good care in the NHS. The study team will look at your notes to see how you are getting along and to look at the care you receive. They will also record information on the services and support you receive from your medical notes. All of this will be done on a confidential basis. 

Who is it for?

We are looking for participants who:

• Are adults (16 years+)
• Feel very concerned that others are trying to harm them in some way
• Are attending mental health services for a diagnosis of psychosis
• Have been referred to a mental health service as possibly having psychosis or experiencing symptoms of psychosis 

Our aim is for 484 people to take part in the research.

Why is it important? 

We hope that using Feeling Safer will help people feel safer, happier, and to be more active. The research aims to find out whether this is the case.

How can I find out more?

You can find out more information about taking part in this study by downloading the key documents at the top of this page. 

If you are interested in taking part in this study, or have questions for the research team, click the button below to email us:

Email the research team