Researching child and adolescent mental health can be a daunting task, but with the right practical skills and knowledge your students can transform the way they work with children and young people, giving them a 'voice' through their research in the wider community.

Michelle O'Reilly and Nikki Parker combine their clinical, academic and research expertise to take your students step-by-step through each stage of the research process. From first inception to data collection and dissemination, they'll guide them through the key issues faced when undertaking their research, highlighting the dilemmas, challenges and debates, and exploring the important questions asked when doing research with this population.

Providing practical advice and strategies for dealing with the reality of conducting research in practice, this book will;

- Provide your students with an overview of the theories that underpin methodological choice and the value of using qualitative research.

- Guide them through the planning stage of your project, clearly outlining important ethical and legal issues.

- Take them though the most popular qualitative data collection techniques and support them with their analysis.

- Help them write up their findings and demonstrate how research evidence translates into effective clinical practice.

Supported by helpful hints and tips, case examples and definitions of keys terms, this highly practical and accessible guide throws a lifebelt to any students or mental health practitioner learning about the research process for the first time.

Theory and background
Theory and Utility of Qualitative Research
The Need for Qualitative Evidence
Clinical and Research Roles
Getting Started
Planning a Child Focussed Project
Recruitment and Communication
The Research Setting
Data Collection
Questionnaires, Observations and Ethnography
Interviews and Focus Groups
Naturally-Occuring Data
Internet Methods
Recording and Transcription
Analysis and Writing Up
Data Analysis
Reflective Practice to Reflexive Research
Dissemination

Michelle O'Reilly (BSc [hons], MSc, MA, PhD, PGCAPHE) is an Associate Professor of Communication in Mental Health at the University of Leicester and a Research Consultant for Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust. Michelle is also a Chartered Psychologist in Health. Michelle has specific interest in child and adolescent mental health and has been investigating the relationship between mental health and social media as part of that work. Michelle has made several media contributions about the research with adolescents, educationalists, and parents, as funded by the Wellcome Trust. Additional to her research interests in mental health and social media, Michelle also undertakes research in self-harm and suicidal behaviour, neurodevelopmental conditions, and child mental health services, such as mental health assessments and family therapy. Michelle recently won the Anselm Strauss Award for Qualitative Family Research for her co-authored contribution on discursive psychology in this area. Michelle has expertise in qualitative methodologies and specialises in discursive psychology and conversation analysis.