PhD Studentship: Exciting new research opportunity to explore access, experience, and outcomes of baby loss counselling

Introduction

The University of Bedfordshire (www.beds.ac.uk) is pleased to offer a full-time PhD studentship in the subject area described below. This exciting new studentship has been made available through the collaboration of the Institute for Health Research (IHR) and Petals: The Baby Loss Counselling Charity. The scholarship, jointly funded by IHR and Petals Charity, will cover tuition fees, a bursary per annum, and research and conference attendance expenses.

The institution

The University of Bedfordshire’s vision is ‘to create a vibrant multi-cultural learning community enabling people to transform their lives by participating in excellent, innovative education, scholarship and research’.

The IHR is a centre of excellence in research. Our staff and research students come from more than 25 countries, creating a strong global research community with interests in public health, health inequalities, maternal and child health, health informatics, epidemiology, chronic and infectious diseases, primary care, biostatistics, mental health, and health services research.

The IHR capitalises on local, national, and international opportunities for collaborative, interdisciplinary cross-boundary research and innovation in health. A major goal of the IHR research programme is to understand the factors that determine health and health behaviour and aspects of local contexts, health systems, and political economies that influence the successful implementation of proven health interventions and technologies.

The IHR emphasises multidisciplinary working and integration to create synergy and use researcher strengths to maximum effect. The IHR has strong collaborative links in the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and America and offers extensive postgraduate research training to its approximately 50 doctoral students.

Our PhD School is a lively community with a wealth of interests, mainly in applied health research but also in global public health, epidemiology, nursing, midwifery, psychology, and related disciplines. Our aim is to provide a liberal and dynamic environment for PhD students from around the world to explore their interests and evolve into becoming the next leaders in health research. To find out more visit Institute for Health Research | University of Bedfordshire (beds.ac.uk)

About Petals Charity

Petals Charity was founded by Chief Executive Karen Burgess in 2011 and achieved charity status in 2013. Their mission is to provide and promote specialist counselling for parents following baby loss, and they currently support families across the UK via NHS hospital trusts and charity partnerships. Petals Charity delivers a unique specialist trauma counselling service which provides psychological support to parents following the loss of a baby. They deliver individual, couple, and group-based counselling facilitated via professionally registered and accredited perinatal counsellors. This project will focus specifically on their work with individuals and couples from early loss through to stillbirth and neonatal losses. To find out more visit Petals, The baby loss counselling charity - Petals Charity

The candidate

The successful candidate will have a track record of high academic achievement, demonstrated with an Undergraduate degree of 2:1 or above (or international equivalent) in a relevant subject area. A master’s degree and/or work experience relevant to the project is desirable. While we expect this project to suit graduates from a psychology background, applications from other relevant educational backgrounds (e.g., public health, nursing/midwifery, mental health, allied health) are welcome. Relevant workplace and research experience will also be considered. Good research methodological skills, excellent communication skills and effective time management are essential. The area of baby loss is sensitive and difficult, with many parents experiencing trauma.  The candidate will need to be resilient, and willing and able to engage with difficult client material.

Area of research

This research programme will seek to explore access, experience, and outcomes of a particular model of baby loss counselling delivered by Petals Charity. This includes exploring how access, experiences and outcomes may vary across the UK’s diverse population and within underserved communities. The project will also investigate the psycho-social impact of baby loss on bereaved parents and national availability of baby loss counselling, paying particular interest in equity of access across the four nations of the United Kingdom.

The successful candidate, in consultation with the Director of Studies, Dr Faye Powell, and co-supervisor, Dr Erica Cook, will be responsible for developing the final project outline to ensure that it draws on the student’s interests, background, and research expertise.

Term

The bursary will commence in October 2024, initially for two years for the MPhil stage, with a further year for PhD completion, subject to satisfactory progress. The studentship is for three years and is available for UK candidates meeting the Research Council criterion of having been resident in the UK for the previous three years. There is an expectation that the student would be required to work hybrid with some attendance at both the Luton campus and the Petals Head Office in Bottisham, UK. There will also be flexibility to work from home.

The studentship will include UK tuition fees, a stipend of £19,237, research support and travel. This is offered full-time only.

Entry criteria

• A good first degree in psychology or a health-related or cognate discipline.
• Masters-level degree or relevant work/research experience in an area related to the project.
• Applicants for whom English is not their first language must demonstrate their ability in English, typically B2 level English qualification such as IELTS 6.5.

How to apply

Please click the apply button above.

You MUST quote the reference RES23268 in the email when you submit your application.

Applications must include:

• A completed Research Graduate School Application Form
• A 1000-word proposal that sets out how you would approach the proposed subject area as a PhD study.
• Curriculum vitae
• A Covering letter with supporting information on your experience and skills and how these relate to the advertised PhD.
• Copy of your passport
• Copy of your certificate and transcript of highest qualification

For any queries, please email research@beds.ac.uk quoting the appropriate reference number (RES23146).

Interviews will take place on 23^rd August 2024 online via TEAMs.

For informal discussions or non-application-related queries, please email Dr Faye Powell, Director of Studies, at faye.powell@beds.ac.uk.

Closing date: 16^th August 5pm