Loneliness research and how mental health services can help people in this important area of life (preliminary)

For my dissertation, in which I received a high distinction, I conducted a qualitative study interviewing young people with experience of loneliness to assess their views on loneliness interventions. This is a project I am preparing for publication and hope to build on during this PhD programme. I would relish the opportunity to apply my existing research and academic skills to this programme, and to build on this by exploring my own interests and ideas. These primarily relate to intervention development, loneliness, young people's mental health, and opportunities for early intervention. This PhD represents an important next step in becoming an independent researcher and future mental health leader.