Do you have lived experience of anorexia?
Some of you may have already heard about the SPEAKS study which aims to develop a new emotion focused therapy for adults with anorexia (Specialist Psychotherapy with Emotion for Anorexia in Kent and Sussex). It has been funded by the National Institute of Health Research and is being completed through a collaboration between Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust, Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Canterbury Christ Church University.
It is important to us and to the success of the project that we learn as much as we can from adults aged 18 with lived experience of anorexia while developing SPEAKS, including people at all stages of recovery. We feel that it is only by better understanding the experience from your perspective that we can develop a useful therapy.
We’d love to get your views
In order to hear from as many different people as possible, we will be holding focus groups with different groups of people. Alternatively, if you’d prefer to speak with a researcher on an individual basis, a one-to-one interview can be easily arranged.
- The focus group/interview will enable us to ask you questions about your experiences and what did or did not help you.
- It will also be a space for us to put to you some of our initial hypotheses and ideas for SPEAKS to get your thoughts and comments.
- As well as running groups with who have personal experience of anorexia, we will also be running separate groups with carers/family members, therapists and NHS managers.
The following information sheet and poster describe the study in more detail.
SPEAKS participant information sheet
Please note: there is no obligation to participate in this focus group, even if you contact us for further details. You may refuse to participate or withdraw at any time and doing so will not affect the service or care you receive in any way.
If you are interested in taking part or have any further questions, please email us SPEAKS@canterbury.ac.uk.
You can also find out more about this project and other research studies on our research and development pages.