William Harvey Building
0845 196 4198
melanie.boyce@anglia.ac.uk

Qualifications & Memberships

• MSc Social Research Methods
• BA Hons Sociology
• Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching

• Member of the Collaborative Action Research Network (CARN)
• Member of the Faculty's Core Research Group: Social Inclusion

Outline of career

After completing her MSc in Social Research Methods at London South Bank University, Melanie began working at Anglia Ruskin University in 2004 as a Research Assistant on a number of externally funded research projects in the area of mental health and social inclusion. More recently her research interests in user-led groups and organisations have involved working with Professor Munn-Giddings on a number of collaborative research projects in this area.

Research Interest

Melanie's areas of research interest are: self-help/mutual aid groups, gender and representation; self-harm. Her methodological expertise includes feminist participatory forms of inquiry and qualitative methods. She is currently in the final writing up stage of her PhD which is applying a feminist participatory approach to explore the role of self-harm self-help/mutual aid groups, from the perspective of group members.

Recent and current projects:

2010-2013. Munn-Giddings, C., Avis, M. (Nottingham University) & Collis, S. (Self Help Nottingham). ESTEEM ? Effective Support for Self-help/Mutual Aid Groups. Funded by the Big Lottery Fund.

2009-2010. Boyce, M. Participatory Inquiry: Exploring the issues and tensions in Health & Social Care research. Funded by Anglia Ruskin University RAE scheme.

2008-2009. Boyce, M. & Pittam, G. An evaluation to examine the impact of implementing the Individual Placement & Support approach. Funded by Remploy.

2006-2008. Munn-Giddings, C., Smith, L., Boyce, M. & Campbell, S. The innovative role of mental health user-led organisations. Funded by the Mental Health Foundation.

Selected Publications

Seebohm, P., Chaudhary, S., Boyce, M., Elkan, R., Avis, M. & Munn-Giddings, C. (2013) The contribution of self-help/mutual aid groups to mental well-being. Health & Social Care in the Community. DOI: 10.1111/hsc.12021.

Visram, N., Roberts, A., Seebohm, P., Boyce, M. & Chaudhary. (2012). The role of self-help groups in promoting well-being: experiences from a cancer group. Mental Health & Social Inclusion 16(3), 139-146.

Boyce, M., Munn-Giddings, C., Smith, L. & Campbell, S. (2010) Innovatory features and challenges facing mental health user led organisations. Mental Health Review, 15(2), 34-42.

Pittam, G., Boyce, M., Secker, J., Lockett, H. & Samele, C. (2010) Employment advice in primary care: a realistic evaluation. Health & Social Care in the Community, 18(6), 598-606.

Boyce, M., O'Brien, N., Munn-Giddings, C. & McVicar, A. (2009) How Does the Rhetoric of 'User Participation' in Research Apply to Older People? Research, Policy & Planning, 27(1), 55-63.

Munn-Giddings, C., Boyce, M., Smith, L. & Wright, S. (2009) The Innovative Role of User Led Organisations. A Life in the Day, 13(3), 14-20.

Boyce, M., Secker, J., Floyd, M., Grove, B., Johnson, R., Schneider, J. & Slade, J. (2008) Factors Influencing the Delivery of Evidence Based Supported Employment in England. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 31(4), 360-366.

Boyce, M., Secker, J., Johnson, R., Floyd, M., Grove, B., Schneider, J. & Slade, J. (2008) Mental Health Service Users' Experience of Returning to Paid Employment. Disability & Society. 23(1), 77-88.

Johnson, R., Floyd, J., Pilling, D., Boyce, M., Grove, B., Secker, J., Schneider, J. & Slade, J. (2009) Service Users' Perceptions of the Effective Ingredients in Supported Employment. Journal of Mental Health, 18(2), 121-128.

Schneider, J., Slade, J., Secker, J., Rinaldi, M., Boyce, M., Johnson, R., Floyd, M. & Grove, B. (2009) SESAMI Study of Employment Support for People with Severe Mental Health Problems: 12-Month Outcomes. Health & Social Care in the Community, 17(2), 151-158.