The STEP (Schools Training to Enhance support for LGBT+ young People) Study
The Schools Training to Enhance support for LGBT+ young People (STEP) Study investigates what training is available to schools to support LGBT+ young people and how this training can be improved. The STEP study is funded by Transdisciplinary Research for the Improvement of Youth Mental Public Health (TRIUMPH). You can find out more at The STEP Study website.
We are asking young people (aged 13-19 years), school staff and training providers to take part in online focus groups and/or interviews and creative workshops. Participants can choose which option they prefer and the interviews can be either 1-to-1 with a KCL (Kings College London) Researcher or 2-to-1 with a KCL Researcher and a young researcher.
We will share findings with current training providers and teacher training organisations to start a conversation about how things might be improved. We will also use them as a basis for a larger project to test out improvements to existing training in different settings, as well as ways to encourage training uptake.
Project team
Charlotte Woodhead (she/her)
Charlotte is a lecturer in society & mental health. Her research focuses on addressing inequalities in mental health and access to mental health support linked to discrimination, particularly among LGBT+ young people and racial and ethnic minority groups
Amy Morgan (she/her)
Amy Morgan (she/her) is a research assistant at the Centre for Society and Mental Health. Her research explores the impact of social inequalities on mental health in order to improve outcomes for people who face discrimination and marginalisation, particularly LGBT+ young people.
Lauren Ige (she/her)
Lauren is a young adult researcher and assistant psychologist. She has got involved in the project to inform, guide and improve the support and resources offered to LGBTQ+ people who are in need of support while at school to help them feel more comfortable in their sexuality.
Gemma Knowles (she/her)
Gemma is a research associate at the Centre for Society and Mental Health. She has been working on school-based research projects for about 10 years and her main research interests are in adolescent mental health, school inequalities in health, and the links between physical health and mental health.
Jay Conlon (they/them)
Jay is a freelance artist from County Durham. They are a young researcher on the STEP project, and got involved due to their personal experiences of the negative connotations of being queer in the education system.
Angela Mascolo
“I am a Peer Researcher for STEP Study. I got involved in this project because it focuses on two of my favourite topics, LGBT+ issues and mental health, and I want to play an active role in making schools a safer environment for LGBT+ young people
Catherine el-Zerbi (she/they)
Catherine is a research associate and is interested in ways of engaging people with science and health. Her research combines the arts for mental health and science to reduce health inequalities and improve outcomes for children, families and service staff. She uses co-produced mixed-methods working alongside young people to include their voices in the research process.
Lukasz Konieczka (he/him)
Lukasz is the director of Mosaic LGBT+ Young Person’s Trust. Mosaic LGBT+ Young Person’s Trust aims to support, educate and inspire young LGBT+ persons and those around them.
Kate Rimes (she/her)
Kate is a clinical psychologist who co-leads the King’s College London LGBT+ mental health research group. Her research investigates the psychological impact of stigma, prejudice and discrimination, for example in relation to sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, mental illness and race/ethnicity. She applies the findings to improve interventions to support mental health.
