Centre for Mental Health & Community Research

Researching, innovating and transforming the health and well-being of communities

Centre for Mental Health & Community Research

The Centre for Mental Health & Community Research is an interdisciplinary research community at the cutting edge of applied and collaborative mental health and community-based research.

ENRICH Programme

The ENRICH (EvaluatioN of wRaparound in Ireland for CHildren and families) research programme – funded by the Health Research Board (HRB) – focuses on the development, implementation and evaluation of two new wraparound-inspired service models designed to promote child health and family well-being in the early years by supporting parents in their parenting role.

PRIMERA Programme

The PRIMERA (Promoting Research and Innovation in Mental hEalth seRvices for fAmilies) research programme  – funded by the HSE – is investigating family-focused services and supports for parents with a diagnosed mental illness and their children.

CONTEXT Programme

The COllaborative Network for Training and EXcellence in psychoTraumatology (CONTEXT) is a three-year doctoral training programme funded by the European Commission. The goal of CONTEXT is to conduct high quality, innovative research, build capacity and expertise, and foster innovative practice in the area of global psychotraumatology.

The SALaM Ireland Study

The SALaM Ireland study is a collaborative school-based project being conducted as part of a larger programme of research called ‘SALaMA’ (Study of Adolescent Lives after Migration to America), which is led by Washington University, St Louis (USA) in partnership with Qatar Foundation International (QFI) (https://www.qfi.org/opportunities/salama-study/). This study investigates the mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of post-primary school students resettled to Ireland from Arab-majority countries. 

Other Research

Our other current research projects cover a range of important and topical areas including: understanding and promoting mental health and well-being in children and young people; personalised budgets for people with disabilities; well-being interventions for the long-term unemployed;  and a series of systematic reviews.

Training

PRISM is our research and training hub which has been set up to help develop expertise and capacity in conducting systematic reviews in Ireland, especially (but not exclusively) within the field of health and social care.

The Centre for Mental Health & Community Research (formerly known as the Mental Health and Social Research Unit) was established in Maynooth University in 2008 by Founder/Director, Professor Sinead McGilloway.

We conduct high quality, interdisciplinary, community-engaged research on innovative and often large-scale health services and social care research programmes and projects across a number of practice- and policy-relevant subject areas of national and international importance. The centre also offers a stimulating learning environment for, and leadership in, the training/mentoring of doctoral/other postgraduate students and early career researchers. The centre was shortlisted in 2016 as a Finalist in two categories of the Irish Laboratory Awards (Research Laboratory of the Year and Healthcare Laboratory of the Year).

Research On Mental Health

ABOUT US

We are the only centre in Ireland undertaking applied mental health and well-being research across the lifespan and in a community context. Our overarching themes and innovation are outlined below.

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Mental Health Ireland

ENRICH PROGRAMME

The ENRICH (EvaluatioN of wRaparound in Ireland for CHildren and families) research programme is our flagship initiative which focuses on how best we might meet health and well-being needs of parents and their children from infancy onwards.

Find out more…

Community Mental Health

PRIMERA Programme

The PRIMERA (Promoting Research and Innovation in Mental hEalth seRvices for fAmilies) research programme is investigating family-focused services and supports for parents with a diagnosed mental illness and their children (0-18yrs).

Find out more…

Research On Mental Health

The SALaM Ireland study

The ‘SALaM Ireland’ study is a collaborative school-based project being conducted with Washington University, St Louis (USA) and Qatar Foundation International (QFI) to assess the mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of post-primary school students (aged 13-18 years) resettled to Ireland from Arab-majority countries.

Find out more…

Research On Mental Health

CONTEXT

The COllaborative Network for Training and EXcellence in psychoTraumatology (CONTEXT) programme aims to advance scientific knowledge regarding psychological responses to trauma across varying populations and contexts.

Find out more…

Research Mental Health

Other Research

Our other research covers a range of topics including disability, long-term unemployment and well-being, plus a series of studies on understanding and promoting mental health and well-being in children and young people.

Find out more…

Mental Health Services Research

Themes & Innovation


Overarching themes & innovation relate to health services research, social care  and implementation science, with a focus on child and adult mental health and well-being, and vulnerable/disadvantaged groups more generally including:

  • Evaluating services and interventions (including parenting programmes) aimed at preventing and ameliorating clinically significant emotional and behavioural problems in children.
  • Improving services for parents with a diagnosed mental illness (and their children).
  • Promoting the mental health and well-being of children and young people.
  • Supporting people who are receiving end-of-life care (and their health care professionals).
  • Empowering and supporting individuals with disabilities.
  • Developing innovative services to address social problems (e.g. long-term unemployment).
  • Assessing novel interventions for vulnerable groups across the lifespan.
  • Responding to the mental health needs of occupational groups (e.g. those exposed to traumatic/critical incidents).