Resources and support

This space brings together resources, networks, and opportunities to connect with others doing sensitive and emotionally challenging research.

Here you'll find useful links, details of relevant networks, and ways to register for upcoming events. Whether you're looking for practical resources, a wider community, or a bit of support along the way, we hope you'll find something here that helps.

Free sensitive and emotionally challenging topic networks

• Researcher Wellbeing Group (inter-university network for postgraduate students and early career researchers)
• Researcher Resilience Community of Practice
• Emotionally Demanding Research Network (Scotland)
• Emotionally Demanding Research Network (University of Manchester)
• Australian Advocacy for Safe and Ethical Research in Sensitive ConTexts Network
• Challenging Research Network
• Sexual Violence Research Initiative
• Sensitive and Traumatic Research Network: [email protected]
• GW4 R WELL (Researcher Wellbeing Evidence and Learning Lab)

Resources and support for researchers conducting sensitive and emotionally challenging research

• ARU only: Monthly Peer Support and Connection Circles: for upcoming events, keep an eye on Bulletin or contact [email protected] or [email protected]
• RWN Webinar Series: for upcoming events, contact [email protected] or [email protected]
• The Researcher Wellbeing Project (RWP)
• Protecting Wellbeing when Working with Distressing Topics and Content (DToC) (paid online short course from the University of Birmingham)
• A toolkit to support researcher wellbeing (RES-WELL): Practical strategies for UK research institutions, funders, and researchers in the context of emotionally or ethically challenging research (PDF from University College London)

General wellbeing resources

• Healthy Living - NHS
• Samaritans
• Mind
• Rethink
• SANE

Researcher Wellbeing Strategic Change Group (RWSCG)

The RWSCG is working to make the psychosocial wellbeing of researchers a priority, particularly those engaging with emotionally or morally challenging topics, whether they're carrying out, commissioning, overseeing or supporting that research.

Their aim is to shift how research institutions, funders, supervisors, research teams, stakeholders, policy makers and practitioners approach and fund researcher wellbeing. The resources below were developed to support the shared work of RWSCG, the Researcher Wellbeing Project and GW4 R WELL:

• More about the RWSCG
• Guidance for principal investigators, supervisors and managers – for those able to commit time to a core RWSCG group and help instigate, influence or lead strategic change around researcher wellbeing in their institution or discipline.
• Guidance for Master's and doctoral students, early career researchers and others – for anyone wanting to learn how to introduce this into their institution, or looking for lighter-touch involvement.

Register to join the Researcher Wellbeing Strategic Change Group