Martin Webber, Professor of Social Work, School for Business and Society
Martin Webber is Head of Social Work and Director of the International Centre for Mental Health Social Research at the University of York.
His research focuses on the development and evaluation of social interventions for people with mental health problems.
email: martin.webber@york.ac.uk
Our 60-second interview with Martin:
Could you please tell us what work you do in the field of mental health?
I lead a number of studies which aim to improve the evidence base for social interventions in mental health. These include developmental studies (e.g. developing a theory of change model for supported volunteering), feasibility studies (e.g. testing community-enhanced social prescribing) and effectiveness studies (e.g. randomised controlled trials of community navigators and social contact coaches).
What do you find most rewarding and inspiring in this work?
Developing evidence about what does or does not work, and teasing out the methodological challenges along the way, is invigorating. It is rewarding working with practitioners and service providers who are willing to innovate or test new intervention models and to see the positive impact these have on people with mental health problems.
What is the most challenging or complicated aspect of this work?
Mental health services and voluntary sector organisations are experiencing high demand amidst resource constraints; consequently mental health practitioners face immense pressures in their work and often struggle to engage in research. Testing new approaches and asking staff to participate in research projects is challenging in this environment and requires the development of strong working relationships and considerable goodwill.
What impact do you hope your work is having - or can potentially have?
The work of my team is helping to provide social care and social work practitioners with social intervention models which can be used in routine practice to improve outcomes for people with mental health problems. Developing evidence for these social interventions helps organisations and services to make the case for using more socially-oriented approaches alongside established medical and psychological interventions.
Could you share with us one piece of advice that you follow for your own mental health?
I try to do at least an hour of physical activity outdoors each day, such as walking or cycling. This not only helps to keep me physically fit and connect with nature, it releases endorphins which reduces stress and improves my mood.