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Anxiety and Depression in Young People (AnDY) Research Clinic – Oxford

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Who we are

The AnDY Research Clinic – Oxford is a collaboration between:

Mental Health in Development research theme

Oxford Health BRC Mental Health in Development theme

The Oxford Psychological Interventions in Children and Adolescents TOPIC Research Group, University of Oxford

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)

The purpose of the collaboration is to develop new mental health interventions that meet the needs of a diverse range of children and young people. The clinic is achieving this by delivering a ground-breaking early intervention psychology service within Oxford Health CAMHS that supports relevant and approved clinical research.

It partners the successful AnDY Research Clinic – Reading, which is a collaboration between the University of Reading and Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. 

What we do

The clinic offers high-quality assessments and evidence-based psychological treatments to children and young people aged 5-17 years.

As part of the assessment, the child/young person and their parent/carer(s) complete questionnaires that cover a range of areas related to psychological functioning, and then attend an initial appointment. This process helps us get a good understanding of the young person’s difficulties and what type of help they may need. During the appointment, we typically speak with parents and carers separately from children/young people; we do this because hearing these separate accounts can help us gain a more detailed understanding of young people’s difficulties and the help they need.  

Following assessment, the child/young person and their parent/carer(s) are invited to a treatment planning appointment. During the appointment, we discuss the outcome of the assessment and aim to reach a shared understanding of the young person’s current difficulties. We use this understanding to guide the next steps in terms of treatment (e.g. the type of psychological therapy that will be offered).

Our treatments are helpful for children/young people experiencing difficulties with anxiety, depression, and/or obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviour, which cause significant distress or significant problems in personal, family, social, educational, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. All the psychological treatments offered are time-limited and brief (i.e. 6-8 sessions) and typically delivered by Children’s Wellbeing Practitioners (CWPs) under the supervision of a senior Clinical Psychologist.

We usually work on a one-to-one basis with children/young people or their parents/carers, and either in person or online.

Our research

Through the clinic, we support research that improves our understanding of the development and maintenance of anxiety, related disorders and depression in children and young people, and that supports the development of targeted, effective, and accessible treatment. The ultimate aim of this research is to enable children and young people to lead the lives they want to live.  

Research in the clinic is wide-ranging, and we work closely with young people with lived experience and their families to make sure that the research we do focuses on the things that are important to them and is conducted in a way that they are happy with. We also work extensively with key stakeholders (including practitioners, policy makers, and international colleagues) to make sure that the work we do is relevant and can be implemented widely in practice. 

For researchers:

We have a rigorous application process that researchers must follow before they can conduct research in the clinic. If you are a researcher interested in collaborating with us, then please contact us for further information.

For young people and their families/carers:

If there is a relevant research opportunity for young people and their families/carers, we will discuss this with them during their treatment planning appointment. Taking part in research is always optional.

Information for professionals

The AnDY Research Clinic is open to any child or young person eligible for care through Oxford Health CAMHS who meets the following criteria:

  1. Age 5-17 years.
  2. Meets DSM-V (or equivalent ICD11) criteria for a primary diagnosis of at least one anxiety or depressive disorder or OCD.
  3. The disorder is causing significant distress and/or impairment in everyday functioning (e.g., social, educational, and/or emotional development).
  4. Able to access and benefit from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) informed treatment (e.g., motivated to change; able to identify and differentiate between thoughts, feelings, and behaviours; maintenance processes known to be responsive to CBT; has an adequate social support network).
  5. Not already completed a brief, evidence-based psychological intervention for the target problem.
  6. Not at high risk of significant harm to self, to other, or from others to the point where managing risk needs to be the primary focus of any intervention (i.e., not in crisis).
  7. Not diagnosed with a moderate-severe learning disability (i.e., IQ <70). Existing brief, evidence-based interventions for anxiety and depression have not been sufficiently evaluated with this population.

If autism and/or ADHD has been diagnosed or is suspected, families would ideally have access to local autism support services and organisations (e.g., to help young people and families understand autism and adjust the social and physical environment in ways that may lead to a reduction in emotional distress).

All decisions about whether to accept a referral or offer an intervention will be guided by assessment, formulation, and the evidence base. An intervention will not be offered unless it is clinically indicated, including in circumstances when alternative and more appropriate support is unavailable.

Contact

For more information, please visit the clinic website: https://andyoxford.mhid.org.uk/  

Get in touch with the clinic

You can contact the clinic by email:

Make a referral

All referrals for the clinic come to us via the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Single Point of Access. Young people can make a referral themselves or someone else (e.g. their parent/carer, GP, or school) can make the referral for them on the CAMHS referrals page.

If you need to discuss or make a referral please contact the Single Point of Access.

Single Point of Access: