Rachel Evans is now a doctoral researcher in Clinical Psychology at King’s College London. She conducted some research on adolescent social anxiety at the college to better understand anxiety in young people.
Rachel explained more about her doctoral research- "I am undertaking a study into adolescent social anxiety, in partnership with The Henley College. The purpose of the study is to improve our understanding of what young people do when they feel anxious in social situations. People with ‘social anxiety’ fear being judged badly by other people and they will often do things to try to prevent this negative judgement. For example, someone might avoid asking a question in class for fear of stumbling over their words. We would like to find out what actions are related to social anxiety in young people, and whether these change as people get older. We hope that this improved understanding will lead to better treatments for social anxiety in young people."
"For this research, we are asking 200 young people to complete questionnaires on a range of topics such as anxiety, mood, and friendships. The Henley College have been instrumental in helping us carry out this research and have arranged for me to visit the college to invite students to take part. I have been impressed by how thoughtfully and enthusiastically many young people at The Henley College have participated."
"Important research such as this would not be possible without the involvement of people like the staff and students at The Henley College, and the whole research team appreciate this support."
"During my time as a student at The Henley College in 2008-2010, I studied for A-Levels in Psychology, Philosophy, History, and English Literature. I really enjoyed my time at The Henley College and it was there that I discovered my passion for psychology, which was a completely new subject to me at the time. The style of teaching and level of independence I had as a student at The Henley College prepared me really well for university studies. I achieved A*AAA and went on to complete a BSc in Psychology at Cardiff University and an MSc in Clinical Aspects of Psychology at the University of Reading. I am now halfway through a three-year doctorate programme at King’s College London which will qualify me as a Clinical Psychologist. I feel very fortunate to have found a career which I find so rewarding and enjoyable, which all started with excellent psychology teaching at The Henley College."
