What is SHIFT?
SHIFT is a national study examining the best techniques to help young people (11-17) overcome self harm, assessing the effectiveness of ‘specialist’ family therapy compared to treatment as usual for this group. The results of the trial will help to inform the development of consistent, safe and effective services for young people who self-harm across the UK.
The Chief Investigator of the trial is Professor David Cottrell at the University of Leeds. The Tavistock is one of the participating North London sites, along with Enfield and Islington. Other sites involved are in Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and South London.
The trial is aiming to work with more than 800 young people and families across these sites, making it one of the largest studies of psychological treatment in children and young people ever to be conducted in the UK.
What are we doing?
Family therapy will be delivered by qualified family therapists using a modified version of the Leeds Family Therapy and Research Centre Systemic Family Therapy Manual (LFTRC Manual).
Every young person referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) by their GP, school or following admission to hospital for a self-harm incident will be screened for eligibility.
The North London SHIFT family therapy team comprising family therapists from the Tavistock, Enfield and Islington work on Fridays and rotate between the three sites.
Inclusion Criteria
- Aged 11 – 17 years
- Lives with primary care-giver
- Self-harmed prior to assessment by the CAMHS team
- Engaged in at least one previous episode of self-harm prior to current presentation by self-injury or self-poisoning (or both)
- Assessment in hospital following current episode, or referred directly to CAMHS from primary care with recent self-harm as a key feature of referral
- Where the presenting episode is due to alcohol or recreational drugs, the young person has explicitly stated that he / she was intending self-harm by use of alcohol / recreational drugs
- Where it is intended to offer CAMHS follow-up for self-harm
Exclusion Criteria
- Currently at serious risk of suicide
- Undergoing a current child protection investigation
- Would not ordinarily be treated in generic CAMHS but rather by a specific service
- Pregnant at time of trial entry
- Is actively being treated in CAMHS
- In a children’s home or short term foster placement
- Moderate to severe learning disability or lacks capacity to comply with trial requirements
- Involved in another research project – currently or within the last six months
- Sibling has been randomised to the SHIFT trial
- The child / adolescent and one main care-giver have insufficient proficiency in English to contribute to the data collection required for the research.
Where can I find out more?
To find out more about the study please contact either:
Reenee Singh - North London SHIFT Co-ordinator
Tel: 02089382352 Email: Rsingh@tavi-port.nhs.uk
Lucy Brett-Taylor - SHIFT Research Assistant
Tel: 0207 848 0190 Mobile: 07540 674 207 Email: lucy.1.brett-taylor@kcl.ac.uk