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This article reports on a literature review of interventions specifically identified as emanating from a mental health promotion (as opposed to prevention) paradigm. A number of recurring debates in the field were identified, including language and terminology, defining ‘mental health’, models of mental health promotion, the use of overgeneralised concepts, values, beliefs and assumptions implicit in mental health promotion interventions, and diversity in what gets called mental health promotion and who does mental health promotion. The paper concludes by highlighting key issues critical to the future development of mental health promotion: the implications of mental health promotion being at an embryonic stage of development, the need for greater reflexivity, the need for integration, and issues concerning professional identity and practice in the mental health promotion field.

This article presents our experiences of conducting research interviews with Australian academics, in order to reflect on the politics of researcher and participant positionality. In particular, we are interested in the ways that academic networks, hierarchies and cultures, together with mobility in the higher education sector, contribute to a complex discursive terrain in which researchers and participants alike must maintain vigilance about where they ‘put their feet’ in research interviews. We consider the implications for higher education research, arguing that the positionality of researchers and participants pervades and exceeds these specialised research situations.

The purpose of this paper is to facilitate a participant led arts-based workshop for survivors of female genital mutilation (FGM) in order to explore their experiences and impact of FGM on health and wellbeing, and to use the artefacts to inform development of an e-learning resource.

The study utilised a creative narrative approach which included the sharing of personal stories, the creation of pottery models and the sharing of artefacts. A narrative approach was chosen as the methodology for the study as narratives are now well established within qualitative research as a meaningful way in which the voices of participants take precedence over those of the researcher. Six women who are living with FGM agreed to take part.

The composition of the workshop essentially encompassed two main strands: the creation of a persona and sharing artefacts. These are described in detail with supplementary images included wherever appropriate. The authors have not attempted to present the findings of the workshop from the perspective of the researcher but have rather enabled the findings to speak for themselves.

There is a paucity of studies which have explored women’s experiences of living with FGM and the impact on health and well-being. The findings suggest that there is further scope for research and practice development which examines the impact of education on professional’s approaches to FGM.

This study and the wider focus towards the impact of FGM beyond the physical or procedural aspects of FGM offer a contribution to the evolving evidence base in this field.

Inspired by the debates on participatory methods and drawing from research on “digital childhoods” in Portugal, this chapter aims to address the methodological innovations and challenges in collecting visual and digital data with children at their homes. As one of the stages of a research project on internet use, children were asked to take photos of their favorite objects at home and to collect screenshots of their most used webpages, followed by a conversation with the researcher. The use of photography allowed children greater expression and autonomy and gave researchers access to the children’s own perspectives on their home environment. It also provided unique information about the arrangement of digital objects at home and their different appropriations by girls and boys. Screenshots showed creative uses of the internet by children and gender differences. Ethical concerns were raised, due to the specific nature of working with children and with visual material (anonymization and dissemination). Entering the domestic setting provided a privileged access to children’s private sphere and to the in situ observation of their use of technology. However, the home is not a neutral place for a researcher and crossing the border into the private domain involves risks. These findings, illustrated by empirical examples from the research field, stress the importance of reflecting on and discussing the potentials, limitations, and ethical considerations of different methodologies, as well as their suitability to specific research objects, subjects, and contexts.