Our research

Woman standing by poster at conference

Professor Pooja Saini presents James’ Place research at the 15th International Conference on Early Intervention and Prevention in Mental Health, Berlin, September 2025

We’re proud that the work we do not only helps the men who come to our centres but also contributes to a wider evidence base of what works in suicide prevention, and influences national and international thinking on male suicide.

James’ Place Evaluation 

Our academic and independent evaluation was conducted by lead researcher Professor Pooja Saini, Professor in Suicide and Self Harm Prevention at Liverpool John Moores University between August 2018 and August 2024.  Central to this evaluation is the use of the Core Outcome model, which is a validated tool to assess and measure psychological distress. The research shows that on average men who attended James’ Place experienced a clinically and statistically significant positive change in their mental wellbeing following their treatment and reduced levels of psychological distress.

Between 2020 and 2024 we also measured entrapment levels in the men we see, which is a key indicator of psychological distress. The research found that on average, men who attended James’ Place had a statistically significant reduction in feelings of entrapment.

  1. Year One Evaluation Report
  2. Year Two Evaluation Report
  3. Year Three Evaluation Report
  4. Year Four Evaluation Report (London and Liverpool)
  5. Year Five Evaluation Report (London, Liverpool and Newcastle)

 Publications

  1. Saini, P., Chopra, J., Hanlon, C.A., & Boland, J. (2021).  A Case Series Study of Help-Seeking among Younger and Older Men in Suicidal Crisis.  International Journal of Environmental Research & Public Health, 18, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147319
  2. Chopra, J., Hanlon, C.A., Boland, J., Harrison, R., Timpson, H., Saini, P. (2021).  A case series study of an innovative community-based brief psychological model for men in suicidal crisis.  Journal of Mental Health. doi:  https://doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2021.1979489
  3. Saini, P., Chopra, J., Hanlon, C., & Boland, J. (2022).  The adaptation of a community-based suicide prevention intervention during the COVID19 pandemic: a mixed method study.  Cogent Psychology, 9(1), 2066824.  doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2022.2066824
  4. Hanlon, C.A., Chopra, J., Boland, J., McIlroy, D., Poole, H., & Saini, P. (2023). A mixed-methods evaluation of the acceptability and fidelity of the James’ Place model for men experiencing suicidal crisis. Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine Volume 11, 2023  Issue 1 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21642850.2023.2265142


    Liverpool John Moores University PhD: An evaluation of the acceptability and efficacy of the James’ Place Model for men experiencing suicidal crisis

    Publications

    1. Hanlon, C.A., Chopra, J., Boland, J., McIlroy, D., Poole, H., & Saini, P. (2022).  James’ Place Model: Application of a novel clinical, community-based intervention for the prevention of suicide among men.  Journal of Public Mental Health, 21 (2), 80-92.  doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMH-09-2021-0123
    2. Hanlon, C. A., Saini, P., Boland, J., McIlroy, D., Poole, H., & Chopra, J. (2024). Psychological risk factors predictive of suicidal distress in men receiving a community-based brief psychological intervention. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 54, 394–404 https://doi.org/10.1111/sltb.130

Presentations

Maria Michail, University of Birmingham. Community-led approaches to suicide prevention: Insights across diverse contexts and population.  Prevention Research 2026 Conference (4-6 March 2026)
Professor Pooja Saini, A case series study of an innovative early intervention community-based brief psychological model for men in suicidal crisis. 15th International Conference on Early Intervention and Prevention in Mental Health, Berlin, (8-10 September 2025)
Saini, P., Chopra, J., Hanlon, C., Boland, J. (2023) Reducing entrapment and suicide risk through a community-based clinical intervention. (Oral) University of Salford Psychology Conference
Saini, P.,  Hanlon, C.A., Chopra, J., McIlroy, D., Poole, H., Boland, J. (2023).  Psychological Risk Factors Predictive of Suicidal Crisis Among Men Using “Lay your cards on the Table” Component of the James’ Place Model (Oral).  32nd International Association for Suicide Prevention, Slovenia
Saini, P., Chopra, J., Hanlon, C., Boland, J. (2022). The adaptation of a community-based suicide prevention intervention during COVID19: a mixed method study (Oral). 19th European Symposium on Suicide and Suicidal Behaviour, Copenhagen
Saini, P.,  Chopra, J., Boland, J., O’Connor, R.C. (2022).  Reducing entrapment and suicide risk through a community based clinical intervention. (Oral). 19th European Symposium on Suicide and Suicidal Behaviour, Copenhagen
Hanlon, C.A., McIlroy, D., Poole, H., Chopra, J., & Saini, P.  (2022).  An Evaluation of the Acceptability & Fidelity of the James’ Place Model for Men Experiencing Suicidal Distress (Oral).  Suicide & Self Harm Research Group 2nd Conference, Liverpool.
Hanlon, C.A., McIlroy, D., Chopra, J., Boland, J., & Saini, P.  (2022).  An evaluation of the acceptability & fidelity of the James’ Place model. (Poster).  19th European Symposium on Suicide and Suicidal Behaviour, Copenhagen.
Hanlon, C.A., Chopra, J., Boland, J., & Saini, P.  (2022).  The Role of Co-production in the development and implementation of James’ Place.  (Oral).  ARC NWC MIDAS Implementation Science Sub-group seminar, Preston.
Saini, P., Chopra, J., Boland, J., & Hanlon, C.A.  (2021). An Innovative Community-Based Brief Psychological Model for Men in Suicidal Crisis (Symposium).  31st International Association for Suicide Prevention, Goldcoast Australia.
Hanlon, C.A., McIlroy, D., Poole, H., Chopra, J., & Saini, P.  (2021).  The Feasibility & Efficacy of the James’ Place Brief Psychological Therapeutic Model (oral).  Suicide & Self Harm Research Group 1st Conference, Liverpool.
Hanlon, C.A., McIlroy, D., Poole, H., Chopra, J., & Saini, P.  (2021).  The Feasibility & Efficacy of the James’ Place Brief Psychological Therapeutic Model (Oral).  4th SSHaRe NoW Conference, Manchester
Dr Pooja Saini; Jane Boland, Clare Milford-Haven, Gayle Whelan, Prof Stephen Briggs (2019). Co-production in a UK community-based non-clinical service for men in suicidal crisis, lessons from the field. LJMU Institute for Health Research Conference Keynote Talk, Liverpool.
Dr Pooja Saini; Jane Boland, Clare Milford-Haven, Gayle Whelan, Prof Stephen Briggs (2019). A process evaluation of the effectiveness of the brief psychological intervention offered at a community based non-clinical suicide crisis centre. 30th International Association for Suicide Prevention, Derry, Ireland

Citations

Eggenberger L, Ehlert U and Walther A (2023) New directions in male-tailored psychotherapy for depression. Front. Psychol. 14:1146078. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1146078 https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1146078/full