Final read submission of research proposal

My PhD Research Proposal (RP) is handed in for a final read to my wonderful principal supervisor, Professor Tara Brabazon. Subsequently, my trusty old laptop is now eager to spend the Christmas holiday with me to assist in the curation of my mid January seminar for my Confirmation of Candidature (CoC).

Enroute to the big city via airplane today and a looooong drive from Brisbane to Melbourne, my RP is printed and Audible is loaded.  My poor husband is going to know a lot about my theorists by the time we reach our Christmas destination. If he thinks we're listening to novels on Audible, he's wrong!

It has taken me 6 months, 10,000 words and six pages of references to become comfortable to clearly and confidently articulate what I am researching: reading Brene Brown as an act of resistance against the status quo.

I am undertaking a PhD in Social Work; it encompasses lived experience, mental health and psychoeducation as a focused psychological strategy with bibliotherapy as its tool. I use three theoretical frameworks (Brene Brown, Gramsci and Lived Experience) and book clubs as my data collection points.

At times I have questioned my intelligence, my ability and my sanity. But, behind this reflective questioning lies the strongest kick of tenacity I have experienced. I have more front tooth than a rat around getting this PhD into my dash...and my supervisor yesterday said I reminded her of Bette Davis (I'll take that as a compliment).

I came into this to research Lived Experience in Mental Health (I am an accredited Mental Health Social Worker with the Australian Association of Social Workers). While my focus changed due to the resignation of all three of my initial supervisors, I am still dedicated to adding to the body of knowledge around mental health.

Roll on the third week of January when I get to both present and defend my proposal at my Confirmation of Candidature to the assessors and research team. It is an online event open to anyone with the link. If you want to attend to either support, learn about PhD processes, or both, let me know and I'll add you to the invitation. 

👵🏼 Megan Bayliss

👩🏼‍🎓 PhD Candidate: resistance to the status quo.