This NHMRC partnership project aims to develop and implement real-time, unobtrusive measures of change in client outcomes and clinician actions during online chat youth mental health services.

Funding: NHMRC Partnership Grant (2024-2029: #2032120), $AUD1.27M

Project Team: MhhP members Prof Debra Rickwood, Dr Kelly Mazzer and Sonia Curll, alongside Titov, Goecke, Batterham, Kolves, Klein, Dwyer, Fitzgerald, Barbic.

HDR student: Deepika Ratnaike

Several projects are being conducted to examine the profiles of people experiencing greater or lesser eco-anxiety, coping with eco-anxiety, the relationship between nature connectedness and climate anxiety, and climate anxiety as a future thinking process and its relationship with pro-environmental behaviour.

HDR students: Gus Faul, Ebony Blyton

Several projects are being conducted, including risky drinking patterns among university students (including participation in drinking games), acculturation and drinking patterns, social anxiety and alcohol use/consequences, and positive emotional dysregulation and alcohol and other drug use.

HDR students: Anton Fichtenmaier, Kayla Herbert

Evaluation of the P180 program serviced by Canberra PCYC. Milestone report submitted to funder at the end of March 2026.

Funding: ACT Government – Justice and Community Safety Directorate (JACS), $100,000

Project Team: Dr Sally Kelty, Dr Caroline Ng, and Phoebe Joshua

ACT government funded program for early intervention for youth experiencing emotion dysregulation based on dialectical behaviour therapy.

Funding: ACT Government, $1.4 million

This mixed-methods project investigates the impact of parental involvement in psychological interventions for young people presenting with BPD on factors such as therapy engagement and therapy outcomes for both the young person and their parents. Multiple perspectives will be analysed including parents, young people, and clinicians.

HDR student: Chloe Bosworth

Projects include body image perceptions and disordered eating in pre, during and post partum women; the influence of early maladaptive schemas and temperament in eating disorders; and schema therapy for people with eating disorders.

HDR student: Phoebe Joshua

This project aims to investigate the willingness of Australian health professionals to self-disclose mental impairment, and the barriers to self-care and seeking help for mental distress. The focus of this research is geared towards allied health professions that work in mental health settings (and professionals in training).

Funding: Faculty of Health Seed Grant, $14,939.00

Project Team: Dr Dimity Crisp, Dr Clare Watsford, Dr Claire Pearce, Prof. Michael Roche, Mx Mik Bartels

This project examines mental health literacy, perceived confidence in supporting students with mental health issues, and the training needs of pre-service teachers with a view to gaining a better understanding of their training and development needs.

Project Team: Dr Dimity Crisp, Dr Karen Oakley, Dr Stacey Griffiths, A/Prof Phil Kavanagh, A/Prof Amanda George, Prof Debra Rickwood, Dr Rany Tayara, Dr Natasha Jojo, Dr Clare Watsford

This project examines the local wellbeing initiatives at CHS — how they are implemented, what barriers and enablers staff experience when implementing or are part of a team implementing a wellbeing strategy. Currently commencing data collection.

Project Team: Dr Dimity Crisp, Dr Mel Mylek

HDR student: Megan Thorn

This project examines the experiences of counsellors with ADHD in therapeutic practice. While ADHD is increasingly recognised as a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition, there is limited research on how it shapes counselling work, including service delivery, professional identity, and workplace demands.

This project is informing multiple outputs, including peer-reviewed publications and the development of a supervision and training resource for working with ADHD counsellors.

Project Team: Dr Rana Tayara, Dr Emna Mala

This project examines help-seeking behaviour for mental health and counselling supports among Muslim Australian adolescents, focusing on how discrimination, Islamophobia, cultural and religious identity, and structural barriers shape their understandings and engagement with services.

HDR student: Melissa O’Brien

This project was funded by an ACT Road Safety Fund grant and investigated safe and unsafe e-scooter behaviours in the Canberra region. An observational study was completed (1,200 e-scooter observations across four key locations in Canberra) and focus groups with young e-scooter riders were conducted to examine reasons for riding e-scooters, risks, and ways to facilitate safer riding. Our included recommendations for improved e-scooter safety.

Funding: ACT Road Safety Fund grant, $48,000

Project Team: Assoc Prof Amanda George (CI) and Assoc Prof Tricia Brown, alongside Anton Fichtenmaier (Research Officer).

This project examines the national profile of the mental health and wellbeing of young people in Australia, captured in 2018, 2020, and 2022; and the related demographic characteristics and social determinants.

Project Team: Dr Dimity Crisp, Prof Debra Rickwood

Publications: Crisp, D., Rickwood, D., Burns, R., & Bariola, E. (2025). The complete mental health of Australia’s adolescents and emerging adults: distress and wellbeing across 3 nationally representative community samples. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 34, e16.

Crisp, D., Albrecht, S. & Rickwood, D., (2025). Comparing the mental health of Australian university students with that of young people who are not in higher education. Higher Education, 1-12.

This NHMRC partnership project with Lifeline Australia aimed to enhance the evidence base for crisis support services by identifying the types of concerns help-seekers may present and the outcomes expected to be achieved by a crisis support service. The project developed reliable measures and technologically innovative methods that can determine whether outcomes are being achieved by crisis support services.

Funding: NHMRC Partnership Grant, $400,000 in 2023–24 (Category 1)

Project Team: Prof Debra Rickwood, Dr Kelly Mazzer, Sonia Curll

HDR student: Danielle Hopkins

This study looked at the experiences of occupational therapists working under the Better Access initiative. Better Access is a program that helps people with mental health concerns see professionals like psychologists, social workers, and occupational therapists. While there is a lot of research about psychology in Better Access, there is very little about occupational therapy. We wanted to understand what occupational therapists do in this program and how the system affects the care people receive.

Project Team: Dr Claire Pearce, Arabella Hely, BOT Honours

Researchers Dr Caroline Ng and Assoc Prof Amanda George investigated acculturation and drinking among youth from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Funding: WA Healthway grant

Project Team: Dr Caroline Ng, Assoc Prof Amanda George, with Assoc Prof Dandy (ECU) and Prof Zamboanga (University of Arkansas)

This quantitative research focused on alcohol use among migrant youth. It employed a survey approach to measure Australian Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD) youth’s alcohol attitude, use and motives, their acculturation preferences, and wellbeing.

Funding: Faculty of Health Seed Grant, $14,948.14

Project Team: Dr Caroline Ng Tseung-Wong (CI), alongside Assoc Prof Amanda George, Mr Beau Mostyn Sullivan, and Assoc Prof Justine Dandy (ECU)

Evaluation of the Behind the Wheel (BtW) Program (School Program and P180). The project carried out a literature review on young dangerous driving. Quantitative evaluation of the BtW program in ACT schools and P180 was carried out based on the in-house pre and post surveys. Final report submitted to Canberra PCYC for evaluation of Behind the Wheel Program.

Funding: PCYC Canberra, $35,000

Project Team: Dr Sally Kelty and Dr Caroline Ng

This project investigated the context, needs and help-seeking pathways of diverse adults affected by CSA in the Bega Valley and articulated ways of improving culturally safe, place-based interventions that enhance social and emotional wellbeing.

Funding: National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse (Cat 1), $178,743.33

Project Team: Prof Lynne Keevers (CI) from Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­³öÆ·, Ms Kristina Brenner, Ms Suzanne Milligan, Dr Chris Pardy from Sapphire Neighbourhood Services, Ms Michelle Bonner from the Peregrine Centre