The Young VOices Research and Interventions research group was set up by Prof. Mar Rus-Calafell in 2021, with the support of the Sofja Kovalevskaja Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the Ministry of Research and Education. We are based at the Mental Health Research and Treatment Centre, Ruhr-Universität Bochum. We are conducting research on youth mental health to improve our understanding of mental health problems at this very important stage of life, how they affect young people now and later, and how they can be prevented and treated. We are also very interested on working hand-in-hand with young people, as working together is key to improve the psychological therapies that are currently offered in mental health services. We are also collaborating with high schools at the NRW area and offering talks on mental health to both students and teachers.
We use several approaches to conduct our work: longitudinal studies, psychological experiments in our lab, clinical trials and qualitative interviews. We are also using digital technologies like mHealth (app-based mobile health), eHealth (internet-based interventions) and virtual reality (VR), which are becoming part of the most advanced and safe therapeutic tools. Digitalisation of mental health care is specifically benefitting young population as they are more willing to use online platforms and digital tools to access all kind of services.
Our team comprises licensed psychotherapists, postdoctoral researchers, PhD students, psychotherapy trainees and research assistants. We are all committed to our mission and to develop our research following ethical and rigorous methods. We are also committed to support and train young researchers and clinicians, including support to apply for fellowships and internships.
Contact us if you have any question or would like to talk to us!
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Last update: Nov 20, 2023