Mental Health and Psychosocial Wellbeing Theme

Our research

Undertaking research of national and international significance across the spectrum of mental illness and holistic wellbeing, and the ecologies in which they are situated.  Within the theme, work will be guided by the following principles to inform our topics of investigation and the design of studies towards those topics:

Our vision

To bring together multidisciplinary teams to advance research programmatically through partnerships and collaborations that reduce the burden of poor mental health and enable Australians to mentally thrive and flourish. By creating innovative and sustainable externally-funded programs of research we will create, disseminate and translate knowledge to reduce unmet mental health and psychosocial need and make meaningful impact on policy. Focal areas for the group are exposed populations, trauma and resilience.

Goals 2023-2025

1. Establish and grow co-design consumer academic participation in the research activities of the theme and promote wider mental health consumer integration into Faculty of Health activities.
2. Grow the volume and quality of MHPSWB publications that have industry impact and are co-authored with lived experience consumers.
3. Generate and sustain a community of practice (knowledge exchange, connections, policy readiness of our research, shared learnings) with lived experience experts, external partners and SCU colleagues
4. Identify and grow publications, research and grant activities within niche topics of expertise including: co-design, exposed populations, trauma and resilience.
5. Hold an annual research event to build external partnerships, showcase the work of the theme and support capability development of early career researchers and our Higher Degree Research students
6. Successfully attract grant funding stemming from existing research track records.
7. Invite leading national and international authors to collaborate on funding submissions and co-author papers.

Theme co-leadership 

Professor Marie Hutchinson, Professor John Hurley