ECU spotlight on innovative student research

First published by Edith Cowan University

ECU's Associate Dean, Psychology, Counselling and Criminology, Professor Julie Ann Pooley said mental health is a key area of research at ECU.

"At ECU we have a particular focus on research that has real world outcomes for those in our communities," said Professor Pooley.

"To work as a professional in psychology, counselling or criminology you really need an enquiring mind, and the ability to think critically and, you also need to care. Our courses our designed to help students learn about people's experiences, their feelings, behaviours, and interactions and how they make decisions and take specific actions.

"We have exceptional academics and researchers working in the mental health area, and working to support creative thinking in our students as they extend into new areas of research."

Student research giving hope for the future

Professor Pooley noted some key examples of innovative and impactful mental health research being currently conducted by ECU students that were giving those in the community new hope for the future.

"Honours Student Chelsea Costello’s Exploring Compassion Satisfaction and Compassion Fatigue: A Study of the Professional Quality of Life Among Australian Psychologists is working to ensure those in the ‘helping professions’ are receiving help themselves, imperative for sustaining front line services in mental health," said Professor Pooley.

"Our Psychology Masters Student Emma Vidovich's is working on A Systematic Review of Resilience Factors among Adolescent Migrants, which has great potential to help solve crisis issues in vulnerable migrant communities, and our Psychology Honours Felicia Schulz research, Living Happily Even After: The Role of Resilience on Psychological Distress and Mental Wellbeing Following a Breakup or Divorce that has the potential to provide much needed practical support solutions for people in need."

Research impacting on wellbeing and education

Professor Narelle Lemon, Vice-Chancellor's Professorial Research Fellow & Professor in Education Lead, is a research only academic in ECU's School of Education who leads the Wellbeing and Education Research Community.

Professor Lemon is working with a number of colleagues and research students across various "education" contexts connected to wellbeing and mental health.

"Along with my own research in this area, I am pleased to be able to supervise some talented students with their exciting research and am pursuing a group of research projects in my field – WA Mental Health Week provides an opportunity to highlight the positive progress we are all making in this critical field," Professor Lemon.

Along with ECU colleagues Dr Jason Goopy and Dr Christina Gray, Professor Lemon is supervising PhD candidate Ceri Anne Nordling’s project, Drama 'for and as wellbeing': A trauma-informed drama-based intervention to support children's mental health, which explores how trauma-informed drama practices can support the wellbeing of children aged 3-12.

This project offers innovative, non-medical interventions to support children's mental health, by combining drama education with trauma-informed approaches, the project aims to equip educators with tools to foster emotional regulation and resilience while promoting early intervention strategies.

"We are nurturing interesting new research projects like this one that has the potential to create evidence-based drama interventions for schools and community settings, contributing to the growing field of arts-based wellbeing strategies," Professor Lemon.

ECU's Dr Susan Main joins Professor Lemon in supervising PhD candidate Delyse Clayden who is advancing inclusive education, amplifying the perspectives of autistic students with research project, Autistic Student Voices in Reasonable Adjustments.

By exploring autistic students' experiences with current reasonable adjustment practices, the research aims to identify areas where their voices are underrepresented in decision-making processes and to develop recommendations for more inclusive and effective support strategies.

Professor Lemon explains that the potential impact of this research is significant in enhancing the understanding of autistic students' needs, improving the effectiveness of accommodations in schools, and promoting more inclusive decision-making processes.

"This is the sort of research that aligns with ECU's commitment to inclusive education, ensuring diverse learners receive the support they need. By centering autistic voices, the project is poised to influence educational practices and contribute to the broader discourse on neurodiversity," said Professor Lemon.