{"id":14510,"date":"2021-01-20T09:30:02","date_gmt":"2021-01-19T23:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/library\/?p=14510"},"modified":"2024-06-25T10:23:58","modified_gmt":"2024-06-25T00:23:58","slug":"making-digital-mental-healthcare-a-reality-meet-phd-candidate-dale-rowland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/library\/2021\/01\/20\/making-digital-mental-healthcare-a-reality-meet-phd-candidate-dale-rowland\/","title":{"rendered":"Making digital mental healthcare a reality\u2014Meet PhD Candidate Dale Rowland"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dale Rowland is a Wiradjuri and\u00a0Biripi\u00a0man who comes from a proud Aboriginal family. At an early age, he observed his mother\u2019s and grandmother\u2019s contributions\u00a0<\/span>to First Peoples mental healthcare<\/span>, which would later influence his\u00a0<\/span>own\u00a0<\/span>academic path<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Following his<\/span>\u00a0Bachelor of Psychological Science in 2013, Dale<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>was\u00a0<\/span>reluctant<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>to<\/span>\u00a0engage\u00a0<\/span>with<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>research and statistics.<\/span>\u00a0Nevertheless, he went on to complete a\u00a0<\/span>Graduate Certificate in Health Professional Education and obtained\u00a0<\/span>valuable\u00a0<\/span>experience<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>investigating\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>cultural capability of health students at Griffith University<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>It was this practical and hands<\/span>–<\/span>on experience with research<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>that gave Dale the confidence and dedication to complete his honours year in Psych<\/span>ology<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>measuring mental health professionals\u2019 engagement with digital interventions<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dale has worked at Griffith as a Learning Assistance Officer with the\u00a0<\/span>GUMURRII Student Success Unit<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>and as an Associate Lecturer with the\u00a0<\/span>First Peoples Health Unit<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>Dale<\/span>\u00a0is<\/span>\u00a0also<\/span>\u00a0the 2020 recipient of the Australian P<\/span>sychological Society\u2019s Bendi Lango<\/a><\/span>\u00a0bursary<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>which\u00a0<\/span>was established to support\u00a0<\/span>post<\/span>graduate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander psychology students.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Currently, he is completing a Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In our Q&A,\u00a0<\/span>Dale\u00a0<\/span>shares his vision for the future of mental health<\/span>care.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Q & A:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is your area of research?<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I am now researching the ways in which digital interventions can improve mental health. I am currently looking at virtual reality (VR) and its capacity to be used remotely as an adjunct to traditional face-to-face treatments.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

VR is an emerging and unique treatment modality that is highly interactive and engaging. Despite this, uptake and use by consumers is low. VR is becoming more affordable and<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0in light of\u00a0the COVID pandemic, VR interventions can pair nicely with traditional face-to-face therapy,\u00a0<\/span>providing<\/span>\u00a0another avenue for treatment that may be\u00a0<\/span>preferable to<\/span>\u00a0telehealth or computer-based interventions.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A lot of promising research has been done on VR interventions for anxiety disorders such as\u00a0<\/span>post-traumatic stress disorder<\/span>\u00a0and phobias, but I am interested in the transdiagnostic capacity of VR<\/span>\u00a0and the ability for VR interventions to be delivered remotely or in a way that is unguided by a therapist.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What sparked your passion for this area of research?<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The mental health and wellbeing of our First Peoples is what sparked my passion in digital mental health interventions. We know that there is currently an unmet need for accessibility, serviceability and culturally validated assessments and treatments for First Peoples<\/span>; h<\/span>owever, the gaps in research are so great that I needed to first start with something specific and tangible.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I have experience with First Peoples research<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0but less so with clinical research with digital interventions. I recognised early on that the PhD program is also about learning\u00a0<\/span>how<\/span><\/i>\u00a0to do research, so I used this as an opportunity to learn from the best and develop my skills within my profession.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

VR is exciting and has a lot of potential in Psychology.\u00a0<\/span>VR interventions are a way to deliver controllable,\u00a0<\/span>multisensory<\/span>, interactive and immersive environments to address mental health. We can customise VR environments to produce an emotionally evocative and meaningful therapeutic experience to address a client\u2019s presenting problem.\u00a0<\/span>The School of Applied Psychology has become a pioneer in VR research in the country and this further motivates me.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why is this research important?<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Not\u00a0<\/span>only are mental health issues common in Australia<\/span>\u2014<\/span>approximately<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>20<\/span>%<\/span>\u00a0of the Australian population\u00a0<\/span>is<\/span>\u00a0affected by mental illness<\/span>\u2014<\/span>but<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>ccess to treatment can be problematic<\/span>\u00a0due to the geographical distribution of our population<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>In urban areas there can be lengthy waits before you can see a Psychologist<\/span>;<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>in\u00a0<\/span>contrast,\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>ccess to treatment is\u00a0<\/span>a particular\u00a0<\/span>concern<\/span>\u00a0in rural and remote areas where services are limited<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0Evidence-based digital interventions have the capacity to address unmet need through promotion, prevention, early<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>intervention, long-term treatment and ongoing management of mental illness as a supplement to traditional treatment. Many digital interventions are accessible, flexible and cost-effective.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Picture
Dale Rowland at the 2017 Indigenous Allied Health Australia conference where he presented his Honours thesis.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What advice do you have for students and researchers?<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Seek out your peers for support, advice and help. Start weekly writing sessions.\u00a0<\/span>Utilise Library<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>s<\/span>ervices and ask for help when you need it. Make the most of training opportunities and professional networking.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Who has inspired you?<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So many people! My mother,\u00a0<\/span>Dr Tracy Westerman and\u00a0<\/span>my\u00a0supervisors\u00a0Dr Bonnie Clough and Dr Leanne Casey. My family and friends inspire me every day. I have been very fortunate to have a long list of people who have supported and mentored me during my 10 years at Griffith. The\u00a0<\/span>L<\/span>ibrary has been a particularly useful avenue for support, help and advice. The School of Applied Psychology<\/a>, Indigenous Research Unit<\/a>, and GUMURRII have made my PhD journey possible.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dale Rowland is a Wiradjuri and\u00a0Biripi\u00a0man who comes from a proud Aboriginal family. At an early age, he observed his mother\u2019s and grandmother\u2019s contributions\u00a0to First Peoples mental healthcare, which would later influence his\u00a0own\u00a0academic path.\u00a0\u00a0 Following his\u00a0Bachelor of Psychological Science in 2013, Dale\u00a0was\u00a0reluctant\u00a0to\u00a0engage\u00a0with\u00a0research and statistics.\u00a0Nevertheless, he went on to complete a\u00a0Graduate Certificate in Health Professional EducationContinue reading “Making digital mental healthcare a reality\u2014Meet PhD Candidate Dale Rowland”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":152,"featured_media":17363,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,172,5],"tags":[162],"class_list":["post-14510","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics","category-researcher-profile","category-researchers","tag-general"],"acf":[],"modified_by":"Vanessa Gatt","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2021\/01\/PhD-Clinical-Psychology-Candidate-Dale-Rowland.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14510","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/152"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14510"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14510\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14510"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14510"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14510"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}