Griffith Centre for Mental Health

Left to right - Dr Aimee Maxwell, Dr Mikaela Grayson & Dr Dan Sullivan in the courtyard at a conference. Aimee wears a teal wrap dress and beige heels, Mikaela is in a brown sleeveless top with matching pants and black sandals, and the Dan is in a navy suit with a patterned tie. They are all smiling. Tables and attendees are visible in the background.

⏪Friday Flashback ⏪
Last month, #GCMH’s @drdanpsychologist.bsky.social joined the inaugural Brisbane Psychoanalytic Conference 🧠exploring how psychoanalytic theory still shapes modern clinical practice.
Great 2 see @griffith.edu.au alumni Dr Aimee Maxwell (left) & Dr Mikaela Grayson (mid) there too!

Impact of theatre interventions on mental health: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis Background Theatre interventions such as psychodrama are increasingly being used to help individuals with mental health conditions. Previous findings provided mixed results on the impact of theatre in...

🎭 Can theatre interventions improve mental health?
New study led by @griffith.edu.au's #AISRAP explores psychodrama’s role in reducing anxiety, depression & PTSD—advocating creative approaches beyond traditional therapy.
Read more 👉 doi.org/10.1136/jech...
#MentalHealth #Research

⁉️ Why Age Matters (and Sometimes Doesn’t): Unpacking the Mechanisms and Treatment of Anxiety in Older Adults
Older adults face unique #mentalhealth challenges: ageism, loneliness, dementia risk & low treatment rates. CBT offers lasting benefits over meds. Great seminar w @carlyjohnco.bsky.social👏

Research drives better care yet 85% is lost in translation. How do we close the 17-yr gap from evidence 2 practice?
Master protocols+ co-production w #livedexperience+ partnering w service providers=faster, real-world impact.
👉https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-025-02684-1
@justinjchapman.bsky.social

Headshot of Dr Vicky Stewart. She has shoulder length dark blonde hair, wearing a white blouse. She is smiling.

Tomorrow! Catch @griffith.edu.au's Dr Vicky Stewart presenting at the #EquallyWell 2025 conference in Adelaide.
🎙️'No mental health without oral health: addressing systemic neglect in Australian care'
Equally Well for all - working together! #GCMH #OralHealth #MentalHealthResearch #HealthySmiles

🥳Congrats to @griffith.edu.au's A/Prof Jane Fowler, Dr Victoria Stewart & team! Winners of Engagement Australia's Award for Excellence in International Engagement for their impactful work in Building Counselling Capacity in Papua New Guinea! Congrats to all the winners 👏
🥇https://buff.ly/C3onBr6

Infographic titled “Beyond the squeaky wheel” about the Family/Carer Lived Experience Workforce in Queensland mental health with pie chart & bar graph. Includes Griffith University and ALIVE Centre logos, and lists research team and advisory group members.

📣 Report out now! Beyond the Squeaky Wheel explores the Family/Carer Lived Experience Workforce in QLD’s mental health system. Key findings + recommendations for reform. Congrats to @griffith.edu.au & #ALIVE colleagues on this report to improve #mentalhealth 4 Q'landers🙌
🔗 doi.org/10.25904/191...

Two days left to contribute to research that centres what people actually need, not what researchers assume.

Anxiety doesn't follow a neat schedule, and neither does the relationship between social media and sleep.

Here’s why people with mental illness die, on average, 11 years earlier than other Australians The life expectancy gap is due largely to preventable health issues, not suicide.

Here’s why people with mental illness die, on average, 11 years earlier than other Australians
theconversation.com/heres-why-pe...
Great work from @justinjchapman.bsky.social with Russell Roberts & Victoria Erskine in @theconversation.com 👏 @griffith.edu.au

Our members have returned from #AACBT25 after sharing cutting-edge #CBT research for diverse minds 🌏🧠
🔹FAST parent training for youth OCD
🔹Online tools for anxiety & sleep
🔹Insights on perfectionism, pain & clinician training
Thanks to all who made it possible !🙌
@griffith.edu.au

🪖 Understanding Suicide Risk in Military Contexts
New research led by Prof Kairi Kõlves maps 97 risk & 63 protective factors using insights from lived experience, clinicians & researchers.
💡 The most actionable were workplace-related
📖 Read more: doi.org/10.1016/j.ja...

Image of a published journal article titled "A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial of Sublingual Melatonin for Sleep Onset Insomnia in Children With Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)" in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. Authors include Ned Chandler-Mather and colleagues from Griffith University and Gold Coast Hospital. The article explores melatonin treatment for sleep issues in children with FASD and is supported by Gold Coast Health and the Australian Government.

📣 New study explores Sleep Interventions for Children with FASD 💤
The pilot found:
✅Feasible trial design
✅ Melatonin potentially reduced sleep onset latency & bedtime resistance
🤝 Future trials need multi-site collaboration
👏 Congrats to #GCMH co-authors 🔗https://doi.org/10.1111/jpc.70224

🔦 Research Spotlight
Dr @justinjchapman.bsky.social presented at #MSAMHS Research Symposium last wk. Presenting on a partnership initiative designed to centre people with lived experience in mental health reform and improve the use of evidence for real world impact. 👏 #QMHW Connect for Mental Health

Flyer for a study titled "Capacity Building Needs for Implementation Research and Practice in Suicide Prevention", led by Griffith University and the University of Melbourne. It invites researchers, clinicians, lived experience advocates, and policymakers to participate in two short online activities (approx. 60 minutes total). The study aims to identify training needs for applying implementation science in suicide prevention. Participation is voluntary and anonymous. QR codes are included for more info and to join. Logos of Griffith University, LIFEWAYS Project, and the Australian Institute for Suicide Research appear at the bottom. QR code links to: https://t.co/70wIC7xy9f

🧠 Are you involved in suicide prevention work or research?
Prof Kairi Kõlves is leading a study on Implementation Research and Practice in Suicide Prevention.
If you're a:
• Researcher
• Lived experience advocate
• Practitioner/clinician
• Policymaker
you’re invited to take part👇
t.co/70wIC7xy9f

Promotional graphic for World Mental Health Day, 10 October 2025. Purple background with abstract shapes. Top features the Mental Health Australia logo and text: “TODAY IS World Mental Health Day! 10.10.2025.” Below, green hashtag reads “#CONNECTWITHYOURCOMMUNITY.” Bottom shows illustrated diverse people painting and talking, symbolising community connection.

🧠World Mental Health Day #WMHD2025
🗨️‘Connect with your community’ highlights the vital role of relationships & support networks. Collaboration is central to GCMH research—connecting with universities,community partners, practitioners & #livedexperience to drive impact & advocate for better #MH care!

🌟 Keeping Lived Experience at the centre 🌟
This #QMHW, let’s keep #LivedExperience central to suicide prevention.
🎤 #NSPC26 (28–30 Apr, ICC Sydney) is a vital space for connection & change.
💰 Bursaries available: tinyurl.com/454vh4f5
🗓️ Apply by 2 Nov 2025.
Let’s connect for mental health! 💙

Blue graphic with Mental Health Australia logo. White text reads “Connect with your MP to take action for mental health.” Green hashtag #WMHD2025. Illustration shows a person using a laptop with an envelope icon flying out, symbolising emailing an MP to advocate for mental health.

🌏 Coming up - World Mental Health Day - 10 October! #WMHD2025
🔗Theme: Connect with your community
💬 World Mental Health Day is a chance for communities & mental health professionals to highlight the importance of mental health & advocate for better global access to care.
@griffith.edu.au

Poster for Queensland Mental Health Week (4–12 Oct 2025) with the theme “Connect for mental health” and icons for self, community, others, and nature.

🎉 It’s Queensland Mental Health Week!
🧠 Connect for Mental Health
📅 4–12 October 2025
This #QMHW, let’s celebrate connection, raise awareness & take steps toward better mental wellbeing. At GCMH, connection, esp with #LivedExperience, drives our multidisciplinary research! 💚
🔎 tinyurl.com/396kxmxz

Well done!

Creating Safer Injecting Practices Through Community‐Led Harm Reduction: Lessons From People Who Use Steroids for the Alcohol and Other Drug Sector Introduction Research on anabolic–androgenic steroid (AAS) use has addressed health outcomes, social dynamics, service access and risk management strategies. Yet little work has examined how these d...

New collab in @apsad-dar.bsky.social shows people who inject steroids still lack clear guidance. Peer-led approaches could change that.

doi.org/10.1111/dar....

@jasonferris22.bsky.social @monicabarratt.bsky.social @drsuzinielsen.bsky.social

@uqchsr.bsky.social
@griffithcmh.bsky.social

Supporting young people means understanding how they think, learn and process the world around them.

These free Orygen resources are designed to help clinicians understand and support cognition in youth mental health, and you can find them here: bit.ly/48ybzs7

Top of the article on the Parents Under Pressure program, exploring evidence-based support for families in child protection.

📢 New publication!
👏 Congrats to @griffith.edu.au's Prof Sharon Dawe & Dr Paul Harnett on their recent publication “Challenges & Solutions for Disseminating Evidence-Based Practice in Child Protection: The PuP Program”
🔗 doi.org/10.1016/j.ps...

#PuPProgram #ChildProtection #EvidenceBasedPractice

A big, convulsive twitch while dozing off? Sleep experts explain the ‘hypnic jerk’ As we transition from wakefulness to sleep, the nervous system winds down and muscles relax. Sometimes, the brain misinterprets what’s happening.

🌟 Welcome Dr Daniel Sullivan! 🌟
Dan joins @griffith.edu.au as a Lecturer in Clinical Psychology. Check out his recent publication in @theconversation.com 👇
A big, convulsive twitch while dozing off? Sleep experts explain the ‘hypnic jerk’ theconversation.com/a-big-convul...
#SleepScience

Headshot of Dr Eleni Kalantidou. She has long brown hair, with a fringe and is wearing a collared button up khaki shirt.

🌟 Welcome Dr Eleni Kalantidou! 🌟
We’re excited to welcome Eleni to the #GCMH team. A design psychology leader & researcher, her work focuses on community-led behavioural change and climate adaptation.
🎤 Catch her @adaptationfutures.bsky.social #AF2025 in Christchurch in October!👏 @griffith.edu.au

Headshot of Dr Levi Fox. He is wearing a dark button up shirt with a subtle floral pattern. He is wearing glasses & is smiling.

👋Welcome Dr Levi Fox to #GCMH!
Levi brings a PhD in Māori spirituality, frontline mental health experience & a passion for Indigenous youth wellbeing. He joins us to help achieve a collective vision of wellness through meaningful, robust research.👏
#YouthMentalHealth #Research @griffith.edu.au

Headshot of Dr Kathy Ryan. She has shoulder length blonde hair, blue eyes & she's smiling. She's wearing a sage green top.

Welcome Dr Kathy Ryan to GCMH! 👋
An existing @griffith.edu.au lecturer & researcher, Dr Ryan brings expertise in parenting, child anxiety & personalised CBT. She joins us as a research fellow across several exciting projects. We're thrilled to have her on board! 🌟 #MentalHealth #YouthMentalHealth

Screenshot of the top of the article reading: Journal Article Accepted manuscript A randomised controlled trial of a telehealth group cognitive intervention (LaTCH-BRAINS) to improve cognition after primary brain tumour diagnosis Open Access Kerryn E Pike BRAINS program, Sian E B Virtue-Griffiths BRAINS program, Rachel Campbell BRAINS program, Dianne M Legge BRAINS program, Katarzyna Lion BRAINS program, Carl I Moller BRAINS program, Tamara Ownsworth BRAINS program, Mark B Pinkham BRAINS program, Louise SalibaBRAINS program, Ursula M Sansom-Daly BRAINS program, Dean Vuksanovic BRAINS program, Joanne Shaw BRAINS program, Haryana M Dhillon BRAINS program Neuro-Oncology Advances, vdaf182, https://doi.org/10.1093/noajnl/vdaf182

New paper from @griffith.edu.au's A/Prof Kerryn Pike
+ BRAINS team!
Telehealth adaptation of LaTCH rehab shows promise for people with primary brain tumour (#PBT). A 6-wk Zoom-based prgrm improved memory ability, satisfaction & strategy use.👏
📰https://doi.org/10.1093/noajnl/vdaf182

Group shot Griffith Uni presenters in front of TheMHS green signage. L-R: Katarzyna Lion, Kerryn Pike, Amanda Wheeler, Erinn Hawkins, Justin Chapman, Allison Waters & Matthew Gullo

Montage of photos. Photo 1 - 3 shot of Haryana Dillon, Katarzyna Lion & Kerryn Pike in front of TheMHS conference hero image. Green background "Envisioning 2050". Photo 2: Donna Humphrey in front of TheMHS logo background. Photo 3: Tim Piatkowski in front of digital signage for TheMHS conference

Vicky Stewart & Helena Roennfeldt presenting on a stage. On the stage above their heads is a large screen with a Griffith University branded slide on display.

Erinn Hawkins presenting.

📢#TheMHS2025
🎤GCMH-led symposiums featured research on evidence-based care, child & family support, & wellbeing in brain tumour care.
Huge congrats to prog co-convenor Prof Lara Farrell+ @griffith.edu.au researchers, #livedexperience leaders, & student volunteers who made an impact.👏
#MentalHealth

Bold ideas, better solutions 2025 - The Hopkins Centre Symposium. "Identity & Participation" Tues 2 Sep 9am - 5pm. Translational Research Institute, Princess Alexandra Hospital. Headshots of Prof Louise, Gustafsson, Prof Tamara Ownsworth & Prof Tim Geraghty.

📢Next Week at #BIBS25!
Prof Tamara Ownsworth — Hopkins Centre Research Director and @griffith.edu.au's CMH member — has played a key role in coordinating the symposium program and will be in action on the day, chairing a session on Enriching Environments! 👇 www.hopkinscentre.edu.au/bibs25sympos...

🎤Last wk-Dr @justinjchapman.bsky.social & Dr Meg Doohan represented GCMH at the #BrisbaneMentalHealthConference. Insightful talks on building alliances between #MentalHealth researchers & service providers and whether hormones influence cognitive test reliability👏Congrats to all involved!