UNIVERSITY MENTAL HEALTH DAY SEMINAR – supporting student mental health in a digital world – findings from the Uni Virtual Clinic trial

Photograph of Dr Lou Farrer

Dr Farrer is a research fellow and registered psychologist at the Centre for Mental Health Research, ANU. Following completion of her PhD in clinical psychology in 2011, Dr Farrer was appointed the manager of a 5-year CRC-funded project to develop and build the Uni Virtual Clinic, an online program to help university students manage their mental health. In 2016, she was awarded a grant to evaluate this program at the ANU. Dr Farrer’s research examines the intersection of technology and mental health care delivery, and she is passionate about improving access to evidence-based mental health care in the community. She has designed and conducted evaluations of e-mental health tools in a variety of populations including general community, health service, and educational settings. Dr Farrer has published widely in the field, and has received several national prizes for her work in e-mental health.

Coinciding with Australia and New Zealand University Mental Health Day 2018, Dr Farrer’s seminar will present the results of a trial of the Uni Virtual Clinic at the ANU. She will discuss the implications of these findings for improving student mental health more broadly, and suggest possible strategies for the implementation of digital mental health tools in tertiary education settings.