YOLO: a mental health promotion program for university students
University students are at a heightened risk for a variety of mental and physical health problems, including depression, anxiety, stress, academic and relationship problems, reduced quality of life, decreased well-being, and poor physical health. Prevalence estimates suggest between 12% and 46% of university students will experience mental health difficulties within any given year.
The global COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the unmet need and placed greater strain on in-person psychological support services, contributing to university counselling service wait times and counsellor to student ratios of up to 1:1,604.
Web‐based psychological interventions are efficacious in targeting specific mental health problems in students and are a preferred avenue for students to obtain information and services.
Developed and evaluated by researchers from The University of Queensland’s (UQ) School of Psychology the YOLO Program is a 4‐week web‐based intervention for university students consisting of four 30–45 minute modules, each targeting one or two of the six Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) core processes.
The researchers’ analysis of a randomised control trial of 1,162 participants showed significant improvements from pre‐ to post‐intervention compared with waitlist control on all primary outcomes and ACT processes. All YOLO intervention gains were maintained at follow‐up.
Key features:
- Web-based, scalable psychological intervention
- Tailored specifically for mental health distress commonly experienced by university students
- YOLO participants show significant and sustained improvements in mental health skills.
Triple P - Positive Parenting Program® (Triple P)
Triple P is a world-renowned program that aims to equip parents with the skills, strategies and confidence to handle any parenting situation.
Backed by more than 40 years of ongoing research at The University of Queensland, the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program® is one of the most effective evidence-based parenting programs in the world. Triple P gives parents simple and practical strategies to help them build strong, healthy relationships, confidently manage their children’s behaviour and prevent problems developing. Triple P has been shown to work across cultures, socio-economic groups, and in many kinds of family structures.
The program offers a population-based approach by putting evidence-based parenting in the hands of every parent in their community, individual healthcare, or a tailored approach that targets a specific group or demographic. To date, approximately 7 million children and their families have undergone the Triple P program in more than 58 countries around the world.
In 2001, Triple P International (TPI), a Certified B Corporation®, was granted a worldwide, exclusive licence to disseminate Triple P products and services. TPI is headquartered in Brisbane, Australia and employs people in the US, the UK, Canada, Chile, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Germany and France.
Key features
- It is the most extensively researched parenting program in the world and is based on decades of ongoing research
- Pre and post evaluation measures enable practitioners to demonstrate the success of the program with individual parents or entire populations
- It caters to an entire population – across age ranges and special circumstances such as children with disabilities, children with health concerns, and divorce or separation
- Its distinctive multi-level system offers programs of varying intensities from light touch to targeted interventions for at-risk families.
Visit the Triple P International website.
BRAVE™
BRAVE™ is an interactive cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) program developed specifically for anxious children, teens and their parents.
Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental health conditions affecting children and teenagers. Anxiety can create a sense of doom and foreboding that seems to come out of nowhere and oftentimes we think our child is “going through a phase” and that there is nothing to worry about. Children themselves tend to avoid their negative feelings. However, it is imperative to read the signs because anxiety can be extremely debilitating and cause significant problems in a person’s emotional, social, and educational functioning.
With BRAVE™ children, teenagers, and their parents have access to proven online CBT in a self-help format, which can be accessed from the comfort of their own homes. In 2018, 4,425 users of the child and adolescent self-help programs in Australia participated in a study, revealing that irrespective of the number of sessions completed, young people showed a statistically significant average decrease in their anxiety symptoms.
BRAVE™ has been developed by a team from The University of Queensland and is based on research evidence compiled over 15 years. Parents of children who complete the program can rest assured their child is receiving a high-quality treatment program.
Visit the BRAVE™ website.
CarFreeMe®
CarFreeMe® is an effective, evidence-based and client-centred approach to improve outcomes and support people to manage the decision to stop driving
Driving represents independence and freedom and can be vital for a social and active lifestyle. Older adults and people with health conditions may need to, or choose to, stop driving. This can have a negative impact on their quality of life and health. The losses associated with no longer driving include difficulties with mood and adjustment, a decrease in participation in activities such as essential medical appointments, leisure interests and social engagements. This may put people at risk of isolation, depression and poor health outcomes.
Developed by a multi-disciplinary team from The University of Queensland, CarFreeMe® is a six-week program delivered by a trained CarFreeMe® provider who is a registered health professional and has completed the training.
CarFreeMe® helps participants to:
- own their decision to stop driving
- feel more in control of planning and to have a concrete plan to becoming car free
- increase confidence and comfort while still going wherever they want to go.
Visit the CarFreeMe® website.
