Biography
My work inhabits the intersection of theory, research, practice, and policy to promote public mental health in applied settings through programmes designed to increase self-regulation, resilience, and social cohesion. This work involves the operationalisation of the general cognitive processing model, integrative complexity or 'IC' (Suedfeld, 2010), a broad concept based on over forty years of research. IC refers to the cognitive, affective (emotions and feelings) and social processes that can enable people to live and work together despite disagreement and features a cross-culturally validated empirical measure with predictive values. Through inter-disciplinary collaborations and international partnerships, rigorous intervention science is applied with diverse population groups to advance knowledge about how best to equip and support:
- displaced and other vulnerable learners for psychosocial wellbeing, academic attainment, secure relationships, and increased employment opportunities;
- communities to move away from long-term polarisations and hostilities toward civil, collaborative engagement;
- young people to develop the capacities, skills, and motivation to respect different perspectives and worldviews, as well as to recognise and proactively move away from risks associated with groups that use violence.
Research
My research includes populations living with legacies associated with historic migration events alongside opportunities and challenges linked to current migration and displacement due to political, economic and environmental crises. Within a public mental health promotion focus, research begins with the lived experiences of communities in order to design and test resources that are contextually and culturally appropriate.
