About this Event
There is widespread concern about a ‘crisis’ in youth mental health in Aotearoa New Zealand and elsewhere. Academics, professionals, and parents are struggling to make sense of rising rates of mental health problems amongst young people and are at a loss to know how they can help. Despite considerable public debate on youth mental health, young people are seldom included in these conversations. But youth are at the forefront of dealing with new political and social challenges, negotiating the rapid transformation of digital technologies, and preparing for an uncertain future. I will argue that young people are able to offer unique insights into the reasons for the mental health crisis, and provide direction for the kind of mental health support that will work for them. Adopting a youth-informed approach, I will challenge some of our ideas and practices in youth mental health, and make suggestions for how we can better meet the needs of young people in distress.
Kerry Gibson is a professor and clinical psychologist in the School of Psychology at the University of Auckland. She is passionate about ensuring young people are included in conversations about their mental health. Her research, conducted as part of The Mirror Project, asks young people how they experience mental health distress what they want from support services. Kerry is the author of: What young people want from mental health services: A youth informed approach for the digital age, published by Routledge in 2022. Kerry completed her PhD at the University of Cape Town and worked at several universities in South African and New Zealand before joining the University of Auckland in 2010. Kerry is a past president of the New Zealand Psychological Society and a Fellow of the Society.
Refreshments will be served in the basement foyer of building 303 (303-B00L2) from 5:30pm, prior to the lecture.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Physics Lecture Theatre 1. PLT1/303-G20. Science Centre., 38 Princes Street, Auckland, New Zealand
NZD 0.00