Conference Agenda

This presentation draws upon an article that analyses the digital screen as a health technology. In particular, the study in question asks how screens as a part of therapy settings or counselling practices materialise – or fail to materialise – care. The empirical data comprise interviews with Finnish therapy and counselling professionals, whose experiences with technology during the COVID-19 pandemic were my original interest. Adopting a sociomaterial approach to technology use, it scrutinises not only how screens are used, but also how screens themselves act and operate. This approach foregrounds the screen as ‘multiple’, complicating a dichotomous understanding between in-person therapy and remote therapy. The paper argues that the screen operates in a variety of ways that might either facilitate or degrade care and is an essential part of more-than-human care in digitalised societies. Acknowledging the agential capacities of all matter, it also conceptualises screens as ‘vibrant matter’.

Background: Individuals with self-harm experience often face challenges when interacting with healthcare professionals. A lack of understanding and inadequate support can worsen their distress and, in the worst cases, lead to coercive measures. The SAFE-app has been developed as a platform where individuals with self-harm experience can educate others about their perspectives and needs, promoting a more understanding and supportive healthcare approach.

Method: SAFE-app is the result of a co-produced action research project, where individuals with self-harm experience actively contributed to its development. The project employed qualitative interviews, workshops, and iterative design to ensure that the app’s content and functions reflect users’ experiences and needs.

Results: SAFE-app highlights the importance of respect, understanding, and a genuine willingness to help in healthcare interactions. It provides a platform to foster dialogue on improving responses to self-harm. Preliminary findings suggest that the app raises awareness, shifts attitudes from “fixing” to “being,” and promotes a more empathetic approach among caregivers.

Conclusion: SAFE-app integrates experiential and scientific knowledge into healthcare practice, fostering more supportive and meaningful interactions. This project underscores the importance of including user voices in healthcare development to enhance understanding and improve responses to self-harm.

Perinatal mental health conditions often go unrecognized, especially in rural regions like Tyrol, Austria, where stigma surrounding mental illness impacts help-seeking behavior. Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia (PANDA) developed an online Mental Health Checklist for Expecting and New Parents, which was designed as a non-diagnostic self-screening tool to support early recognition of mental health challenges. Their tool was co-designed with their community of parents to ensure it was accessible, safe, and useful for families. This talk presents our study plan which aims to explore the feasibility and acceptance of implementing an adapted version of the PANDA self-screening tool in Tyrol, with a particular focus on its potential to empower individuals in a high-stigma environment to seek help in the early stages of their illness. We will use qualitative methods, including focus groups with parents with lived experience of perinatal mental illness and experts in the perinatal field, to assess perceived usability, barriers, and facilitators of the tool. Insights gained from this study will inform adaptations to better align with the needs of the target population. By evaluating the role of self-screening in perinatal mental health, this research seeks to contribute to a more accessible and stigma-sensitive approach to early intervention.

Abstract

The novel study sought to explore the lived experiences of adolescent victims of cyberbullying receiving counselling interventions during this period through an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) lens. We conducted semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of ten high school students (seven females and three males) who had attended at least five counselling sessions during the pandemic as victims of cyberbullying. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using IPA guidelines. We explored five personal experiential themes, and eighteen subthemes were identified from the analysis: 1) Intensified emotional turmoil from cyberbullying pointed out the deep emotional and psychological distress cyberbullying took on adolescents, particularly during the pandemic. 2) Navigating internal and external hurdles in seeking support outlined the barriers, such as privacy concerns and technical issues. 3) Counselling as a Crucial Support System emphasized how counselling assists in dealing with the impact of cyberbullying. 4) An Evolving Sense of Self-Perception explored the positive changes in self-identity and emotional resilience that emerged through counselling. 5) Sense of Sustained Development and Personal Growth illustrated their self-commitment to continue follow-up sessions. This study emphasized that virtual counselling emerged as a vital resource for personal growth and development during the pandemic.