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BITE BACK : An innovative positive psychology website for young people. Presented by: Rowan Burckhardt (researcher) Nic Newling (BITE BACK development) Black Dog Institute. About Us.
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BITE BACK: An innovative positive psychology website for young people Presented by: Rowan Burckhardt (researcher) Nic Newling(BITE BACK development) Black Dog Institute
About Us • The Black Dog Institute is not-for-profit mental health organisation that specialises in mood disorders. It offers four services: • Education of health care professionals • Research • Clinical diagnosis and treatment • Awareness raising • The Institute was formally launched in February 2002. The Institute builds on the work of its predecessor, the Mood Disorders Unit, established 17 years earlier as a state-wide clinical research facility • Our logo is based on Sir Winston Churchill’s famous victory salute
Youth Online Positive Psychology - Program Overview • An online program to helpto develop skills in resilience and promote overall wellbeing. • The program is based on the principles of positive psychology - the science of optimal functioning. • For young people aged between 12 and 18, but priority is 14-16 age group • Built within the Institute’s new youth website, BITE BACK. • Key Principles: • Activities aim to weave into daily life actions (away from computer). • Balance fun with psychology • Recognise life difficulties alongside the positive things • Ensure full anonymity, whilst allowing community interaction • Provide varied level of challenges to suit differing maturity levels
What is Positive Psychology? • Positive psychology is a field of psychology that seeks to study happiness and wellbeing. Unhappy, miserable, unable to participate in life Happy, flourishing, fully engaged in life Cut-off for clinical disorder: typically defined as ‘significant impairment of social or occupational functioning...’
What are the benefits of happiness? • The research suggests that happiness benefits the individual, their family, the community, and the society in general. • Better relationships (more satisfying and longer lasting marriages, more friends, stronger social support, and richer social interactions) • Kinder behaviours, self-confidence, self-control, and coping abilities • Superior work outcomes (greater productivity and higher quality of work) • More activity and energy • Better physical health (bolstered immune system, lowered stress levels, and less pain) and increased longevity
Models of happiness Genetics: Our genetically determined set-point Circumstances: Income, health, physical attractiveness, marital status Intentional activity: What we do and how we think. The important areas are: Social relationships, gratitude, kindness, optimism, mindfulness, physic al exercise, lifelong goals and ambitions, ability to deal with stress and crises
The domains that are important for happiness • Through consultation with experts in the field, we chose to focus on9domains that are important to happiness and that we could work on with adolescents: • Mindfulness • Meaning • Gratitude • Flow • Socialrelationships • Optimism • Characterstrengths • Hope • Healthylifestyles
Final Comments • Evaluation study planned for later this year using clinical and community samples • Promotion through schools and ‘word-of-mouth’ and website links by young people • Program to be eventually made available to all young people throughout Australia
Why? • Bring Positive Psychology to young people • Not make just another ‘fixing the negative’ site • Be relevant for everyone
Why? • Relevant to young people • Fun • Different • Helpful • Not lame • Not too preachy • Social • Something I would want to do • Interesting About me Interactive Something my friends are also doing Something to take me to the next level in life Beneficial Motivating Feel like a part of something
Why? “No problem.” (Optimism) (Hope)
How? • What are we going to build? • How might young people use it? • Is there even a demand for something like this? • Would they get much benefit out of using it? • Would they be interested? • How do we know what young people want? Ask them.
What should BITE BACK be? “We’re going to give you as much say in what happens with BITE BACK as a psychologist with 30 years experience. So don’t screw it up.”
What should BITE BACK be? Young people want • Interactive and fun • Put more focus on the positive • About me The boring stuff • Within budget and time • Able to measure results What BITE BACK became • No preachy teaching • Based on the Positive Psychology domains • Filled with user content • Plenty of other content like competitions, blogs and interviews • Activity based (augmented reality)
Activities Record 3 things that you are grateful for (can be funny, unusual or serious). Share or keep private. Encourage once a week for best results. Hope to introduce SMS and email submissions in future Domain: Gratitude Scavenger hunt concept where you can hunt, find and take photos of things in your life (according to predefined themes). Upload photo to site and obtain the next theme. Share or keep private. Domain: Mindfulness Share and read stories about overcoming difficult times, your best day etc. Domain: Not specific Listen to interviews to learn about flow and how different people (incl. famous people) experience this. Participate in online discussions about flow. Domain: Flow Meditation tracks that utlise taste, sound, sight, touch and smell. You can participate in 7, 14 or 21 day challenges and share your learnings with the community. Domain: Mindfulness
How will you.. ? www.BITEBACK.org.au Facebook: BiteBackAU Twitter:BiteBackAU nic@biteback.org.au r.burckhardt@unsw.edu.au