Research Interests
As part of my Master's requirements, I conducted research in how people recovering from mental health difficulties can find benefit in regularly playing collaborative role-playing games, such as Dungeons and Dragons.
How many times have you really connected with the character in a book or movie? How many times have you wondered what your life would be like if you had a special talent no one else had? These questions are all relevant to this field, which explores what happens to our day to day life once we are given the opportunity to role-play being someone else for a while and decide whether to 'adopt' some of the characteristics of this new persona.
This is an area of research that I am particularly interested in and plan to continue exploring the benefit of these games and potential links to Schema Therapy techniques, by starting a PhD at the University of Canberra.
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I have also conducted research in how English speakers can learn to differentiate Mandarin tones and what method of teaching is most beneficial to them. Whilst I did not pursue publication in this area, I have a soft spot for anything related to teaching and learning (not limited to languages) and particularly interested in Guided Discovery.
Guided Discovery plays a role in how I conduct therapy, as I think is most beneficial for clients to learn difficult concepts by exploring and getting to their own conclusions. Whilst psychoeducation is a fundamental aspect of treatment, the therapeutic space should not feel like a high-school class.
