Dr Sam McKay

New paper! We adapted LivingWorks safeTALK for international students in Australia and found that it was both acceptable and increased participants' confidence to support peers in distress. Read more: doi.org/10.1017/gmh.20…

Schools are key settings for #SuicidePrevention, but integration at scale is challenging. In our new Nature Mental Health Commentary, we call for systemic, sustainable approaches across policy, practice & schools. 🔗 nature.com/articles/s4422…

🚨New publication! Excited to share our latest paper calling for better reporting of suicidal ideation. Better measurement = better understanding = better prevention. Read about it here: doi.org/10.1016/j.jadr… #SuicidePrevention

We have a fully funded PhD project @UniMelb & @KU_Leuven to develop real-time solutions for preventing youth self-harm & suicide. Join a fab team of supervisors (biased, but true!) @JoRobinson_Aus @LivveyKirtley @ajclapperton Contact for info. Plz share! tinyurl.com/484jtaka

BREAKING: A major @TheLancet Psychiatry Commission on youth mental health has just been launched. The publication, led by @PatMcGorry and a global consortium of world-leading experts, marks a significant milestone for the field. It's free to download: bit.ly/46Knr7u

🚨New paper: We explored international students’ experiences of participating in co-consultation to adapt suicide prevention training. Participants told us it was empowering, engaging, and enjoyable, with no one reporting distress. Read more: doi.org/10.1111/hex.14…

2. Extending on the Protective Factors Framework, we came up with this model. I’m excited to see where this can take suicide prevention for international students and to see how it can be used with other culturally diverse groups to support better prevention outcomes!

🚨New paper: We propose new directions for international student #SuicidePrevention using an extended Protective Factors Framework. This novel approach allowed us to identify opportunities to improve current practices and create new prevention initiatives. frontiersin.org/journals/psych…

Great to see our protocol for @MAPSS_LJMU school suicide prevention trial published in @PLOSONE - available here: doi.org/10.1371/journa… @poojaliverpool @molly_mccarthyy @JoRobinson_Aus @Samuel_Mckay @eduliverpoolscb @ChampsPHC @neilhumphreyUoM @mariamichail2 @MYARAISETeam

3. We hope the videos can help normalize conversations about mental health among international students and encourage others to seek help when needed. You can watch the series and find support services using this link: orygen.org.au/Training/Resou…

2. Recently, we were privileged to capture four international students' lived experience stories of suicide. These powerful stories highlight the importance of reaching out and seeking support, showing how this can be the first step to hope and resilience.

🧵1. Two years ago, we realised that despite an identified need, there were few resources for suicide prevention with international students. Since then, we've been dedicated to bridging this gap.

Our latest article presents a critical analysis of Aust unis' international student mental health strategies. We find that, in the rare cases such strategies exist, they tend to individualise student distress, advocating 'resilience' over structural reform tinyurl.com/3ewycmus

I had the privilege to chat with @DrShaneRRR on @einstein_agogo over the weekend about our work in youth #suicideprevention. I’m on at the start of the episode (1.30-10min) rrr.org.au/explore/progra…

Read our article in @ConversationEDU on #HearingVoices and #AvatarTherapy! We are trialling this exciting new treatment in Australia via telehealth, and are now taking referrals via our website - voicestherapy.com Pls RT! theconversation.com/hearing-voices…

Excited to see our report on the international student peer work program out in the wild! It was over a year in the making and really highlights the power of both lived experience and student-led supports for improving international student mental health

I had a blast presenting our education based suicide prevention findings for the MAPSS project in schools and the international student adaptation of safeTALK #iaspbangkok2024

5. I don't think this would have massively changed my research topic or even my projects. But the questions would have allowed me to tweak things to be more useful and, in turn, impactful. What do people think? Do you have similar or different Igikai gaps in your research?

4. What I wished I'd asked at the start of my research journey was: How can I make what I'm doing useful for other researchers? How can I make my work useful for the sector, government, or people's daily lives? How can my work make a difference that the world needs now?

3. Research is competitive and hard, but it does get you paid, so I've covered 75% of the model now. But I forgot to ask, what does the world need? I assumed that the rest of the world would care because I cared about the topic and did good work.

2. To pass go as a researcher, you have to lock in the what you're good at component of Igikai. As a cliche psychology researcher, I also was able to study something I loved, a topic directly related to my own experience. So that's 50% of the model sorted.

🧵1. I've been reflecting on research impact & why I haven't always had the most impactful work. This got me thinking about Ikigai, the Japanese concept of living a life with purpose, meaning, & joy. The model pretty much perfectly explains my early impact gap. Let me explain.