12 March 2026 - 1700 to 1900 Central European Time

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This webinar includes presentations on the intersection of technology and mental health ​from emerging and early career researchers from Italy, Denmark, and the USA.  There will be time for delegates to discuss the issues raised and implications for their research and practice.  This event is designed to set the scene for further knowledge exchange at the ENTER Conference in Lausanne in June.

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Places are free and we warmly welcome ENTER members, researchers, practitioners and people with lived/living experience.  Booking is open - reserve your place here.

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Presentation 1

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Title: Digital and Immersive Technologies in Clinical Psychotherapy: Practical and Clinical Implications from a Bibliographic Analysis with an  Examination of the IDEGO Group’s Applications. 

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Presenter: Enrica CUSIN, Mental Health Center of Medio Polesine, Rovigo, Italy

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Abstract: This study, originating from a Master’s degree thesis in Clinical and Community Psychology, emphasises, through a  bibliographic analysis, the practical and applicative implications emerging from the analysis of simulative and digital technologies in
psychotherapy, with specific attention to the perspective of the IDEGO group. The research hypothesis aims to address the following questions: How can new technologies be used in clinical psychotherapy practice? What limitations and advantages do they 

bring?  The literature search was focused on the analysis of the practical and applicative implications emerging from the analysis of simulative and digital technologies in psychotherapy, such as E-therapy, Virtual reality and Artificial Intelligence. The analysis suggests that technology can function as a supportive tool for personal growth. Immersive and digital technologies, in particular, have proven to be valuable clinical tools adaptable to various diagnostic, preventive, therapeutic, and rehabilitative approaches.
 

Presentation 2

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Title: Trustworthy Health Apps

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Presenter: ​Christine Therese Carolina TORELD, Region Zealand, Denmark

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Abstract: Trustworthy Health Apps is a research project that examines perspectives on trust in apps among patients with mental illness and healthcare professionals in mental health services. By involving end users in the research process, we aim to develop expert recommendations for assessing the trustworthiness of apps that can be applied in clinical practice. The presentation concerns the first sub‑study: a scoping review that identifies concepts and characteristics related to trust in digital health, from the perspectives of both users with lived experience of mental illness and healthcare professionals.

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Presentation 3​

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Title: Beyond Access: A Dual-Pathway Model of Risk and Opportunity in Youth Digital Mental Health

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Presenter: Jolanta JONAK, Department of Literacy, Leadership, and Development & Special Education, Northeastern Illinois University, USA

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Abstract: Digital technologies are increasingly embedded within youth mental health ecosystems through teletherapy platforms, AI-supported applications, executive functioning tools, wearable monitoring devices, and online psychoeducational resources. These tools can enhance access
to care, provide accommodations for neurodivergent learners, and support self-regulation and mental health literacy. At the same time, converging evidence links excessive or developmentally misaligned digital engagement to sleep disruption, attentional fragmentation, emotional dysregulation, and reduced opportunities for embodied social development. These dual findings suggest that digital technologies function not as neutral tools, but as developmental amplifiers capable of both augmentation and dysregulation.

This work-in-progress project synthesizes interdisciplinary empirical literature across digital mental health, neurodevelopment, and educational systems research to propose a dual-pathway conceptual model. The model differentiates between augmentation pathways - where technology enhances inclusion, access, and regulatory capacity, and dysregulation pathways - where design features, overuse, or contextual misalignment intensify vulnerability. Grounded in ecological systems theory and whole-child developmental frameworks, the model situates digital tools within relational, institutional, and technological design systems. The upcoming webinar will serve as a forum for scholarly dialogue and critical refinement of this framework. A subsequent phase (post–June conference), pending ethics approval, will incorporate stakeholder perspectives through purposive sampling of young adults (ages 18–25) and educators with experience navigating digital mental health environments. Semi-structured interviews will be used to explore lived experience, perceived benefits and risks, and recommendations for developmentally aligned and ethically responsible implementation. By integrating conceptual modeling with stakeholder perspectives, this project examines the structural and developmental factors that shape the mental health impact of digital technology use in youth contexts.

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Registration is open.  Book your place here