Advance Mental Health

Our coordinator, Prof. Dr. Wietse Anton Tol, is representing ADVANCE for this round of Mental Health Dialogues! 👥

Prof. Dr. Wietse Tol is a Professor of Global Mental Health at the Section of Global Health, Department of Public Health at the University of Copenhagen; Endowed Professor of Global Mental Health and Structural Injustice at the Athena Institute, VU University Amsterdam; Adjunct Professor at the Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; and Senior Advisor with HealthRight International. He holds an MA in Clinical and Health Psychology (Leiden University), a Ph.D. in Public Mental Health (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), and was a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University. Dr Tol’s research and practice focus on mental health and psychosocial support interventions for adversity-affected populations in low- and middle-income countries. In particular, his work centers on (integrated) interventions that address mental health and the social determinants of mental health, and he is very interested in understanding how research can lead to improved practice (and vice versa). He regularly consults with UN agencies and (international) non-governmental organizations in the areas of mental health and psychosocial support needs assessment, intervention selection and development, monitoring, and evaluation.

Dr. Tol will discuss practical lessons for interdisciplinary collaboration in mental health research.

🗓️ 24 Feb 2026 | 🕒 11:00-12:30 CET | 💻 Online (Zoom)
👉 Register: https://ucph-ku.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7lYBZ7lCRLWJlBNjBogPGg

European Commission

Interdisciplinary collaboration is often thought to be difficult because disciplines “speak different languages” and approach problems in different ways. While this explanation is common, there is still limited insight into how these differences really show up in the daily reality of interdisciplinary research.

This Mental Health Dialogues session moves beyond theory.

Join 7 interdisciplinary EU projects as they reflect on their lived experience of working across disciplines in mental health research from building new consortia and navigating tensions, to identifying practical enablers of collaboration and lessons for future projects.

Special segments include:
✨ Keynote presentation by Dr. Barbara Regeer, introducing the science of interdisciplinarity
✨ Panel discussion with EU-funded project leaders working across disciplines: Wietse Tol, Dominic Heutelbeck, Arlinda Cerga Pashoja, Annet Kleiboer, Kate Woodcock, Hernâni Zão Oliveira, Rodrigo Antunes Lima
✨ Collective sense-making session, led by Barnard (creative director & storyteller) and Ann-Marie Küchler (digital mental health expert)

This webinar will be moderated by Alexandru Pădurean, European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA), European Commission

🗓️ 24 February 2026
🕒 11:00–12:30 CET
💻 Online (Zoom)

👉 Register here: https://ucph-ku.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7lYBZ7lCRLWJlBNjBogPGg #/registration

Did you catch at DGPPN symposium?

Our team presented their feasibility RCT „Psychische Gesundheit – Kernthema für die Prävention? / Mental health: A key focus of prevention?”. Their project is focused on climate distress experienced by youth in Germany.

Check out these photos of the German team 📸

How is ADVANCE Mental Health addressing mental health challenges in migrant populations in Denmark? 🇩🇰

Maria Marti Castaner was recently interviewed on the news about her work on testing the World Health Organization (WHO)'s Self Help Plus programme with migrants in Denmark, and what collaborating on this EU-wide project looks like with other countries.

🎤 Check out her interview (in Danish) with Jeppe from Anerkendende TV - ANTV : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_v2Lpez9sKU

To translate into your language, go to subtitles > select your language.

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Mental Health Dialogues is back with a new session focused on a familiar challenge in mental health research: How do we make interdisciplinarity work in practice? ⭐

Interdisciplinary collaboration is central to many research projects, yet working across disciplines, countries, and often virtual environments can be complex.

In this session, seven EU-funded mental health projects will share how interdisciplinarity actually plays out in day-to-day project work: what supports collaboration, where tensions arise, and what lessons can be drawn for future consortia.

🗓️ Tue, 24 Feb 2026
🕒 11:00-12:30 CET | Virtual Webinar
👉 Register: https://bit.ly/mhd2026

And just like that, another year has flown by. ⌛

The numbers speak for themselves, but none of it would be possible without our passionate and hardworking ADVANCE researchers, collaborators, Society Advisory Groups, local partners, participants, clinicians, and supporters. 💓

With rising inequalities and global uncertainty, 2025 has reminded us that mental health cannot be separated from the world we live in, and that promoting wellbeing means addressing the structural forces that shape people’s lives.

We’re looking forward to continue our work in evidence-based, justice-oriented approaches to mental health promotion, by recognising context, elevating lived experience, and pushing for systems that support wellbeing for all.

We hope you’ll continue following along in 2026. Until then, happy holidays, everyone! ⭐

We are so proud of Ana Luíza, who successfully defended her Master’s thesis based on data from the ADVANCE project.

Ana explored co-created strategies to reduce mental health stigma, for interventions that target individuals in vulnerable situations. Now, that’s 😉

Huge congratulations to Ana ⭐️